Description
Book SynopsisA collection of primary documents that explore the many facets of the American military from the colonial period to the present
The second edition of American Military History offers an exceptional collection of primary documents relating to history of the military of the United States from 1607 through the present. The writings offer insight into the armed forces in relation to the social, cultural, economic, political, and territorial development of the United States. Several documents comment on strategic initiatives, combat operations, force structure, public policy, and home fronts. The writings also present firsthand testimony of extraordinary men and women in uniform and most of the documents explore the connections between combatants and the societies that produced them.
From the beginnings of the war against the natives through the tragedy of the Civil War and up to the current Global War on Terror, American Military History offers a chron
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction 1
1 An Uncommon Defense 7
1.1 Powhatan Describes War among the Natives (1607) 7
1.2 John Mason Campaigns against the Pequot (1637) 9
1.3 Elizabeth Bacon Observes Skirmishes in Virginia (1676) 11
1.4 Benjamin Church Plans for Action in New England (1704) 13
1.5 James Oglethorpe Strikes Spanish Outposts (1739–1741) 15
1.6 Robert Rogers Provides Rules for the Rangers (1757) 17
1.7 An Unknown Soldier Sings “Yankee Doodle” (1775) 20
2 War for Independence 23
2.1 James Monroe Goes to War (1776) 23
2.2 Albigence Waldo Treats Soldiers at Valley Forge (1777) 26
2.3 Jeffrey Brace Fights for Liberty (1778) 28
2.4 John Paul Jones Captures a British Frigate (1779) 30
2.5 A French Officer Draws the Continental Line (1781) 32
2.6 Deborah Sampson Wears a Uniform (1782) 34
2.7 George Washington Bids Farewell to the Army (1783) 36
3 Establishing the Military 41
3.1 Alexander Hamilton Considers National Forces (1787) 41
3.2 Henry Knox Arranges the Militia (1790) 44
3.3 Anthony Wayne Prevails at Fallen Timbers (1794) 46
3.4 Thomas Truxtun Recruits Seamen for the Quasi‐War (1798) 48
3.5 Congress Passes the Military Peace Establishment Act (1802) 51
3.6 William Eaton Arrives on the Shores of Tripoli (1805) 52
3.7 James Wilkinson Faces a Court Martial (1811) 55
4 Mr. Madison’s War 59
4.1 James Madison Calls for War (1812) 59
4.2 Lydia Bacon Enters Fort Detroit (1812) 62
4.3 Michel Felice Cornè Portrays the U.S.S. Constitution (1812) 64
4.4 Black Hawk Takes the War Path (1813) 65
4.5 Oliver Hazard Perry Defends Lake Erie (1813) 68
4.6 Francis Scott Key Pens “Defence of Fort McHenry” (1814) 71
4.7 Andrew Jackson Triumphs at New Orleans (1815) 72
5 The Martial Republic 77
5.1 John C. Calhoun Proposes an Expansible Army (1820) 77
5.2 The National Guard Parades in New York (1825) 80
5.3 John Downes Sails to Sumatra (1832) 82
5.4 Ethan Allen Hitchcock Patrols in Florida (1836) 84
5.5 Juan Seguín Remembers the Alamo (1837) 86
5.6 Michael H. Garty Serves on the U.S.S. Somers (1842) 88
5.7 Henry W. Halleck Lectures on War (1846) 90
6 The Forces of Manifest Destiny 95
6.1 James K. Polk Calls for War (1846) 95
6.2 James K. Holland Marches into Mexico (1846) 98
6.3 Zachary Taylor Describes Buena Vista (1847) 101
6.4 Winfield Scott Lands at Veracruz (1847) 103
6.5 James Walker Views the Storming of Chapultepec (1847) 105
6.6 Matthew C. Perry Steams to Japan (1852) 106
6.7 Elizabeth C. Smith Petitions for Bounty Land (1853) 109
7 The Blue and the Gray 113
7.1 Abraham Lincoln Issues Proclamations (1861) 114
7.2 Julia Ward Howe Composes “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” (1862) 116
7.3 Samuel Dana Greene Operates an Ironclad (1862) 117
7.4 Francis Lieber Promulgates Rules for War (1863) 119
7.5 Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain Defends Little Round Top (1863) 121
7.6 Sam R. Watkins Survives Chickamauga (1863) 123
7.7 James Henry Gooding Protests Unequal Pay (1863) 126
7.8 Robert E. Lee Requests Additional Troops (1864) 128
