Did Generals Really Give Battle Speeches? DOCUMENTARY 

I'll be making the art available to our Patrons: www.patreon.com/InvictaHistory Video Time Stamps: 2:20 - What did they say? 12:00 - Why did they say it? 14:05 - How did they say it?

Our men are running from the battlefield, shamefull display!" 10/10 speech.

Whether they did or not, I loved those speeches in Rome: Total War.

“Our enemies, the French, are said to be better lovers than fighters. This is true! Ask any cat, dog or farmyard animal.”

Next question: "Did Japanese armies really always have a guy who shouted "OUR MEN ARE RUNNING FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, A SHAMEFULL DISPLAY!" every time a regiment was routed?

General: "So that's why I'm here, the leader of the Julii!" Soldier at the end of the battle line a mile away: "Why is it so quiet before the fighting starts?"

I was on the English side at the 950th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Hastings in 2016. There were approx 500 to 600 of us standing in formation waiting for the Norman reenactors to arrive on the field. Simply between everyone talking to each other, weapons and armor noise, and the general excitement we could not hear orders screamed out 50 feet from us. There was a loudspeaker system set up to narrate the battle to the tens of thousands strong crowd spectating and we could barely hear it in the center. That said Harold Godwinson riding up and down the line on a massive black horse got a cheer from us that I swore they heard in London. Though it was a reenactment at that moment the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

12:43 - there's a story about Hannibal at the Cannae. According to a source, when he walked out of his tent with his officers before the battle, he or some of his aides cracked a joke, and in response they started to laugh. And when the troops saw that the whole officer group is laughing and in a good mood, this inspired in them great confidence, because they thought they laughed at the Romans.

"... and then the entire battlefield erupted into raucous applause." - Thucydides, c. 420 BCE

"We are gathered here today to do battle. Regrettable isn't it? I didn't want to be here myself, but my grandmother told me that I better make a good show out of it. So here it goes."

“After all, we have Bohemians to look down upon!” - Total war medieval 2

Stand proud you sons of Rome, you favored of Mars, our enemies shake at the sight of you!

Another idea that ancient generals could use was to bring the officers in a tight circular formation and deliver his "speech" (or guidance) to them. Then they, in turn, deliver the same speech to their cohorts.

"We are going to take the fortress. I do not expect it to be easy. I do expect it to be done."

"we can't hear you from the back."

There may come a time when I believe Generals did not give rousing speeches... BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY!

"guys, they have 1000 heavy infrantry and 500 cavalry, we have 50 peasants, but we have god on our side!" *morale increased from 20% to 100%* btw i draw stupid caricatures of historical figures if anyone is interested

_"today we are cancelling the apocalypse"_

Arise, arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shield shall be splintered, a sword day, a red day, ere the sun rises! Ride now, ride now, ride! Ride for ruin, and the worlds ending! Death! Death! Death! Forth Eorlingas!

It could also be that only a small part of the army heard the speech but got rallid up and the excitement spread through the entire army, maybe some shouted parts of what the heard and it spread even further kinda like mob psychology

Shakespeare, perhaps, hints at the 'relay' model of a speech in the St. Crispin's speech: "Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host, That he which hath no stomach to this fight, Let him depart; his passport shall be made And crowns for convoy put into his purse: We would not die in that man's company That fears his fellowship to die with us. " Come to think of it, coaches' half-time locker room speeches to dispirited football teams are in this tradition even now. Bet there have been some good ones, too, never recorded even informally. I wonder if some coaches have tried to play the St. Crispin speech from a video to their players?

Invicta: Did Generals really give battle speeches ? Me: Don' do it, don't take that away from me ? Its the best bevor every Rometotal war Battle

"May it be, in future times, that whenever an army's attention begins to flag, the commander will say, 'We really need to Phocis, guise'..."

11:36 mmmmm depends how one defines a speech. Plenty of orders of the day came from upper command during the world wars. Some of these were fairly speech-like and there were plenty of them.

