12-04-2009, 03:42 PM
[to be ignored if so desired]
While not giving an answer myself, I would point out 3 things that might help you on your quest for a good answer to your question:
1. Read about Nelson, Alexander, Washington, etc
-Washington's aid told him to get down from a defensive wall and he replied "no - its important that the men see me here"
-Alexander participated in almost all of his cavalry charges
-Nelson thought it improper to duck for cover while his men were exposed and always displayed himself prominently
2. Since you brought up Franklin; In the Brands Biography of him (that I'm ready now) there's a fun story about Franklin listening to a speech of George Whitefield's. During the speech, Franklin walked backward to the point where he could just barely hear Whitefield. Then he calculated (at 1 person per 2 square feet) that Whitefield's voice projected so well it could be heard by up to 30,000 people arranged in a semi-circle in front him him. In other words, many of the stories of rallying speeches given to 20,000 person armies are technically possible.
(As you probably know, Franklin himself was never a good speaker)
3. Invert, always invert -- ask the questions -- What do leaders (or governments) want in their soldiers? For example, can you imagine going to war with an army of Jakes? Is there any speech you could give that would inspire him to storm the hill?
"Ah sir, I will not storm that hill because you have failed to demonstrate to me that there is a correlation between storming the hill and ultimate success in this battle. Further, I believe you are making and error in your correlation of holding high ground to successful outcomes. What's more the nature of the causative relationship between--" *BANG*
While not giving an answer myself, I would point out 3 things that might help you on your quest for a good answer to your question:
1. Read about Nelson, Alexander, Washington, etc
-Washington's aid told him to get down from a defensive wall and he replied "no - its important that the men see me here"
-Alexander participated in almost all of his cavalry charges
-Nelson thought it improper to duck for cover while his men were exposed and always displayed himself prominently
2. Since you brought up Franklin; In the Brands Biography of him (that I'm ready now) there's a fun story about Franklin listening to a speech of George Whitefield's. During the speech, Franklin walked backward to the point where he could just barely hear Whitefield. Then he calculated (at 1 person per 2 square feet) that Whitefield's voice projected so well it could be heard by up to 30,000 people arranged in a semi-circle in front him him. In other words, many of the stories of rallying speeches given to 20,000 person armies are technically possible.
(As you probably know, Franklin himself was never a good speaker)
3. Invert, always invert -- ask the questions -- What do leaders (or governments) want in their soldiers? For example, can you imagine going to war with an army of Jakes? Is there any speech you could give that would inspire him to storm the hill?
"Ah sir, I will not storm that hill because you have failed to demonstrate to me that there is a correlation between storming the hill and ultimate success in this battle. Further, I believe you are making and error in your correlation of holding high ground to successful outcomes. What's more the nature of the causative relationship between--" *BANG*
"Hamilton is really a Colossus to the anti republican party. Without numbers he is an host within himself. They have got themselves into a defile where they might be finished but too much security on the republican part will give time to his talents and indefatigableness to extricate them. We have had only middling performances to oppose to him. In truth when he comes forward there is nobody but yourself who can meet him. His adversaries having begun the attack he has the advantage of answering them and remains unanswered himself. For God's sake take up your pen and give a fundamental reply to Curtius and Camillas" - Thomas Jefferson to James Madison