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| best general in us history: General Grant and the Verdict of History Frank P Varney, 2023-03-10 General Ulysses S. Grant is best remembered today as a war-winning general, and he certainly deserves credit for his efforts on behalf of the Union. But has he received too much credit at the expense of other men? Have others who fought the war with him suffered unfairly at his hands? General Grant and the Verdict of History: Memoir, Memory, and the Civil War explores these issues. Professor Frank P. Varney examines Grants relationship with three noted Civil War generals: the brash and uncompromising Fighting Joe Hooker; George H. Thomas, the stellar commander who earned the sobriquet Rock of Chickamauga; and Gouverneur Kemble Warren, who served honorably and well in every major action of the Army of the Potomac before being relieved less than two weeks before Appomattox, and only after he had played a prominent part in the major Union victory at Five Forks. In his earlier book General Grant and the Rewriting of History, Dr. Varney studied the tempestuous relationship between Grant and Union General William S. Rosecrans. During the war, Rosecrans was considered by many of his contemporaries to be on par with Grant himself; today, he is largely forgotten. Rosecranss star dimmed, argues Varney, because Grant orchestrated the effort. Unbeknownst to most students of the war, Grant used his official reports, interviews with the press, and his memoirs to influence how future generations would remember the war and his part in it. Aided greatly by his two terms as president, by the clarity and eloquence of his memoirs, and in particular by the dramatic backdrop against which those memoirs were written, our historical memory has been influenced to a degree greater than many realize. It is beyond time to return to the original sourcesthe letters, journals, reports, and memoirs of other witnesses and the transcripts of courts-martial to examine Grants story from a fresh perspective. The results are enlightening and more than a little disturbing. |
| best general in us history: 1776 Thomas Fleming, 2016-10-18 What is the myth of 1776? To state it in its baldest terms: This was a time in American life when idealism was in full flower. Never have so many great men sprung from nowhere to lead a people in pursuit of liberty. In this book, New York Times bestselling historian Thomas Fleming explodes this myth by examining all the dimensions of that year - particularly the least known aspects of the common, fallible humanity of the men and women of the American Revolution. The year 1776 ended with both the Americans and the British stripped of their illusions. Both sides had been forced to abandon the myth of their invincibility and to confront the realities of human nature on the battlefield and in the struggle for allegiance to their causes. For the Americans, it had been a shock to discover that it was easy to persuade people to cheer for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it was another matter to convince them to take large risks, to make real sacrifices for these ideals. For the British, their goal of achieving proper subordination of America to England was frustrated forever. Seventeen seventy-six was a traffic year: Americans fighting in the name of liberty persecuted and sometimes killed fellow Americans who chose to remain loyal to the old order and its more circumscribed, yet sincere, commitment to freedom. Seventeen seventy-six was a year of heroes: It brought forth the leaders who had the courage to fight for freedom. Seventeen seventy-six was a disgraceful year: Americans revealed a capacity for cowardice, disorganization, and incompetence. Here, in this masterful book, is the true story of 1776. |
| best general in us history: American Caesar William Manchester, 2008-05-12 The bestselling classic that indelibly captures the life and times of one of the most brilliant and controversial military figures of the twentieth century. Electric...Tense with the feeling that this is the authentic MacArthur...Splendid reading. -- New York Times Inspiring, outrageous... A thundering paradox of a man. Douglas MacArthur, one of only five men in history to have achieved the rank of General of the United States Army. He served in World Wars I, II, and the Korean War, and is famous for stating that in war, there is no substitute for victory. American Caesar examines the exemplary army career, the stunning successes (and lapses) on the battlefield, and the turbulent private life of the soldier-hero whose mystery and appeal created a uniquely American legend. |
| best general in us history: Great Commanders Christopher Richard Gabel, James H. Willbanks, 2012-01-01 This volume is not a study of the 'greatest' commanders; rather, it is an examination of commanders who should be considered great. The seven leaders examined, in various domains of ground, sea, and air, each in their own way successfully addressed the challenges of military endeavor in their time and changed the world in which they lived--Foreword. |
| best general in us history: Braxton Bragg Earl J. Hess, 2016-09-02 As a leading Confederate general, Braxton Bragg (1817–1876) earned a reputation for incompetence, for wantonly shooting his own soldiers, and for losing battles. This public image established him not only as a scapegoat for the South's military failures but also as the chief whipping boy of the Confederacy. The strongly negative opinions of Bragg's contemporaries have continued to color assessments of the general's military career and character by generations of historians. Rather than take these assessments at face value, Earl J. Hess's biography offers a much more balanced account of Bragg, the man and the officer. While Hess analyzes Bragg's many campaigns and battles, he also emphasizes how his contemporaries viewed his successes and failures and how these reactions affected Bragg both personally and professionally. The testimony and opinions of other members of the Confederate army--including Bragg's superiors, his fellow generals, and his subordinates--reveal how the general became a symbol for the larger military failures that undid the Confederacy. By connecting the general's personal life to his military career, Hess positions Bragg as a figure saddled with unwarranted infamy and humanizes him as a flawed yet misunderstood figure in Civil War history. |
