Chief Historian's Footnote
Celebrating Army Historians
By Jim Malachowski
Article published on:
March 1, 2025 in the Spring 2025 edition of Army History
Read Time:
< 4 mins
Jim Malachowski
As we commemorate the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary, we also must honor
the military historians whose tireless work preserves the history of
America’s Army. For nearly 250 years, Army historians have chronicled both
the Army’s institutional history and the detailed operational challenges
in both success and failure in battle. When you consider the primary
function Army historians provide, which is writing the official history in
peace and war to improve the Army’s effectiveness, our story begins with
the U.S. Army during the American Revolutionary War.
In 1781, just six years after the beginning of the war, General George
Washington wrote to the Continental Congress to propose creating a section
of writers, led by a leader in “whom entire confidence can be placed” to
organize and preserve war records at his headquarters.1With congressional approval, Washington hired the Army’s first chief
historian, appointing Lt. Col. Richard Varick as his general secretary.
One can imagine Varick walking into Washington’s headquarters to find a
mountain of paperwork—an experience repeated by nearly every historian
arriving at a headquarters today. Over the next several years, Varick and
his team compiled orders, correspondence, and detailed reports on troop
movements—laying the groundwork for what today we term “operational
history.” Although revolutionary pamphlets like Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense (printed in 1776) stirred public opinion, Varick’s
work provided a factual blueprint of military engagements, leader
decisions, and logistics that led to success and failure on the
battlefield. The forty-four volumes collected during the war and in the
immediate postwar period became raw material for later historians.
As the nation grew, so did its commitment to detailed historical
documentation. In 1864, Congress again authorized the Army to collect and
publish the official history of “The War of the Rebellion.” Between 1880
and 1901, historians completed 131 volumes with records of the U.S. and
Confederate Armies and the collection now is considered as the essential
source to the study of the Civil War.2Following World War I, Army historians produced a monumental series of
128 books. These volumes, spanning tactical orders of battle, troop
deployments, and the technological innovations of industrialized warfare,
stand as a comprehensive record of operational complexity.
The challenges of World War II demanded an even more nuanced synthesis of
narrative and operational detail. Forrest C. Pogue emerged as a leading
figure during this era. Serving as an official combat historian, Pogue’s
work went beyond merely charting events; he delved into the operational
intricacies that defined the European Theater of Operations. Through
firsthand interviews with soldiers and in-depth analyses of battlefield
coordination and tactical shifts, Pogue provided an immersive account that
shed light on how operational decisions influenced the course of the war.
His narrative combined strategic assessment with operational detail,
offering insights that continue to inform both historical scholarship and
modern military doctrine.
In the post–World War II era, combat historians have further expanded the
operational narrative to capture the complex nature of modern warfare.
During the Korean and Vietnam Wars, historians meticulously recorded the
harsh realities of fighting in extreme conditions, focusing on the rapid
troop movements, supply challenges, and shifting battle tactics that
defined the conflicts. More recent theaters, like Afghanistan and Iraq,
have presented historians with new operational challenges in the realms of
counterinsurgency, urban combat, and multidomain operations.
Over time, Army historians have examined key operational details in their
effort to capture both the strategic and human elements of conflict.
Today, Army historians are leveraging tools to move digital data from the
forward line of troops to the archive, conducting interviews, and
capturing important documents and data from around the globe. Their work,
steeped in operational art and the historian’s craft, s imultaneously s
erves as t he A rmy’s historical record and as a guide for refining
tactics, training, and doctrine to improve the Army’s combat capabilities.
Behind all of it, the U.S. Army Center of Military History ensures that
both the operational and narrative dimensions of military history are
preserved.
This summer, we recognize 250 years of America’s Army. Please join me in
remembering generations of military historians who chronicled each
tactical maneuver, strategic decision, and operational lesson to write our
official history. From Colonel Varick in the Revolutionary War to military
history detachments on the ground in four areas of responsibility today,
help me celebrate Army historians who weave the threads of heroic deeds
and the practical challenges of warfare into a rich tapestry of national
defense. In every preserved order, every examined maneuver, and every
doctrinal update, military historians ensure that operational history
remains the backbone of our national defense. Their enduring legacy
inspires today’s commanders and informs tomorrow’s strategies, ensuring
that the Army’s storied past—every operation recorded, and every lesson
learned—continues to guide our future and remind us that understanding how
battles are fought is as crucial as remembering why they are fought.
Notes