Mr. Editor:
Regarding the recent discussion of the “Golden Horde” concept (in Patrice Lewis’s guest article The Harsh Truth About Bugging Out of Cities) — it seems that a review of the history of Germany’s 30 Years’ War (from 1618 to 1648) would be in order.
You may recall how Wallenstein rejected the idea of a 40,000-man army, demanding 100,000. Austria protested that such a large army would be too expensive. The reply was, that the larger army would finance itself [through what was euphemistically called “foraging”, on a tactical scale, and “plunder” on a strategic scale], while the smaller army would need to be financed.
The result was that Germany endured a 30-year war of attrition, subject to constant plunder by what could be considered heavily-armed “gypsies.” The German government sat on its hands, while the peasants were left to fend for themselves.
When it ended, Germany had lost 2/3s of its people, and largely reverted to wilderness. And what remained of the marauding horde turned back to its source, to the consternation of the monsters that released it. The main reason the war ended was that the easy pickings were gone. Everyone was starving.
The question is: Might America be required to endure a similar scourge? Regards, – Christopher F.