| best general in us history: A Patriot's History of the United States Larry Schweikart, Michael Patrick Allen, 2004-12-29 For the past three decades, many history professors have allowed their biases to distort the way America’s past is taught. These intellectuals have searched for instances of racism, sexism, and bigotry in our history while downplaying the greatness of America’s patriots and the achievements of “dead white men.” As a result, more emphasis is placed on Harriet Tubman than on George Washington; more about the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II than about D-Day or Iwo Jima; more on the dangers we faced from Joseph McCarthy than those we faced from Josef Stalin. A Patriot’s History of the United States corrects those doctrinaire biases. In this groundbreaking book, America’s discovery, founding, and development are reexamined with an appreciation for the elements of public virtue, personal liberty, and private property that make this nation uniquely successful. This book offers a long-overdue acknowledgment of America’s true and proud history. |
| best general in us history: American Military History Volume 1 Army Center of Military History, 2016-06-05 American Military History provides the United States Army-in particular, its young officers, NCOs, and cadets-with a comprehensive but brief account of its past. The Center of Military History first published this work in 1956 as a textbook for senior ROTC courses. Since then it has gone through a number of updates and revisions, but the primary intent has remained the same. Support for military history education has always been a principal mission of the Center, and this new edition of an invaluable history furthers that purpose. The history of an active organization tends to expand rapidly as the organization grows larger and more complex. The period since the Vietnam War, at which point the most recent edition ended, has been a significant one for the Army, a busy period of expanding roles and missions and of fundamental organizational changes. In particular, the explosion of missions and deployments since 11 September 2001 has necessitated the creation of additional, open-ended chapters in the story of the U.S. Army in action. This first volume covers the Army's history from its birth in 1775 to the eve of World War I. By 1917, the United States was already a world power. The Army had sent large expeditionary forces beyond the American hemisphere, and at the beginning of the new century Secretary of War Elihu Root had proposed changes and reforms that within a generation would shape the Army of the future. But world war-global war-was still to come. The second volume of this new edition will take up that story and extend it into the twenty-first century and the early years of the war on terrorism and includes an analysis of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq up to January 2009. |
| best general in us history: U.S. History P. Scott Corbett, Volker Janssen, John M. Lund, Todd Pfannestiel, Sylvie Waskiewicz, Paul Vickery, 2024-09-10 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender. |
| best general in us history: Band of Giants Jack Kelly, 2014-09-09 Band of Giants brings to life the founders who fought for our independence in the Revolutionary War. Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin are known to all; men like Morgan, Greene, and Wayne are less familiar. Yet the dreams of the politicians and theorists only became real because fighting men were willing to take on the grim, risky, brutal work of war. We know Fort Knox, but what about Henry Knox, the burly Boston bookseller who took over the American artillery at the age of 25? Eighteen counties in the United States commemorate Richard Montgomery, but do we know that this revered martyr launched a full-scale invasion of Canada? The soldiers of the American Revolution were a diverse lot: merchants and mechanics, farmers and fishermen, paragons and drunkards. Most were ardent amateurs. Even George Washington, assigned to take over the army around Boston in 1775, consulted books on military tactics. Here, Jack Kelly vividly captures the fraught condition of the war—the bitterly divided populace, the lack of supplies, the repeated setbacks on the battlefield, and the appalling physical hardships. That these inexperienced warriors could take on and defeat the superpower of the day was one of the remarkable feats in world history. |
| best general in us history: A Very Stable Genius Philip Rucker, Carol Leonnig, 2020-01-21 The instant #1 bestseller. “This taut and terrifying book is among the most closely observed accounts of Donald J. Trump’s shambolic tenure in office to date. - Dwight Garner, The New York Times Washington Post national investigative reporter Carol Leonnig and White House bureau chief Philip Rucker, both Pulitzer Prize winners, provide the definitive insider narrative of Donald Trump’s presidency “I alone can fix it.” So proclaimed Donald J. Trump on July 21, 2016, accepting the Republican presidential nomination and promising to restore what he described as a fallen nation. Yet as he undertook the actual work of the commander in chief, it became nearly impossible to see beyond the daily chaos of scandal, investigation, and constant bluster. In fact, there were patterns to his behavior and that of his associates. The universal value of the Trump administration was loyalty—not to the country, but to the president himself—and Trump’s North Star was always the perpetuation of his own power. With deep and unmatched sources throughout Washington, D.C., Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker reveal the forty-fifth president up close. Here, for the first time, certain officials who felt honor-bound not to divulge what they witnessed in positions of trust tell the truth for the benefit of history. A peerless and gripping narrative, A Very Stable Genius not only reveals President Trump at his most unvarnished but shows how he tested the strength of America’s democracy and its common heart as a nation. |
