Joseph Stoltz
@thehistorydr.bsky.social
Military Historian. Postdoc @ WesleyanU CSGS
Foodie. Dog Person.
Substack: thehistorydr.substack.com
Website: JosephStoltz.com
Foodie. Dog Person.
Substack: thehistorydr.substack.com
Website: JosephStoltz.com
Pinned
The Gulf Theater, 1813–15 - Casemate Publishers US
The Gulf Theater shaped the War of 1812, culminating in Andrew Jackson’s victory at New Orleans.While most of the fighting of the War of 1812 raged along t...
www.casematepublishers.com
My book about the War of 1812’s Gulf Theatre is being rereleased by @casematepublishers.bsky.social, with even more content, this spring! Preorder it here!
Reposted by Joseph Stoltz
Too much internal discord and civil war are a waste of resources that often lead to unexpected outcomes. Just ask Agesilaus and Pompey, in my latest examination of Plutarch's LIVES.
Agesilaus and Pompey: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XVI
Plutarch presents the lives of Agesilaus and Pompey as cautionary tales of the disaster and waste that is civil war. Agesilaus was a Spartan king, who was never originally intended for the line of …
josephstoltz.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Too much internal discord and civil war are a waste of resources that often lead to unexpected outcomes. Just ask Agesilaus and Pompey, in my latest examination of Plutarch's LIVES.
Too much internal discord and civil war are a waste of resources that often lead to unexpected outcomes. Just ask Agesilaus and Pompey, in my latest examination of Plutarch's LIVES.
Agesilaus and Pompey: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XVI
Plutarch presents the lives of Agesilaus and Pompey as cautionary tales of the disaster and waste that is civil war. Agesilaus was a Spartan king, who was never originally intended for the line of …
josephstoltz.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:27 PM
Too much internal discord and civil war are a waste of resources that often lead to unexpected outcomes. Just ask Agesilaus and Pompey, in my latest examination of Plutarch's LIVES.
Reposted by Joseph Stoltz
Were Alexander and Caesar really good or did they just have resource advantages?
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Eumenes and Sertorius: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XV
Eumenes and Sertorius are great examples of skilled military leaders that did not have the material and personnel advantages of a Caesar or Alexander. They had to struggle through adverse condition…
josephstoltz.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Were Alexander and Caesar really good or did they just have resource advantages?
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Were Alexander and Caesar really good or did they just have resource advantages?
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Eumenes and Sertorius: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XV
Eumenes and Sertorius are great examples of skilled military leaders that did not have the material and personnel advantages of a Caesar or Alexander. They had to struggle through adverse condition…
josephstoltz.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Were Alexander and Caesar really good or did they just have resource advantages?
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Eumenes and Sertorius had nothing. They provide interesting early examples of asymmetric strategies that weaker forces used to successfully prosecute military campaigns against larger more powerful opponents.
Check out the latest WETA @pbs.org documentary, where I discuss living history public programing and what many groups are doing to get ready for the United States' 250th.
Go Behind the Scenes at Mount Vernon's Revolutionary War Weekend | WETA Arts
YouTube video by WETA PBS
www.youtube.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Check out the latest WETA @pbs.org documentary, where I discuss living history public programing and what many groups are doing to get ready for the United States' 250th.
Reposted by Joseph Stoltz
Just because a system has been working for you doesn't mean it will always work. The lives of Nicias and Crassus are a cautionary example of imperial overreach and fighting the war you want, not the war you have.
Nicias and Crassus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XIV
Nicias and Crassus were the victims of imperial overreach, at times when both Athens and Rome felt they could not fail at anything they tried.
josephstoltz.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Just because a system has been working for you doesn't mean it will always work. The lives of Nicias and Crassus are a cautionary example of imperial overreach and fighting the war you want, not the war you have.
Just because a system has been working for you doesn't mean it will always work. The lives of Nicias and Crassus are a cautionary example of imperial overreach and fighting the war you want, not the war you have.
