There is something in a war carried on by invasion which makes it differ in circumstances from any other mode of war, because he who conducts it cannot tell whether the ground he gains be for him, or against him, when he first obtains it.
Thomas Paine: “There is something in a war carried on by invasion which makes it differ in circumstances from any other mode of war…”
Editor's note · Context
Paine, in "The American Crisis," offers a strategic insight into invasion warfare, noting the inherent uncertainty for the invader regarding the true value of initial territorial gains.
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