| best general in us history: A General Who Will Fight Harry S. Laver, 2013-01-28 Prior to his service in the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant exhibited few characteristics indicating that he would be an extraordinary leader. His performance as a cadet was mediocre, and he finished in the bottom half of his class at West Point. However, during his early service in the Civil War, most notably at the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg, Grant proved that he possessed an uncommon drive. When it was most crucial, Grant demonstrated his integrity, determination, and tactical skill by taking control of the Union troops and leading his forces to victory. A General Who Will Fight is a detailed study of leadership that explores Grant's rise from undisciplined cadet to commanding general of the United States Army. Some experts have attributed Grant's success to superior manpower and technology, to the help he received from other Union armies, or even to a ruthless willingness to sacrifice his own men. Harry S. Laver, however, refutes these arguments and reveals that the only viable explanation for Grant's success lies in his leadership skill, professional competence, and unshakable resolve. Much more than a book on military strat-egy, this innovative volume examines the decision-making process that enabled Grant both to excel as an unquestioned commander and to win. |
| best general in us history: American Military History, Volume II , 2010 From the Publisher: This latest edition of an official U.S. Government military history classic provides an authoritative historical survey of the organization and accomplishments of the United States Army. This scholarly yet readable book is designed to inculcate an awareness of our nation's military past and to demonstrate that the study of military history is an essential ingredient in leadership development. It is also an essential addition to any personal military history library. |
| best general in us history: A Concise History of the U.S. Air Force Stephen Lee McFarland, 1997 Except in a few instances, since World War II no American soldier or sailor has been attacked by enemy air power. Conversely, no enemy soldier orsailor has acted in combat without being attacked or at least threatened by American air power. Aviators have brought the air weapon to bear against enemies while denying them the same prerogative. This is the legacy of the U.S. AirForce, purchased at great cost in both human and material resources.More often than not, aerial pioneers had to fight technological ignorance, bureaucratic opposition, public apathy, and disagreement over purpose.Every step in the evolution of air power led into new and untrodden territory, driven by humanitarian impulses; by the search for higher, faster, and farther flight; or by the conviction that the air way was the best way. Warriors have always coveted the high ground. If technology permitted them to reach it, men, women andan air force held and exploited it-from Thomas Selfridge, first among so many who gave that last full measure of devotion; to Women's Airforce Service Pilot Ann Baumgartner, who broke social barriers to become the first Americanwoman to pilot a jet; to Benjamin Davis, who broke racial barriers to become the first African American to command a flying group; to Chuck Yeager, a one-time non-commissioned flight officer who was the first to exceed the speed of sound; to John Levitow, who earned the Medal of Honor by throwing himself over a live flare to save his gunship crew; to John Warden, who began a revolution in air power thought and strategy that was put to spectacular use in the Gulf War.Industrialization has brought total war and air power has brought the means to overfly an enemy's defenses and attack its sources of power directly. Americans have perceived air power from the start as a more efficient means of waging war and as a symbol of the nation's commitment to technology to master challenges, minimize casualties, and defeat adversaries. |
| best general in us history: The Annotated Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant (The Annotated Books) Ulysses S. Grant, 2018-12-04 With kaleidoscopic, trenchant, path-breaking insights, Elizabeth D. Samet has produced the most ambitious edition of Ulysses Grant’s Memoirs yet published. One hundred and thirty-three years after its 1885 publication by Mark Twain, Elizabeth Samet has annotated this lavish edition of Grant’s landmark memoir, and expands the Civil War backdrop against which this monumental American life is typically read. No previous edition combines such a sweep of historical and cultural contexts with the literary authority that Samet, an English professor obsessed with Grant for decades, brings to the table. Whether exploring novels Grant read at West Point or presenting majestic images culled from archives, Samet curates a richly annotated, highly collectible edition that will fascinate Civil War buffs. The edition also breaks new ground in its attack on the “Lost Cause” revisionism that still distorts our national conversation about the legacy of the Civil War. Never has Grant’s transformation from tanner’s son to military leader been more insightfully and passionately explained than in this timely edition, appearing on the 150th anniversary of Grant’s 1868 presidential election. |
| best general in us history: Great Captains Theodore Ayrault Dodge, 1889 |
| best general in us history: The Federalist Papers Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison, 2018-08-20 Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States. |
| best general in us history: The President Is a Sick Man Matthew Algeo, 2011 An extraordinary yet almost unknown chapter in American history is revealed in this extensively researched expose. On July 1, 1893, President Grover Cleveland boarded a friend's yacht and was not heard from for five days. During that time, a team of doctors removed a cancerous tumor from the president's palate along with much of his upper jaw. When an enterprising reporter named E. J. Edwards exposed the secret operation, Cleveland denied it and Edwards was consequently dismissed as a disgrace to journalism. Twenty-four years later, one of the president's doctors finally revealed the incredible truth, but many Americans simply would not believe it. After all, Grover Cleveland's political career was built upon honesty--his most memorable quote was Tell the truth--so it was nearly impossible to believe he was involved in such a brazen cover-up. This is the first full account of the disappearance of Grover Cleveland during that summer more than a century ago. |
