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 Post subject: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 7:23 am 
Posting this so as not to clog up the daily action reports. Trying to get definition of difference between skirmish and affair. This is what I have come up with:

Of the various terms applied to Civil War military actions, "skirmish" denoted a clash of the smallest scope. In general, a skirmish was a limited combat, involving troops other than those of the main body; more specifically, a skirmish denoted an encounter between opposing skirmish lines, composed of troops assigned to protect the head and/or flanks of an army in motion, when some troops from the main body participated the fight was known as an engagement. A military engagement is a combat between two forces, neither larger than a division and not smaller than a company, in which each has an assigned or perceived mission. . So the scale seems to be skirmish, engagement, affair, battle.?

Affair seems to fit somewhere between engagement and battle.


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 Post subject: Re: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 8:56 am 
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A skirmish is a one nighter, an engagement is when they want to stay together, an affair is what they do it on the side, and a battle is when they find about the affair.

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 Post subject: Re: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 9:31 am 
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Gen Whitehead,

I see your brilliance extends to issues beyond our electronic battlefield!


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 Post subject: Re: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 9:55 am 
Well put Gen. Whitehead. While we are discussing definitions, here is one I always enjoy.
The best explanation of complete and finished:
When you find the right woman, you are complete, when you find the wrong woman, you are finished. When the right woman finds you with the wrong woman, you are completely finished.


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 Post subject: Re: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Fri May 02, 2014 11:41 am 
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You can always find something on the internet pertaining to a battle. You often can find something pertaining to a skirmish or engagement. You seldom can find anything pertaining to an affair but when you do it is like the Trent Affair. Accordingly, I think that an affair would be less than a skirmish. I also think that authors sometimes don't know the definitions themselves or take literary license with them.

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Gen Ned Simms
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Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
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 Post subject: Re: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Mon May 05, 2014 12:59 pm 
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I'm almost positive Ken Whitehead is correct. And if he isn't, he should be.

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 Post subject: Re: skirmish or affair
PostPosted: Fri May 16, 2014 9:54 pm 
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Finally found what I was looking for, which of course was right under my nose the whole time:

affair
military terminology
A small military engagement or action between forces which are not very numerous. A skirmish. [Dodge: 1897].

skirmish
military terminology
A scattering military engagement of no great moment. It often precedes more serious work. [Dodge: 1897].

engagement
military terminology
A smaller military battle. [Dodge: 1897].

battle
military terminology
A serious military engagement between rival armies which is apt to lead to decisive results. An military action of large proportions. [Dodge: 1897].

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Gen Ned Simms
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Blood 'n Guts hisself, a land lovin' pirate. Show me some arty tubes and we'll charge 'em.
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