Nicias and Crassus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XIV
Nicias and Crassus were the victims of imperial overreach, at times when both Athens and Rome felt they could not fail at anything they tried.
josephstoltz.com
November 11, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Just because a system has been working for you doesn't mean it will always work. The lives of Nicias and Crassus are a cautionary example of imperial overreach and fighting the war you want, not the war you have.
Cimon and Lucullus were both skilled military leaders that also saw how external conflicts could boomerang into domestic politics. Both sought to ameliorate those effects.
Check out more in my latest blog post about Plutarch's LIVES!
Check out more in my latest blog post about Plutarch's LIVES!
Cimon and Lucullus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XIII
Plutarch seems to pair Cimon with Lucullus because both men were successful military leaders and statemen that attempted to keep their respective cities unified, but who both ultimately failed.
josephstoltz.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Cimon and Lucullus were both skilled military leaders that also saw how external conflicts could boomerang into domestic politics. Both sought to ameliorate those effects.
Check out more in my latest blog post about Plutarch's LIVES!
Check out more in my latest blog post about Plutarch's LIVES!
Finally back from the Bahamas! Time to start looking for a “permanent” job again. If you know of anything, hit me up!
November 8, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Finally back from the Bahamas! Time to start looking for a “permanent” job again. If you know of anything, hit me up!
Why is this an option, JetBlue?! 😂
November 2, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Why is this an option, JetBlue?! 😂
My book about the War of 1812’s Gulf Theatre is being rereleased by @casematepublishers.bsky.social, with even more content, this spring! Preorder it here!
The Gulf Theater, 1813–15 - Casemate Publishers US
The Gulf Theater shaped the War of 1812, culminating in Andrew Jackson’s victory at New Orleans.While most of the fighting of the War of 1812 raged along t...
www.casematepublishers.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:22 PM
My book about the War of 1812’s Gulf Theatre is being rereleased by @casematepublishers.bsky.social, with even more content, this spring! Preorder it here!
Reposted by Joseph Stoltz
Lysander and Sulla were toxic leaders. However good of a job they did as battlefield or operational commanders, they failed to understand or honor the civil constitutions they served.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Lysander and Sulla: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XII
Lysander and Sulla were domineering figures that, while successful military leaders, were disasters in the political realm, failing to understand the differences between those two realms. Lysander …
josephstoltz.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Lysander and Sulla were toxic leaders. However good of a job they did as battlefield or operational commanders, they failed to understand or honor the civil constitutions they served.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Lysander and Sulla were toxic leaders. However good of a job they did as battlefield or operational commanders, they failed to understand or honor the civil constitutions they served.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Lysander and Sulla: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XII
Lysander and Sulla were domineering figures that, while successful military leaders, were disasters in the political realm, failing to understand the differences between those two realms. Lysander …
josephstoltz.com
October 30, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Lysander and Sulla were toxic leaders. However good of a job they did as battlefield or operational commanders, they failed to understand or honor the civil constitutions they served.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Fueled by self-aggrandizement and personal grievances, they brought about the downfalls of their countries.
Creole-style gumbo. ⚜️
October 28, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Creole-style gumbo. ⚜️
Leaders should be working towards some sort of realistic conceptual framework of victory. In the cause of Pyrrhus and Marius, we find military leaders who often fought battles simply for the sake of fighting battles, not using those events to build towards some sort of articulated end state.
Pyrrhus and Marius: Plutarch’s Lives, Part XI
Pyrrhus of Epirus and Gaius Marius of Rome were two accomplished generals. Their success came from a willingness to take risks and seek battle to an extent many of their peers would not. Their down…
josephstoltz.com
October 27, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Leaders should be working towards some sort of realistic conceptual framework of victory. In the cause of Pyrrhus and Marius, we find military leaders who often fought battles simply for the sake of fighting battles, not using those events to build towards some sort of articulated end state.
Reposted by Joseph Stoltz
Why did many Greeks find the Roman Flaminius to be more of a "Liberator of Greece" than the Greek Philopoemen? Find out by reading my latest notes on Plutarch's LIVES, and, hint, it wasn't because on of them has a way easier name to spell!