I think Tolkien knew what he was doing when he wrote Theoden's speech at the battle of Pellenor where he says very little but several time and in different ways as he rides by. Thus getting the message through to the bulk of the army

I just want to say that it is so refreshing and inspiring, that you choose such unusual topics for your videos. The micro history or may it be better called "casual" history in this case is so fascinating. It is just like peeking into a certain moment in the past and seeing all the little things play out. Nice job as usual, Invicta!

Very interesting question, and in depth well-researched answer. That's exactly the kind of quality content I'm here for. Thank you.

You outdid yourself once more! Thanks a lot for really going after the answers to these questions!

Answer: maybe.

I always find anything you talk about fascinating! History is the best!

Wow this was fascinating as fook. Invictus u are insanely intelligent and wise imo. Good job and good luck with everything .

very thorough research! thank you!

It doesnt have to be a speech even a simple phrase or a battle cry could inspire an entire army

As long as the speech ends with Carthago Delenda est it happened.

Well researched. Good job

Can't speak to back in the day, but I know that nowadays when U.S. Marine commanders have the time to give a speech and are confident in doing so, they generally do. Both as a way of going over the battle plan (including commander's intent, R.O.E., etc.) and increasing troop moral. While usually done without electronic aid at the battalion level (generally 300-800 ppl), if done in larger groups they might set up audio systems, however.

"hey kids ....give em hell...give em hell" - Julius Caeser

I have always wondered about this thank you.

I see Vercingetorix is on the cover. I am a simple man I see gauls, I click!

Love these videos

'The Roman Eagle is a Roman Chicken, Fleeing the cooks Cleaver' Rome Total war, Carthaginian Narrator, when Roman Faction leader flees against Carthaginian Faction leader.

I always loved the contextual implications of Alexander the greats speech to his men in India before going back to Greece. Basically came down to, I would go alone if I was able to, but if your all are really to scared to cross the river then I guess we can go home.

Vercingetorix has got to be one of the coolest names in history!

"I look at our foes and see nothing but arse weasels!" - Medieval II Total War

This is extremely fascinating, the last part about hearing the speech especially! Something that in movies we often don’t see but it would be great to see before a certain battle scene. Commander gives a speech but is helped by his officers.

Would love a video on communication during large scale battles. How would a general order his far away flanks to maneuver a certain way? How effective was drums, horns and banners for this purpose? How fast could you expect a far away unit to respond to an order? Did subcommanders communicate losses/gains back to the general? Etc.

I know this isn’t the format of the channel but could you do reviews of historical movies especially the ones that have big battle this could be a great opportunity to point out all h the misconception in Hollywood and you could recommend videos that cover different aspects of the movies to get the full answer on any topic and it would be a very entertaining format to watch. Long pitch sry and thx for the Great content

What about King Aragorn speech the best in all of middle earth history

it would be nice to see a video about how (before radio/morse code) generals/leaders communicated to different units their positions and movements before, and during battle

This RU-vid channel is pretty amazing

Alright, here's what we're gonna do. Set up our most fearless soldiers close by. Inform them that when I give this signal, they are to howl, this signal to bash their shields, and this signal to stomp their feet and spears. It was an amazing battle, the troops fought like gods; a fearless unshakable bulwark against the savage heathens. One can only attribute this to the rousing speech which shook the very souls of the soldiers, wave after wave they howled and bashed their shields and stomped their feet. It was stirring to say the least... Excuse me, yes you sir, what did the Ceaser say before the battle? Oh umm... something about him pissing his pants. I didn't get the full story, but his mom left a hand print he never forgot.

Well those in front need boost off moral the most ..if i was in first raw i would be scared as sht

I thought that the speech was given to a select group in front of the Army and then the Unit Commanders went and relayed what the "Boss" had said...The troops knew it was so ...they saw the "Boss" say it...That's the way it was when I Served...And it worked for Us...But we where so much Younger then...Semper Fi...

Awesome video, got a question though, how did people actually chronicle battles? Like ancient war journalists??