| best general in us history: Army History , 1996 |
| best general in us history: George Washington: Gentleman Warrior Stephen Brumwell, 2013-10-08 Winner of the prestigious George Washington Book Prize, George Washington is a vivid recounting of the formative years and military career of The Father of his Country, following his journey from brutal border skirmishes with the French and their Native American allies to his remarkable victory over the British Empire, an achievement that underpinned his selection as the first president of the United States of America. The book focuses on a side of Washington that is often overlooked: the feisty young frontier officer and the early career of the tough forty-something commander of the revolutionaries' ragtag Continental Army. Award-winning historian Stephen Brumwell shows how, ironically, Washington's reliance upon English models of gentlemanly conduct, and on British military organization, was crucial in establishing his leadership of the fledgling Continental Army, and in forging it into the weapon that secured American independence. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including original archival research, Brumwell brings a fresh new perspective on this extraordinary individual, whose fusion of gentleman and warrior left an indelible imprint on history. |
| best general in us history: George Henry Thomas Brian Steel Wills, 2019-06-09 Although often counted among the Union's top five generals, George Henry Thomas has still not received his due. A Virginian who sided with the North in the Civil War, he was a more complicated commander than traditional views have allowed. Brian Wills now provides a new and more complete look at the life of a man known to history as The Rock of Chickamauga, to his troops as Old Pap, and to General William T. Sherman as a soldier who was as true as steel. While biographers have long been hampered by Thomas's lack of personal papers, Wills has drawn on previously untapped sources—notably the correspondence of Thomas's contemporaries—to offer new insights into what made him tick. Focusing on Thomas's personality and motivations, Wills contributes revealing discussions of his style and approach to command and successfully captures his troubled interactions with other Union commanders, providing a particularly more evenhanded evaluation of his relationship with Grant. He also gives a more substantial account of battlefield action than can be found in other biographies, capturing the ebb and flow of key encounters—Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga and Atlanta, Stones River and Mill Springs, Peachtree Creek and Nashville—to help readers better understand Thomas's contributions to their outcomes. Throughout Wills presents a well-rounded individual whose complex views embraced the worlds of professional military service and scientific inquisitiveness, a man known for attention to detail and compassion to subordinates. We also meet a sharp-tempered person whose disdain for politics hurt his prospects for advancement as much as it reflected positively on his character, and Wills offers new insight into why Thomas might not have progressed as quickly up the ladder of command as he might have liked. More deeply researched than other biographies, Wills's work situates Thomas squarely in his own time to provide readers with a more thorough and balanced life story of this enigmatic Union general. It is a definitive military history that gives us a new and needed picture of the Rock of Chickamauga—a man whose devotion to duty and ideals made him as true as steel. |
| best general in us history: The Great War in America Garrett Peck, 2018-12-04 The Great War’s bitter outcome left the experience largely overlooked and forgotten in American history. This timely book is a reexamination of America’s first global experience as we commemorate WWI's centennial. The U.S. steered clear of the Great War for more than two years, but President Woodrow Wilson reluctantly led the divided country into the conflict with the goal of making the world “safe for democracy.” The country assumed a global role for the first time and attempted to build the foundations for world peace, only to witness the experience go badly awry and it retreated into isolationism.The Great War was the first continent-wide conflagration in a century, and it drew much of the world into its fire. By the end, four empires and their royal houses had fallen, communism was unleashed, the map of the Middle East was redrawn, and the United States emerged as a global power—only to withdraw from the world’s stage.The United States was disillusioned with what it achieved in the earlier war and withdrew into itself. Americans have tried to forget about it ever since. The Great War in America presents an opportunity to reexamine the country’s role on the global stage and the tremendous political and social changes that overtook the nation because of the war. |
| best general in us history: The Face of Battle John Keegan, 1983-01-27 John Keegan's groundbreaking portrayal of the common soldier in the heat of battle -- a masterpiece that explores the physical and mental aspects of warfare The Face of Battle is military history from the battlefield: a look at the direct experience of individuals at the point of maximum danger. Without the myth-making elements of rhetoric and xenophobia, and breaking away from the stylized format of battle descriptions, John Keegan has written what is probably the definitive model for military historians. And in his scrupulous reassessment of three battles representative of three different time periods, he manages to convey what the experience of combat meant for the participants, whether they were facing the arrow cloud at the battle of Agincourt, the musket balls at Waterloo, or the steel rain of the Somme. The Face of Battle is a companion volume to John Keegan's classic study of the individual soldier, The Mask of Command: together they form a masterpiece of military and human history. |