7.9 Phoebe Yates Pember Nurses at Chimborazo (1864) 130
7.10 Ulysses S. Grant Prevails at Appomattox (1865) 132
8 Twilight of the Indian Wars 137
8.1 William T. Sherman Discusses Indian Policy (1868) 137
8.2 Elizabeth B. Custer Camps with the Cavalry (1873) 139
8.3 Making Medicine Sketches Warriors and Soldiers (1877) 142
8.4 Emory Upton Evaluates Military Policy (1880) 143
8.5 The Soldier’s Handbook Gives Healthy Advice (1884) 145
8.6 Henry W. Lawton Pursues the Apache (1886) 148
8.7 Nelson A. Miles Remembers Wounded Knee (1890) 150
9 A Rising Power 155
9.1 Alfred Thayer Mahan Advocates Sea Power (1890) 155
9.2 William McKinley Calls for War (1898) 157
9.3 Frank W. Pullen Charges in Cuba (1898) 160
9.4 Clara Barton Visits a Field Hospital (1898) 162
9.5 Frederick N. Funston Operates in the Philippines (1901) 165
9.6 The Committee on Naval Affairs Investigates Submarines (1902) 167
9.7 Dan Dugal Tours the World (1907–1909) 169
10 The War to End all Wars 173
10.1 Woodrow Wilson Calls for War (1917) 173
10.2 George M. Cohan Composes “Over There” (1917) 176
10.3 Congress Passes the Selective Service Act (1917) 177
10.4 John J. Pershing Commands the AEF (1917) 180
10.5 Howard Chandler Christy Publicizes the Navy (1917) 183
10.6 Ida Clyde Clarke Supports the Troops (1918) 184
10.7 Ben Hur Chastaine Reaches the Front (1918) 186
11 Out of the Trenches 191
11.1 The American Legion Rallies Veterans (1919) 191
11.2 George S. Patton Ponders the Next War (1922) 194
11.3 Billy Mitchell Advocates Air Power (1927) 196
11.4 Holland M. Smith Studies Marine Landings (1932) 198
11.5 Charles E. Humberger Joins the CCC (1933) 200
11.6 George C. Marshall Speaks to Historians (1939) 202
11.7 Harold R. Stark Recommends Plan Dog (1940) 204
12 Fighting World War II 209
12.1 Franklin D. Roosevelt Calls for War (1941) 210
12.2 Raymond A. Spruance Defends Midway (1942) 211
12.3 Charles C. Winnia Flies in the South Pacific (1943) 214
12.4 Hiro Higuchi Volunteers for Service (1943) 216
12.5 Dwight D. Eisenhower Invades Normandy (1944) 218
12.6 Congress Passes the GI Bill (1944) 221
12.7 Bill Mauldin Draws Willie and Joe (1944) 223
12.8 Melvin E. Bush Crosses the Siegfried Line (1945) 224
12.9 Jacqueline Cochran Praises the WASPs (1945) 227
12.10 B‐29 s Drop Atomic Bombs on Japan (1945) 229
13 A Cold War Begins 233
13.1 James V. Forrestal Manages the Pentagon (1948) 233
13.2 Omar Bradley Discusses Desegregation (1949) 236
13.3 Harry S. Truman Intervenes in Korea (1950) 238
13.4 Douglas MacArthur Addresses Congress (1951) 240
13.5 Spike Selmyhr Maneuvers in Korea (1951) 243
13.6 Maxwell D. Taylor Suggests a Flexible Response (1955) 245
13.7 Presidential Candidates Debate the Cold War (1960) 248
14 The Tragedy of Vietnam 251
14.1 Herbert L. Ogier Patrols in the Tonkin Gulf (1964) 251
14.2 Lyndon Johnson Escalates the War (1965) 254
14.3 Sarah L. Blum Encounters Casualties (1967) 256
14.4 William C. Westmoreland Reacts to Tet (1968) 258
14.5 George T. Olsen Hunts the Enemy (1969) 260
14.6 The Gates Commission Proposes an All‐Volunteer Force (1970) 262
14.7 George J. Eade Assesses the Christmas Bombings (1972) 265
15 A New Military 269
15.1 N. W. Ayer Rebrands the Army (1981) 269
15.2 Ronald Reagan Envisions SDI (1983) 271
15.3 Colin L. Powell Evaluates National Security (1989) 274
15.4 H. Norman Schwarzkopf Defends the Persian Gulf (1990) 276
15.5 Daniel L. Davis Sees Action in Desert Storm (1991) 278
15.6 Congress Approves “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (1993) 281
15.7 Richard I. Thornton Readies the Marines (1999) 283
16 Global War on Terror 287
16.1 George W. Bush Calls for War (2001) 287
16.2 Jessica Lynch Soldiers in Iraq (2003) 290
16.3 Craig M. Mullaney Deploys to Afghanistan (2003) 292
16.4 David H. Petraeus Counters an Insurgency (2007) 295
16.5 Sean Householder Shares “The Warrior Song” (2009) 297
16.6 William H. McRaven Commands SEALs (2011) 299
16.7 The Pentagon Secures Cyberspace (2015) 301
Full Chronology 305
Sources and Credits 313
Index 325