Yo this is the first video I’ve seen of yours in months, I forgot I even subbed. Ima go check see if you been uploading, if so what the f RU-vid

For most of history battles where won by moral. To inspire your troops and convince them to fight till victory you are quite literally saving lives as your men will fight harder and the enemy seeing this will be more likely to raut. The faster the battle is over the fewer had to die, before it was over.

The speech by Scipio Africanus in Sicily right before sailing to Carthage is one of my favorites.

This is such a good idea for a video

Great vídeo! Rlly instructive. BUT 14:00 What on earth is that guy in brown supposed to be?

Seems like such a cool all-inclusive video game! Well done to them and good choice of sponsor.

What if the enemy attacked right now? Lmao that cracked me up

Hey I know you dont cover most countrys without large historical significance but can you do a video on the Avro Arrow I think it would make a interesting video especially for how significant it was at the time but that's my own opinion.

Who is making thoses gorgeous illustrations of characters ?

The best example is Daniel Morgan before Cowpens. Just wandering around the camp demanding three good volleys to anyone he could. Worked like a charm

Don’t play that free WWII game. Go and download HOI4

I believe that leaders gave speaches similar to the ones recorded, but the recording fix any gramatical errors repetition and might enbelish some parts tho the speach with a similar purpose and idea was actually spoken.

I think in modern warfare, with small-unit action being the norm rather than set-piece battles, the pre-battle speech has been superseded by the much more practical mission briefing. After explaining everyone's tasks, the commander may finish the briefing with a few encouraging words if the operation is expected to be unusually difficult or dangerous.

Can you make a video about what armies do on the march? When we read tactics and strategies we always hear army x moved to this place which was x days away, but it doesn't tell us the details of how it is being conducted, such as do they set up camp every night with fortifications? How many hours is dedicated to marching? Do they take breaks? What time do they wake up and what time do they sleep? What do the sentries doing the night guard during the day when the army is moving again? Are the sentries carried on wagons so they can sleep?

In the past before we had technology like the microphone for people to transmit their speeches for everyone to hear, a lot of kings and military leaders had to resort to lung power. Either they were gifted with a set of strong pipes that helped their voices resonate across a battlefield or they had to train themselves like opera singers to make their voices as loud and as booming as possible. Some may have even gotten a hype man or an orator to speak for them.

12:15 This has to be the most historically accurate looking yet most awe-inspiring battle depiction I've seen. Anyone has a source on this? I can darken it and make it my wallpaper

All this time, I was thinking this scenario: General: (goes up a high place on his horse) This day! We are against a mighty foe! But fear not! We will wi.. (An arrow hits and kills him) Soldiers: ?

I guess that the shortest the speech is, the easier to transmit it is, especially is repeating it or using subordinates as relays.

I know that at least in the 1800s commanders on the brigade level would give speach to each regiment separately, 500-1000 troops. Now this wasn't usually done before a battle but in other instances. I have read however that some would write up a speech in several copies to be handed out to the commanders of other unit, say on the regimental level, to be read aloud to the troops.

It makes sense, as the speech is the last real chance the commander has to bolster or shore up their forces morale before a battle. As, when battle is joined, noise, dust, smells and smoke will make mockery of everything but leading by example. That said, the victor has the perk of embelishing or rewriting the facts with few others able to contradict or question their presentation. In modern times, on a far more vast, assymetric and dispersed battlefield the speech prior to battle is replaced by the pre-mission briefing, usually followed by one kind of unit specific greeting or ritualistic wishes of good fortune on squad, platoon or at most company level once the commander is satisfied that all subordinates has understood the orders and the purpose of the specific task.

Hi, I think at 2:30, on the map, there should be Xerxes, not Darius in top center violet group, right?

I'm sure the people in the back didn't need to always hear the speech either, just seeing the commander out front giving one could be a moral boost. Also, not knowing exactly what was said, but hearing the cheers, and then joining in as part of the army, could be a moral booster.

Thank you for showing Poland in main screen of the game :D

20 years ago, I used to really enjoy watching The History Channel. But then it devolved into nothing but reality TV and alien hunters. I haven't even turned it on in at least 5 years. This channel, chief among a few others, fills that gap for me. Please keep up the excellent work. I really appreciate your efforts.