| best general in us history: Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States United States. War Department. Inspector General's Office, Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin Baron von Steuben, 1794 |
| best general in us history: Achtung-Panzer! Heinz Guderian, 1995 This is one of the most significant military books of the twentieth century. By an outstanding soldier of independent mind, it pushed forward the evolution of land warfare and was directly responsible for German armoured supremacy in the early years of the Second World War. Published in 1937, the result of 15 years of careful study since his days on the German General Staff in the First World War, Guderian's book argued, quite clearly, how vital the proper use of tanks and supporting armoured vehicles would be in the conduct of a future war. When that war came, just two years later, he proved it, leading his Panzers with distinction in the Polish, French and Russian campaigns. Panzer warfare had come of age, exactly as he had forecast. This first English translation of Heinz Guderian's classic book - used as a textbook by Panzer officers in the war - has an introduction and extensive background notes by the modern English historian Paul Harris. |
| best general in us history: George Washington's Liberty Key William J. Bahr, 2016 This book is about the most interesting key ever made, which now hangs in the central passageway of George Washington's Mount Vernon mansion, helping to greet over a million visitors a year. The main key to the Bastille prison in Paris, it was given in 1790 to Washington, the patriarch of liberty, by his missionary, the Marquis de Lafayette, who took the sacred fire of liberty he discovered in America and tried to fan its flames in France. Become a history detective and find out how this unique key was made, how the man who made it helped kill a king, and how it made its way to Mount Vernon. Along the way, learn about the interesting and unexpected twists and turns made in unlocking the doors hiding the truth about the key, which some (incorrectly) argue is a counterfeit. Then learn what Washington and Lafayette each believed was the key to establishing and maintaining liberty, and what went right and wrong in their respective revolutions. Finally, learn how the key continues to inspire a world-wide devotion to freedom.-- |
| best general in us history: Unlikely General Mary Stockwell, 2018-01-01 A vivid and engaging biography of the remarkable Revolutionary Era military figure who scored a crucial victory at Fallen Timbers despite profound personal troubles |
| best general in us history: The Pig Book Citizens Against Government Waste, 2013-09-17 The federal government wastes your tax dollars worse than a drunken sailor on shore leave. The 1984 Grace Commission uncovered that the Department of Defense spent $640 for a toilet seat and $436 for a hammer. Twenty years later things weren't much better. In 2004, Congress spent a record-breaking $22.9 billion dollars of your money on 10,656 of their pork-barrel projects. The war on terror has a lot to do with the record $413 billion in deficit spending, but it's also the result of pork over the last 18 years the likes of: - $50 million for an indoor rain forest in Iowa - $102 million to study screwworms which were long ago eradicated from American soil - $273,000 to combat goth culture in Missouri - $2.2 million to renovate the North Pole (Lucky for Santa!) - $50,000 for a tattoo removal program in California - $1 million for ornamental fish research Funny in some instances and jaw-droppingly stupid and wasteful in others, The Pig Book proves one thing about Capitol Hill: pork is king! |
| best general in us history: Command Of The Air General Giulio Douhet, 2014-08-15 In the pantheon of air power spokesmen, Giulio Douhet holds center stage. His writings, more often cited than perhaps actually read, appear as excerpts and aphorisms in the writings of numerous other air power spokesmen, advocates-and critics. Though a highly controversial figure, the very controversy that surrounds him offers to us a testimonial of the value and depth of his work, and the need for airmen today to become familiar with his thought. The progressive development of air power to the point where, today, it is more correct to refer to aerospace power has not outdated the notions of Douhet in the slightest In fact, in many ways, the kinds of technological capabilities that we enjoy as a global air power provider attest to the breadth of his vision. Douhet, together with Hugh “Boom” Trenchard of Great Britain and William “Billy” Mitchell of the United States, is justly recognized as one of the three great spokesmen of the early air power era. This reprint is offered in the spirit of continuing the dialogue that Douhet himself so perceptively began with the first edition of this book, published in 1921. Readers may well find much that they disagree with in this book, but also much that is of enduring value. The vital necessity of Douhet’s central vision-that command of the air is all important in modern warfare-has been proven throughout the history of wars in this century, from the fighting over the Somme to the air war over Kuwait and Iraq. |
| best general in us history: Washington's Farewell Address George Washington, 1907 |
