It is difficult for us to imagine a situation in which an army of a hundred thousand, outnumbered 8 to 1, could defeat their opponents (if one considers only that simple fact). During the American Civil War, for comparison, the Union outnumbered the Confederacy (at the highest estimates) 4 to 1. Facing these odds the Confederacy fought considerably well, they were better trained and better led. Confederate general Thomas ‘Stonewall' Jackson spoke of how a smaller force could defeat a larger one:
Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow; for an army routed, if hotly pursued, becomes panic-stricken, and can then be destroyed by half their number. The other rule is, never fight against heavy odds, if by any possible maneuvering you can hurl your own force on only a part, and that the weakest part, of your enemy and crush it. Such tactics will win every time, and a small army may thus destroy a large one in detail, and repeated victory will make it invincible.