I know that for example in WWII speeches by generals or politicians might be distributed throughout the army, and local officers would read the speech out to their platoon/company/etc

When you speak of morale, you're so right. My practice was, to never ask my soldier to do something I wouldn't do. If I needed a M. Gun position taken I would always do it first,

9:00 Ahh, I see now where the german general at the end of band of brothers gets his speeches from.

I kind of disagree that there are only 3 options. Especially in large armies there is a 4th one: Going down the ranks. From the General to the Legates and maybe some centurions to the rest of the centurions to the soldiers. We know the plan for the battle was relayed to the troops like this. Why not the motivation? Another thing about wether and how they happend I find very interesting was said in a video by Historia Civilis. I think it was Pompeys last battle against Cesar. In HCs descripton of it, he mentions that for several days the troops deployed in the morning in a certain formation, then didn't fight apart from maybe a few skirmishes, then left the battlefield in the evening, just to do it again the next day. I also remember that HC mentioned something like this was commonplace and it was one of Cesars great strenghts. If I imagine myself as a Soldier in that army, having to go out into the scorching greek sun, having to listen to a long speech, getting really motivated to kill the enemy and then do nothing, I think that would actually have the opposite effect. A short speech (done like option 3 suggests) once you know shit is actually going down, combined with a general morale boosting through the officers seems so much better for battles like that.

Very interesting topic in this video. But it still leaves me wondering if a similar type of scene I've seen in movies is valid. Best recent example I can come up with is in the intro battle scene from the film "King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword." The enemies are preparing to attack, and Sir Bedivere (Djimon Honsu) and Camelot's army are preparing to meet them. Bedivere turns around to face his men, raises his arms and shouts "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and in response, all the soldiers in front of him let out war cries of their own and now they're psyched up and ready for battle. Did this type of scene really happen in historical battles?

14,000 men was an unusually large army. In most battles their numbers would be much smaller, I think. Also, I wonder if they had some sort of megaphone. The Greeks knew the principle of a speaking tube, since short ones were incorporated in the masks their actors always wore. Another resource on this question would be medieval accounts of famous preachers, who sometimes preached to very large crowds outdoors. On the other hand, some of the churches of the Franciscans and Dominicans, one of whose most important assignment was preaching, were built not as long rectangles but more like squares, so that everyone could hear and even see the preacher, and some of these could hold thousands of people closely packed. As I recall, some historians call these "barn churches," You can see some of these in Siena, But probably there was less ambient noise than outdoors. In any case, the accounts of outdoor preaching would form a good source of data on how well and how a speaker could be heard by a large crowd,

This topic would have been a good opportunity to pair with a promotion for a public address system. "Now if Vercingetorix had a PA system from my sponsor available to him, his soldiers would carry the day. Also, he would be seen as a magician, probably."

Often the leader of the army would be mounted on a horse. That would make it easier for the troops to hear him. Mainly though they would just see him and his gestures. At the Battle of Hastings William had to ride among the troops with his helmet off so his troops would see he had not been killed. I remember the story of Gen Lee riding among the Texas brigade on his distinctive horse Traveller before an attack yelling ‘Texans always move them’ and wanting the accompany them on the attack and the troops shouting back ‘Gen Lee to the rear’. At the Battle of Agincourt the King and the nobles fighting dismounted sent the signal that they would not be leaving the army. Even in ww2 some generals adopted distinctive dress so the troops would recognise them. Patton with his revolvers, Montgomery wearing berets and Rommel with his cultivated media image

In the movie Alexander,alexander gave an awesome speech in the battle of Gaugamela

Before mickrophones people where more capable of staying quiet when they wanted to hear someone speak, because no one could say instead of me being quiet they should be a mikrophne.

"Do not count the number of miles. But the number of their dead."

I dont know if this was a part of the research. But it seems to me that said speeches are given at assemly before the battlelines be drawn. Likely as in a sports game where the coach gives the speech in private to the huddled players, the general or queen would give his or her speech at a place and time where it would be heard by most and have the least interruptions either by weather or enemy hand (and again most of the time).