| best general in us history: America and the Great War Margaret E. Wagner, 2017-05-30 Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Titles of the Year for 2017 A uniquely colorful chronicle of this dramatic and convulsive chapter in American--and world--history. It's an epic tale, and here it is wondrously well told. --David M. Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author of FREEDOM FROM FEAR From August 1914 through March 1917, Americans were increasingly horrified at the unprecedented destruction of the First World War. While sending massive assistance to the conflict's victims, most Americans opposed direct involvement. Their country was immersed in its own internal struggles, including attempts to curb the power of business monopolies, reform labor practices, secure proper treatment for millions of recent immigrants, and expand American democracy. Yet from the first, the war deeply affected American emotions and the nation's commercial, financial, and political interests. The menace from German U-boats and failure of U.S. attempts at mediation finally led to a declaration of war, signed by President Wilson on April 6, 1917. America and the Great War commemorates the centennial of that turning point in American history. Chronicling the United States in neutrality and in conflict, it presents events and arguments, political and military battles, bitter tragedies and epic achievements that marked U.S. involvement in the first modern war. Drawing on the matchless resources of the Library of Congress, the book includes many eyewitness accounts and more than 250 color and black-and-white images, many never before published. With an introduction by Pulitzer Prize–winning historian David M. Kennedy, America and the Great War brings to life the tempestuous era from which the United States emerged as a major world power. |
| best general in us history: War as I Knew it George Smith Patton, 1995 The personal and candid account of General Patton's celebrated, relentless crusade across western Europe during World War II First published in 1947, War as I Knew It is an absorbing narrative that draws from Patton's vivid memories of battle and his detailed diaries, covering the moment the Third Army exploded onto the Brittany Peninsula to the final Allied casualty report. The result is not only a grueling, human account of daily combat and heroic feats--including a riveting look at the Battle of the Bulge--but a valuable chronicle by one of the most brilliant military strategists in history. Patton's letters from earlier military campaigns in North Africa and Sicily, complemented by a powerful retrospective of his guiding philosophies, further reveal a man of uncompromising will and uncommon character, which made Georgie a household name in mid-century America. |
| best general in us history: Teaching What Really Happened James W. Loewen, 2018-09-07 “Should be in the hands of every history teacher in the country.”— Howard Zinn James Loewen has revised Teaching What Really Happened, the bestselling, go-to resource for social studies and history teachers wishing to break away from standard textbook retellings of the past. In addition to updating the scholarship and anecdotes throughout, the second edition features a timely new chapter entitled Truth that addresses how traditional and social media can distort current events and the historical record. Helping students understand what really happened in the past will empower them to use history as a tool to argue for better policies in the present. Our society needs engaged citizens now more than ever, and this book offers teachers concrete ideas for getting students excited about history while also teaching them to read critically. It will specifically help teachers and students tackle important content areas, including Eurocentrism, the American Indian experience, and slavery. Book Features: An up-to-date assessment of the potential and pitfalls of U.S. and world history education. Information to help teachers expect, and get, good performance from students of all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Strategies for incorporating project-oriented self-learning, having students conduct online historical research, and teaching historiography. Ideas from teachers across the country who are empowering students by teaching what really happened. Specific chapters dedicated to five content topics usually taught poorly in today’s schools. |
| best general in us history: Blenheim 1704 John Tincey, 2004-07-25 Osprey's study of the Blenheim campaign, Britiain's defining battle of the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). Combining one of history's most audacious strategic manoeuvres with perhaps the greatest military victory ever won by a British commander, the Blenheim campaign is rightly considered the pinnacle of the career of John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough. On 13 August 1704, Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy faced a Franco-Bavarian army threatening to knock Austria out of the War of the Spanish Succession. In a hard-fought battle Marlborough won a resounding victory, capturing Marshal Tallard and over 14,000 men. In this book John Tincey describes how Marlborough's victory crushed his enemies, shattered the myth of French invincibility and laid the foundations for two centuries of British world dominance. |
| best general in us history: The World Factbook 2003 United States. Central Intelligence Agency, 2003 By intelligence officials for intelligent people |
| best general in us history: Cannae , 1931 Authorized translation from the German. Contains 100 maps. Includes various battles which the author analyzes along with military theories. Convinced that Germany, surrounded by powerful enemies, would have to fight outnumbered and win, Schlieffen believed the key to victory could be discovered in an account of the Battle of Cannae, written by the German military historian Hans Delbruck. Therefore, Schlieffen ordered the historical section of the General Staff to produce a set of Cannae Studies that would demonstrate that the principle of double envelopment practiced by Hannibal at Cannae was the master key to victory in battle. |
| best general in us history: Strategic Planning for Coalition Warfare Maurice Matloff, 2015-07-08 Within a generation the attitude and policy of the United States toward alliances have undergone a revolutionary reversal. The nation has passed from its traditional suspicion and fear of entangling alliances to a policy that heavily stakes its security and interests on the co-operation of other powers. In World War I the U.S. Government cautiously defined its relationship with the powers allied against Germany as that of an Associated Power. In World War II, though last to join the Grand Alliance, it virtually integrated its resources with those of the British Commonwealth and coordinated its strategy and war aims with the British and the USSR in the most powerful wartime partnership ever forged. Since 1945 it has emerged as the leader in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and has diligently sought allies and built up alliances all over the troubled world. The climax of its most intensive experience with coalition strategy came in the phase of World War II described in this volume, which should therefore have a special interest for all who are concerned with the implications of the revolution in U.S. foreign policy that has taken place in the twentieth century. |
