|
|
Article: Trenches in American Warfare
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2003 The Gale Group Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
TRENCHES IN AMERICAN WARFARE
TRENCHES IN AMERICAN WARFARE.
Field trenches seldom played a role in the American colonial wars, but they became more prominent in the American Revolution: opposing forces began to use hasty field entrenchments at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and General George Washington used trenches continually and freely throughout the war as a means of keeping his army in the field; he constantly warned, however, against allowing trenches to become a trap.
Trenches were little used in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American War, and, at the beginning of the Civil War, soldiers on both sides resented work on trenches
—
even though they quickly realized their error. ...