BRUCE ROLSTON:

I’m concerned about the quality of history teaching at Stanford. David Kennedy’s piece likening the current American army to the Hessians is, simply, completely uninformed on the topic of Hessians.

Enlightenment follows. And there’s this: “PS: Kennedy’s description of the adventurism of Napoleon as an example of the threat posed by standing armies is historically illiterate, as well. . . . If anything, the Napoleonic period shows the dangers to the world of countries that mobilize their entire citizenry, which is what Kennedy appears to be arguing for.”