The American Military: A Concise History - Hardcover

Glatthaar, Joseph T.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0190692812 ISBN 13: 9780190692810

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2018

Synopsis

Since the first English settlers landed at Jamestown with the legacy of centuries of European warfare in tow, the military has been an omnipresent part of America. In The American Military: A Concise History, Joseph T. Glatthaar explores this relationship from its origins in the thirteen colonies to today's ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

During the Revolutionary War, tension grew between local militias and a standing army. The Founding Fathers attempted to strike a balance, enshrining an army, navy, and a "well-regulated Militia" in the Constitution. The US soon witnessed the rise of a professional military, a boon to its successes in the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War. However, after the Civil War, the US soon learned that the purpose of a peacetime army is to prepare for war.

When war did arrive, it arrived with a vengeance, gutting the trenches of the Great War with effective innovations: tanks, planes, machine guns, and poison gas. The US embraced the technology that would win both world wars and change the nature of battle in the Second World War. The nuclear era brought encounters defined by stalemate--from the Cold War conflicts of Korea and Vietnam to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since 9/11, the US has been frustrated by unconventional warfare, including terrorism and cyberwar, largely negating the technological advantage it had held. Glatthaar examines all these challenges, looking to the future of the U.S. military and its often proud and complicated legacy.

About this title

About the Author:

Joseph T. Glatthaar is Stephenson Distinguished Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the author of eight books, including General Lee's Army: A History of the Army of Northern Virginia and Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers. He has received many awards, including the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize for lifetime achievement from the Society for Military History. He is a past president of the Society for Military History.

Review:

"In just 127 small pages of text, Glatthaar, a historian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gallops through American military history from the French and Indian War all the way to Iraq and Afghanistan. Impressively, he manages to provide a lot more than battle histories, deftly delving into technological advances, social changes and political contexts. Anyone looking for a place to begin understanding the military history of our country would do well to start here."--homas E. Ricks, New York Times Book Review

"Glatthaar delivers a masterpiece of compression, covering US arms from the colonial beginnings to yesterday in four chapters and 127 pages."--Choice

"An essential introduction to the development of the US army... What Glatthaar gains through brevity and accessibility, he does not lose in terms of detailed examination and cutting insight... Well-written and informative, this book is a delight to read for amateurs and experts alike; highly recommended."--Military History Matters

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0190692812
• ISBN 13: 9780190692810
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 152