With the delivery of the speech, the assistance I'd be more willing to believe. Even now with folk trying to reenact you got 'officers' repeating the words to their groups. Still, this is interesting, but now I just get more curious about war dances and singing like the haka or nordic throat singing, army to army communications more than general to army with displays of power, how effective they could be, how ineffective, etcetera

Nice

In asterix & obelix vs cesar, Cesar is acompained by some guys with cartoonishly big tromphetes to repeat his speech such that it’s heard at longer distances. While it is done for the sake comedy, I wonder if something similar couldn’t actually have happened, it is relatively easy to make a megaphone, and most such ancient warbands did have “musicians” to help forward messenges through the use of drums, trumphets etc, I don’t think it would be much of a stretch if either part of the musicians, or even the night watch (which needs to sent quick, loud and clear signals if the camp is attacked during the night) carried such megaphones that could be used to assist the general forward his speech.

4:30 did you add the word "not" in the beginning and give it the complete opposite meaning?

Great work with sound historical information (to the best of my knowledge), as always. I always tend to lean just 1 notch towards believing the past accounts; because they knew things that we did not, and were a lot more adept at their environment than we will ever be. Given that, it's fair to assume they had figured stuff out that we're unaware of, and they had all the time to get it right Even if it causes some slight tactical disadvantage or costs extra time, the morale and psychological effect of the commander giving a big rah rah speech cannot be underestimated. I will always remember the times in high school football (not soccer) when I was able to inspire the entire team to almost try to KILL the other team! All I had to do was ask the most pious among them if they read the Bible, and after they replied recite with full energy Samuel L. Jackson's Ezekiel 25:17 speech from Pulp Fiction (most of which is not in the Bible, and that's WAY too much text for only one verse lol). The first time I gave that speech (a total whim of teenage randomness BTW) I was utterly shocked at how much of a difference it made in not only their morale - but what happened when the ball snapped. I later on was able to make up an entire allegory about how the speech was really about getting fumble recoveries (finder of lost children) and covering whoever had the ball as they made the play (shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness) - the team loved it. I only did it once per game, at halftime, and it was even requested a year after I graduated and was sitting nearby on the bleachers watching the game. Hitler was right in Mein Kampfh when he talked about what people want to hear and how to tell it to them, his insights into human nature can't be denied because of the effectiveness of what he did. If he was wrong about how people worked, he wouldn't have been so successful. "It is right to learn - even from the enemy." -Ovid A scene from one of my favorite anime, Hellsing, that shows the kind of power a commanders Charisma + Leadership roll can have over those who follow them: Walter: Sir Integra will want her afternoon tea. Today's blend comes from Ceylon, and is quite exquisite. Victoria: But, Sir Integra is... (undergoing dangerous surgery to save her life, after she stabbed herself in the neck through the jugular with a letter opener after a too close encounter with a vampire - because "there is impure blood in my veins.") Walter: It's been said that General Patton would stand alone, braving the worst of blizzards, while watching his soldiers on the march. Patton's army was also reputed to have nearly unnatural stamina. Do I make myself clear, miss Victoria? A commander with an indomitable spirit, can make a soldier's heart - burn like fire. I have always found that to be true for any leadership role. That's just one more reason General Patton is a personal hero to me. This is how I felt, after reading Rommel's book "Infantry Attacks": ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dObTXYa-_n4.html I can begin to see how Patton would make a battle like this happen to. Rommel was always very aggressive and probing, never ceasing to try find a weak spot and hit it with everything he had ASAP. The down side is it often left his forces over extended and easily cut off or overwhelmed. High risk high yield gambles are great when they work out, and Rommel was very good at making them work out. I find the truly herculean physical feats that he put himself through, with such a weak constitution (his stomach and indigestion caused him much suffering even when young), truly inspiring. However, if one is good at making those high risk high pay off bets become very bad bets to place (evil laugh) Which seems to be what happens in this clip, luring them into an ambush. I think the king of making those high risk