| best general in us history: George Washington's War Robert Leckie, 1993-09-15 An exciting trip back in time to the American Revolution, a reminder of what history can be when written by a master.--Publishers Weekly |
| best general in us history: 16 Cases of Mission Command Donald P., Donald Wright, Ph. D., Ph D Donald P Wright, 2013-12 For the US Army to succeed in the 21st Century, Soldiers of all ranks must understand and use Mission Command. Mission Command empowers leaders at all levels, allowing them to synchronize all warfighting functions and information systems to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative against a range of adversaries. This collection of historical vignettes seeks to sharpen our understanding of Mission Command philosophy and practice by providing examples from the past in which Mission Command principles played a decisive role. Some vignettes show junior officers following their commander's intent and exercising disciplined initiative in very chaotic combat operations. Others recount how field grade officers built cohesive teams that relied on mutual trust to achieve key operational objectives. Each historical account is complemented by an annotated explanation of how the six Mission Command principles shaped the action. For this reason, the collection is ideal for leader development in the Army school system as well as for unit and individual professional development. Mission Command places great responsibility on our Soldiers. |
| best general in us history: The Bitter Woods John S. D. Eisenhower, 2001 This work tells the story of Germany's last great offensive, the desperate struggle which broke the German armies and contributed decisively to the end of the war. Described are details of the unexpected gamble and the technologies with which the Nazis hoped to win the war. |
| best general in us history: Strategic Planning for Coalition Warfare, 1941-1942 [--1943-1944] Maurice Matloff, Edwin Marion Snell, 1953 |
The Highest Ranking - Air Force Magazine
The grade of General of the Armies, as opposed to that of General of the Army, is meant to convey leadership over all branches of the US military. It has been associated with only two …
Best Generals In Us History - timehelper-beta.orases
Best Generals In Us History best generals in u.s. history: Presidents and Their Generals Matthew Moten, 2014-11-05 Moten traces a sweeping history of the evolving roles of civilian and military …
General of the Army George C. Marshall’s Strategic Leadership …
Amidst tumultuous international politicking and world war, General of the Army George C. Marshall organized and led Allied forces to victory in World War II. Soldiers, statesmen, and …
The U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence Commanding …
History & Heritage, and Global Analysis. Each section encourages the reader to take a critical look at the lessons of the past, at the changing world around them, and within themselves in...
Leadership in War and Peace: A Historical Assessment for …
For two reasons, General Eisenhower is a very good model for study of wartime versus peacetime leadership. First, his life is well documented by a number of superb writers. Second, prior to …
A Short 40-Year History of the US Army Training and Doctrine …
year mark in its history, the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) remains one of the most unique organizations in our Army. TRADOC’s first commander, General William E. …
Bonn Most Underrated General of World War II - Marshall …
He was the only American general to command large forces in three distinct theaters, namely, a division and corps in the Pacific Theater; an army in the Mediterranean Theater during the …
A Brief History of the Quartermaster Corps - United States Army
On June 16, 1775, just two days after sanc-tioning the formation of an Army, the Continental Congress authorized the position of Quartermaster General for the new Army. Shortly …
Notable warrant officers
Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, USAF was initially a flight officer (also known as "warrant officer (air)", in the USAAF during World War II ... 5.^ a b The Naval Officers Guide, 12th ed.,L. …
Chiefs of the Army Reserve
Hilkert, a historian with the Office of Army Reserve History at the US Army Reserve Command, joined the staff in 1999. He is the curator for the Museum of the Army Reserve and responsible …
GENERAL HISTORY: H.R. McMASTER - Army War College
Chair of War Studies at the United States Army War College, and today we're delighted to welcome H.R. McMaster, Retired Lieutenant General, former National Security Adviser and …
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
From reading history, from walking many battlefields with scholars to recreate the dilemmas of command of those bloody grounds, and from watching a number of flag officers good and bad, …
APUSH Timeline of Important Events - AP United States History
Pre-Civil War, Civil War, Reconstruction 1845-1877 late 1844-early 1845 Texas annexed PERIOD 5 (1848-1877) 1845 Polk elected
Learned in the Law The Role of the Solicitor General of the
Three distinguished former Solicitors General of the United States joined the Counselor to the Chief Justice and a leading scholar to provide a fascinating and insightful program on the Offi …
UNITED STATES HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT (FRAMEWORK) …
Source: Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” 1893 9 Which geographic feature does Frederick Jackson Turner suggest as primary in the creation of …
Art of War Papers - Army University Press
decisively secured US interests by the end of the decade. In so doing, the US military became the primary vehicle to advance US national interests in Indonesia. This set an example of how...
