On this episode of Battles & Banter, Codie & Tony are absent, busy with their holiday going-ons while Avery attempts to throw in a few more episodes before the year (AND decade) ends. He's joined by the World Champion of Frederick, Maryland himself, Patrick McGuire of "History Things with Pat", to discuss one of the most appalling battles of World War I: Passchendaele. Known for it's thick rains and death-dealing mud, the battlefield of Passchendaele was one of the most heart-wrenching and horrific settings for the British Expeditionary Force during the First World War, especially for the Canadian and ANZAC forces that also participated in the battle. Avery & Pat also discuss the upcoming war film "1917" and speculate how Passchendaele could tie into it, considering that the battle took place that year. Enjoy & Happy Holidays!

With the year of 2019 coming to close, the Battles & Banter fellowship convene for an epic episode. This week, Avery & Codie are joined by Justin & Jeff to discuss one of the most dismal and misunderstood battles of the entire American Civil War: the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Coming up on the anniversary of the battle (fought from Dec. 11-13, 1862), the gents conduct a compelling analysis of the fight, it's vast political and social consequences, and try to encourage others to change the way they think about Fredericksburg...all through hilarious banter and holiday cheer. Strap in for one of the biggest episodes yet! 

For the next fictional installment of Battles & Banter, Avery is joined by Justin & Jeff to talk about one of the most famous battles in the Star Wars franchise: The Battle of Hoth. Otherwise known as the Evacuation of Echo Base, the battle on the arctic planet featured the soldiers of the Rebel Alliance fighting a delaying action against the better equipped Galactic Imperial forces, which included the infamous All-Terrain Armored Transports (AT-ATs). In this episode, Avery gets a little crazy about Star Wars lore again, Jeff gets concerned for Avery's mental health, and Justin proposes opening a Committee on the Conduct of War in the Star Wars universe. Enjoy!

On this episode of Battles & Banter, things get crazy! First of all, Avery, Codie & Tony are joined by the one and only Rich Condon of "Civil War Pittsburgh" and "Pennsylvania in the Civil War" to talk about the Battle of Fort Necessity. Not only known for being the first major battle with George Washington in command, Fort Necessity was also the beginning of the first large-scale world war: The Seven Years War, or more locally known as the French & Indian War. Just a disclaimer that this episode will sound a little different because Audacity sucks sometimes and audio issues hit hard. Hence, the entire episode is shot from Rich's perspective, who single handedly saved the podcast from annihilation. It was still a good time and hope you all enjoy the ride. If you don't, sorry not sorry. Cheers!

The gang's all here!!! Avery, Codie & Tony are back together to talk about the violent prelude to the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863; heralded as Lee's greatest victory, The Battle of Chancellorsville within Spotsylvania County, Virgina stands as the fourth bloodiest single battle of the war with nearly 30,000 casualties between Apr. 27-May 6, 1863. The guys sit and analyze the popular stories and misconceptions of the battle, and banter whether or not this engagement at the Chancellorsville crossroads really was Lee's greatest victory or not. Tony regales Avery & Codie about his Disney adventures, Codie keeps his cool as best he can, and Avery probably pisses off the Lost Causer audience as he always does. Strap in for a great episode, Banterers. Enjoy! 

On this episode of Battles and Banter, Avery is once again joined by Patrick McGuire of "History Things with Pat" to discuss the climax of Sherman's March to the Sea: the brief and small-scale battle of Fort McAllister outside Savannah, Georgia. Pat goes into great detail of  how much of a badass William Tecumseh Sherman was and Avery reacts as best he can to the knowledge that Pat pours on him. This episode marks the second collaboration between "History Things with Pat" and Battles & Banter so strap in for a good time and learn some exciting Civil War history! Enjoy!

"GAME OVER, MAN!! GAME OVER!!!" On the very first Halloween special of Battles & Banter, Avery is joined by Patrick McGuire of "History Things with Pat" to have some fun celebrating the spooky season with a Fictional Battle special episode. On the docket for this episode: The Battle of Hadley's Hope, a terraforming colony built by the Weyland-Yutani Corporation on the planet of LV-426. In other words, we're doing "Aliens" tonight. Avery reenacts the entire movie pretty much as Pat sits back in awe and recounts his fear of little, gray aliens and close encounters. It's a good time so enjoy! And Happy Halloween!!!

**SPOILERS for Avengers: Infinity War & Endgame ahead**

Avery abandons Codie & Tony for more nerdy content and takes on the next Fictional Battle episode with his good friend and fellow MARVEL/STAR WARS geek, Jeff Martin. On this episode, the guys cover the Battles of Titan & Wakanda, as seen in the movie "Avengers: Infinity War". Avery was emotionally scarred the first time he saw that movie in May 2018, and is still recovering from "Avengers: Endgame" this year, so Jeff offered to come on the show and help talk Avery through their experiences. Hence, the two friends sit down, discuss the battles that took place in Infinity War, what their favorite moments were, what their MARVEL 'All-Star Team Up' looks like, and how all this nerdy banter relates to real-life military situations. Strap in for a good time!

On this episode of Battles & Banter, Avery is joined by Justin to discuss the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War 1, which was the bloodiest engagement in American military history. Over the course of six weeks, the American Expeditionary Force lost over 26,277 soldiers killed in action, and over 95,786 wounded. The casualties for the French, Siamese & German forces engaged in the battle were equally as high. Justin gives his perspectives on the battle and recollects his personal experiences of visiting the World War I battlefields during the Centennial Events last year in 2018, all of which Avery reacts to with a mixture of amazement and jealousy. The guys missed Tony & Codie this week, but will catch them next time! Still an amazing episode so enjoy!

On this episode of Battles and Banter, Avery, Codie & Justin discuss the importance and pivotal role of the Battle of South Mountain that occurred on September 14, 1862 during the infamous Maryland Campaign. The guys debate the question of whether or not South Mountain was just a skirmish that led up to the bloodiest single day at Antietam, or was actually a decisive victory of the Union Army of the Potomac. Justin tries to get promoted to series regular, Codie starts hearing things, and Avery pines for Tony's return from the wonderful world of Disney. All in all, an excellent episode! Enjoy folks!