high payoff maneuvers and tactics a bad idea is Ho Chi Minh's general - Giap. Being a history teacher probably had a lot to do with it ;) The South Vietnamese (supported by the US) murdering his wife in prison for political dissidence against the Saigon "puppet" government did the rest. They always called him "the volcano," - that put ice on top, man... Another personal hero to me. He beat the greatest military machine ever assembled on earth at his time, starting with less than 50 guys in the jungle and 3 major wars to fight, win, and survive before it's over - a lot of those guys had frackin' crossbows, man... Patton didn't inspire with just 1 big speech. He visited the front every day, rotating which unit and sub unit would be inspected every day, so that once enough time had passed he would have toured his whole command down to a pretty small level. He encouraged his subordinates to do the same. Company commanders visit each platoon then 1 squad per day, battalion commanders visit each company and 1 platoon per day, etc. There was nothing as good as seeing the front for himself and getting info 1st hand from the troops; and quite often he would make decisions on the spot with what he saw that paid off in dividends, taking opportunities that would have been missed if typical bureaucracy of the military speed had been used. So many times, get lot lost miles behind enemy lines in his plane and most often in his jeep, generally returning to say that if he could freely roam with a stars on his helmet with impunity through the territory - attack! His presence was what inspired those under him, and it was him being there that let Patton see one of the very few times he called off an attack that it was the right thing to do and the attack never should have been launched in the first place. I admire that he accepted fulled responsibility for it, clearly feeling guilt and shame at having wasted his men's lives - but he was there to look them in the face afterwards and kept doing his job. It was his being there to actually talk with his soldiers coming back down that mountain in Italy (whose name I've forgotten) that let him see his error and the futility of it all. Patton really deserves a better reputation, man... 4:11 The Tearless Battle? A win without a single loss? Perfection on the battlefield has been achieved! "A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers." -Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing. "Attack with full force / 'pending on the situation of course / it's gotta be a win without a single loss" -Jumpsteady, Chaos Theory Nah, I'm sure at least one soldier stubbed his toe badly or otherwise made himself WIA through accident - ruined it all! 12:24 Sound wisdom, that's the best I've ever seen it put I would use option 3 for speaking, the relay and use of picked shouters (sensei always praised my for my strong voice in running cadences and kiai shouts), it seems the most logical way to go about it. Also, given how well the Ancient Greeks understood Acoustics to make great theaters, and as a kid a I had fun learning the nuances of what happened when I shouted (echoes and such) around the neighborhood, I think one assisting factor in these speeches could be selecting the best places, directions, and conditions to be heard in. In DnD terms, every little +1 modifier helps, and with enough of them adding together significant differences are often made. "In war, you win or lose, live or die - and the difference is just an eyelash." -General Douglas MacArthur. Sound wisdom from Ol' Megadeath. When it comes down to eyelashes, I'll take every scrap of advantage I can get My favorite epic general rah rah speech: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9t1IK_9apWs.html

The 2016 BBC War and Peace miniseries has a nice depiction of this- at Borodino, Napoleon dictates a speech in his tent while an aide transcribes it by hand. His words are shown being transferred to printed leaflets with a small printing press, distributed to officers and read to the men. I'm not sure of the authenticity of the scene, but it's very interesting to see nonetheless.

At that moment you don't need that much to inspire. Mob mentality is really easy to control. Starting a fight can be done with few words...like "go" with correct tone. Because people are already build up to that moment. Even in small gang fights you can see it.

Next video: do bad guy always give a 10 minutes long monologue while holding a gun at the hero's head, therefore giving him or her a chance to be saved.

My assumption was that speeches were given to gatherings of officers and their aides, in which a general would always need to gather such individuals before a battle anyway. They might've been encouraged the officers to present a similar or the same speech in writing to the soldiers under their command. In any case, I don't have any pre-battle speeches in the novel I've got currently in editing. Hope that's ok.

Has any one tried this exercise of passing a sentence round the table, and what it would be like after 8-10 passing