Lets see what happens when we use the re-written standard (amateur hour) to determine if something should be treated as a legitimate attack.
On November 22nd 1864 a brigade from the 15th Corps of Sherman’s Army was dug in as a rear guard during the march through Georgia. 3000 Militia under P. J. Phillips attacked.
The attack was amateurish, moving forward across an open field toward veterans who naturally blew them away each time they charged. When it was all over a 10-1 casualty ratio told the tale of a foolish and useless defeat.
Under our new standards does this battle count?
Ok now lets apply the rules that some are trying to apply to the attack attempt on Times Square and see if this marker should come down:
This shouldn’t count as a battle. The tactics used were obsolete, the person leading the attack had no experience in battle and wasn’t even smart enough to not charge across an open field. Yeah he has some connections to the Confederate Army but he was Militia so it wasn’t as if it was a professional army that was even attacking. They should have simply apprehended these guys and arrested them as insurrectionists.
Now naturally none of us are going to take the Battle of Griswoldville out of the history books or pretend it is not a part of the Civil War.
Likewise it behooves us not to pretend that what happened in NY was anything less than a battle in the war on terror. Of course the facts are making pretending otherwise less and less possible.
