Battle Digest™ was created to make military history easier to understand and learn.

Years ago, as a young Army officer, I taught classes to my Soldiers about famous battles. It was a critical part of my leader-development program. But it wasn’t easy. It took a lot of time to research each battle to understand it, and prepare a class/discussion. As I sifted through different books and resources, it seemed that each one focused on different things, and very few helped me understand “why” things happened like they did. And no source seemed to highlight the important and timeless lessons we should learn. I knew there had to be a better way.

And it wasn’t just about educating my Soldiers—it was also about educating me. Even with my background (West Point, Command and General Staff College, U.S. Army War College), I still had trouble remembering important questions like these:

“How did Gen. George Meade manage to beat Gen. Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg?”, or

“What mistakes cost Napoleon the battle of Waterloo?”

“Was Custer really to blame for the fiasco at Little Bighorn?”

I kept thinking to myself: I’m an Army Officer, I should know this stuff!

Well, I decided to do something about it, and make it a lot easier to learn. Battle Digest™ was the answer.

Through a simple and consistent format, each issue of Battle Digest™ gives the reader a condensed executive summary of what happened and why, complete with graphics to support the learning. From now on, it should be easier for busy professionals, or busy students, to increase their knowledge of military history and the important lessons learned.

I hope you enjoy Battle Digest™ as much as I do.

Christopher Petty (Brigadier General, Retired)

Founder