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Sunday 25 October 2015

Battles - Sunday Stamps II

I have no disaster stamps although the loser of a battle may have regarded it as a disaster.

This week I have two first day covers to show that commemorate battles of a different sort.

USA - First Bull Run, July 21 1861

The American Civil War broke out on April 12 when Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter. The Union soldiers surrendered the next day.


Bull Run, the first significant engagement of the war, dispelled any thoughts of a prompt resolution of the conflict. The battle took place in Virginia near a stream called Bull Run.

The Fort Sumter and Bull Run stamps were the first in a series commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War.

In Britain the news headlines this week has featured the issue of the latest Bond film. No mention has been made of the fact that one of the most famous battles in British History took place on October 21, 1805

Great Britain - FDC, Battle of Trafalgar

The battle on 21 October 1805 was the naval engagement in which the British fleet defeated the combined forces of France and Spain during the Napoleonic Wars of 1803 - 1815.

The individual stamps, issued 18 October 2005, are worth looking at.

 Left to right:
  • Franco/Spanish Fleet putting to sea from Cadiz
  • 'Entrepreante' with dismasted British 'Belle Isle'
  • Cutter and HMS 'Pickle' (schooner)

  • Nelson wounded on the deck of HMS 'Victory'
  • British Cutter 'Entrepreante' attempting to rescue crew of burning French 'Achille.'
  • British Fleet attacking in Two Columns

Six hundred years ago today in 1415 it was the British won the Battle of Agincourt. No stamps have been issued to commemorate this event unless you count this one which I have shown before.

Eve of Agincourt (Henry V)
'And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here.
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon St Crispin's day.'

For stamps commemorating other battles or disasters please follow the links at Sunday-Stamps-II-45.

4 comments:

VioletSky said...

I was hoping someone - you - would have these Battle of Agincourt stamps!
Battle scenes from that era always look so chaotic, but ones at sea have the added peril of the waves along with the cannon fire.

FinnBadger said...

Excellent trip through history today, Bob.

Mail Adventures said...

Excellent selection.

Heleen said...

As I wrote in my comment to an other blog, I've a kind of allergy to fights, wars, and so on. However history is important (I hope one day people will learn from history and battles won't repeat..). And your excellent selection helps me to learn about these parts of history I usually don't read/see!