Decisive battles only validate already probable outcomes

Evidence

It decided that religious unity was not to be reimposed by force on the heirs of medieval Christendom, and if in doing so it only validated what was already by far the most probable outcome – why, perhaps that is all that any of the battles we call decisive have ever done. — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 899

Categorization

• SEED: A historiographical quip worth quoting in the reader’s narrative as the veteran observer’s wry commentary on the heroics.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 899
• XREF: connects to: Victories serve purposes beyond deciding battles. — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 389; Both English commanders expected a further battle that never came — Garrett Mattingly, The Defeat of the Spanish Armada, 758; French tactical victories could not win a prolonged elusive insurgency (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• French tactical victories could not win a prolonged elusive insurgency #exemplifies (0.85)
• Deterrence among animals requires reliable advance prediction of fight outcomes #corroborates (0.80) — Emlen, Douglas J, Animal Weapons_ The Evolution of Battle, 598