Philopoemen and Titus Flaminus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part X
In Plutarch’s biographies of Philopoemen and Titus Flaminius, we see powerful examples of war not just being about winning battles but also securing peace. Unlike many of Plutarch’s other pairs of …
josephstoltz.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Why did many Greeks find the Roman Flaminius to be more of a "Liberator of Greece" than the Greek Philopoemen? Find out by reading my latest notes on Plutarch's LIVES, and, hint, it wasn't because on of them has a way easier name to spell!
Why did many Greeks find the Roman Flaminius to be more of a "Liberator of Greece" than the Greek Philopoemen? Find out by reading my latest notes on Plutarch's LIVES, and, hint, it wasn't because on of them has a way easier name to spell!
Philopoemen and Titus Flaminus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part X
In Plutarch’s biographies of Philopoemen and Titus Flaminius, we see powerful examples of war not just being about winning battles but also securing peace. Unlike many of Plutarch’s other pairs of …
josephstoltz.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Why did many Greeks find the Roman Flaminius to be more of a "Liberator of Greece" than the Greek Philopoemen? Find out by reading my latest notes on Plutarch's LIVES, and, hint, it wasn't because on of them has a way easier name to spell!
Plutarch's LIVES provides powerful examples of the importance of virtuous civil and military leaders in his biographies of Aristides and Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder).
Aristides and Marcus Cato: Plutarch’s Lives, Part IX
With his biographies of Aristides and Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder), we see a continuing focus by Plutarch on the importance of virtue in civic and military leaders.
josephstoltz.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Plutarch's LIVES provides powerful examples of the importance of virtuous civil and military leaders in his biographies of Aristides and Marcus Cato (Cato the Elder).
Senior leaders' jobs are to do senior leaders' jobs, not their subordinates.
Plutarch's biographies of Pelopidas and Marcellus are examples of what happens when senior leaders don't understand they need to act at their level of leadership.
Plutarch's biographies of Pelopidas and Marcellus are examples of what happens when senior leaders don't understand they need to act at their level of leadership.
Pelopidas and Marcellus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part VIII
With his biographies of Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, Plutarch continues a trend of focusing not just on the military prowess of his subjects but also their moral virtue. Indeed, his biography of T…
josephstoltz.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Senior leaders' jobs are to do senior leaders' jobs, not their subordinates.
Plutarch's biographies of Pelopidas and Marcellus are examples of what happens when senior leaders don't understand they need to act at their level of leadership.
Plutarch's biographies of Pelopidas and Marcellus are examples of what happens when senior leaders don't understand they need to act at their level of leadership.
Last night’s project: maple and balsamic glazed chicken on a bed of caremelized apples and autumnal root vegetables.
October 18, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Last night’s project: maple and balsamic glazed chicken on a bed of caremelized apples and autumnal root vegetables.
Reposted by Joseph Stoltz
Plutarch's LIVES doesn't just promote military victors. It critiques leaders who lacked virtue.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part VII
With his biographies of Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, Plutarch continues a trend of focusing not just on the military prowess of his subjects but also their moral virtue. Indeed, his biography of T…
josephstoltz.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Plutarch's LIVES doesn't just promote military victors. It critiques leaders who lacked virtue.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
Plutarch's LIVES doesn't just promote military victors. It critiques leaders who lacked virtue.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus: Plutarch’s Lives, Part VII
With his biographies of Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, Plutarch continues a trend of focusing not just on the military prowess of his subjects but also their moral virtue. Indeed, his biography of T…
josephstoltz.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Plutarch's LIVES doesn't just promote military victors. It critiques leaders who lacked virtue.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
With Timoleon and Aemilius Paulus, we see his ideal military and political leaders: people who understood that if you're profiting from the public service, it's not a service to the public.
#Habs win !
a gmc ad with a hockey mascot on it
Alt: Montreal Canadiens mascot Youppi dancing at center ice.
media.tenor.com
October 17, 2025 at 1:49 AM
#Habs win !