VA SOL Review Study Guide - GO cHARGERS
Introduction: I have prepared this study guide to help students prepare for the 11th Grade Virginia & US History SOL. It is designed to be used together with The Americans textbook published …
The Air Force and the Great Engine War, - DTIC
aging story about the Department of Defense and the US Government "setting things right," a story that has not been fully told before. The case is not closed on jet engine contracting, or …
The Mattis Way of War: an Examination of Operational Art in …
This study examines General James N. Mattis’s staffing philosophies, the influence of history on his operational planning and execution, and his general command and leadership philosophies...
Deep Maneuver: Historical Case Studies of Maneuver in Large …
Over the last two years, the US Army has rapidly shifted the focus of its doctrine, training, education, and leader development to increase read- iness and capabilities to prevail in large …
The Highest Ranking - Air Force Magazine
The grade of General of the Armies, as opposed to that of General of the Army, is meant to convey leadership over all branches of the US military. It has been associated with only two …
Best Generals In Us History - timehelper-beta.orases
Best Generals In Us History best generals in u.s. history: Presidents and Their Generals Matthew Moten, 2014-11-05 Moten traces a sweeping history of the evolving roles of civilian and military …
General of the Army George C. Marshall’s Strategic …
Amidst tumultuous international politicking and world war, General of the Army George C. Marshall organized and led Allied forces to victory in World War II. Soldiers, statesmen, and …
The U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence …
History & Heritage, and Global Analysis. Each section encourages the reader to take a critical look at the lessons of the past, at the changing world around them, and within themselves in...
Leadership in War and Peace: A Historical Assessment for …
For two reasons, General Eisenhower is a very good model for study of wartime versus peacetime leadership. First, his life is well documented by a number of superb writers. Second, prior to …
A Short 40-Year History of the US Army Training and …
year mark in its history, the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) remains one of the most unique organizations in our Army. TRADOC’s first commander, General William E. …
Bonn Most Underrated General of World War II - Marshall …
He was the only American general to command large forces in three distinct theaters, namely, a division and corps in the Pacific Theater; an army in the Mediterranean Theater during the …
A Brief History of the Quartermaster Corps - United States Army
On June 16, 1775, just two days after sanc-tioning the formation of an Army, the Continental Congress authorized the position of Quartermaster General for the new Army. Shortly …
Notable warrant officers
Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, USAF was initially a flight officer (also known as "warrant officer (air)", in the USAAF during World War II ... 5.^ a b The Naval Officers Guide, 12th ed.,L. …
Chiefs of the Army Reserve
Hilkert, a historian with the Office of Army Reserve History at the US Army Reserve Command, joined the staff in 1999. He is the curator for the Museum of the Army Reserve and responsible …
GENERAL HISTORY: H.R. McMASTER - Army War College
Chair of War Studies at the United States Army War College, and today we're delighted to welcome H.R. McMaster, Retired Lieutenant General, former National Security Adviser and …
The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters
From reading history, from walking many battlefields with scholars to recreate the dilemmas of command of those bloody grounds, and from watching a number of flag officers good and bad, …
APUSH Timeline of Important Events - AP United States History
Pre-Civil War, Civil War, Reconstruction 1845-1877 late 1844-early 1845 Texas annexed PERIOD 5 (1848-1877) 1845 Polk elected
Learned in the Law The Role of the Solicitor General of the
Three distinguished former Solicitors General of the United States joined the Counselor to the Chief Justice and a leading scholar to provide a fascinating and insightful program on the Offi …
UNITED STATES HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT …
Source: Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” 1893 9 Which geographic feature does Frederick Jackson Turner suggest as primary in the creation of …
Art of War Papers - Army University Press
decisively secured US interests by the end of the decade. In so doing, the US military became the primary vehicle to advance US national interests in Indonesia. This set an example of how...
VA SOL Review Study Guide - GO cHARGERS
Introduction: I have prepared this study guide to help students prepare for the 11th Grade Virginia & US History SOL. It is designed to be used together with The Americans textbook published …
The Air Force and the Great Engine War, - DTIC
aging story about the Department of Defense and the US Government "setting things right," a story that has not been fully told before. The case is not closed on jet engine contracting, or …
The Mattis Way of War: an Examination of Operational Art in …
This study examines General James N. Mattis’s staffing philosophies, the influence of history on his operational planning and execution, and his general command and leadership philosophies...
Deep Maneuver: Historical Case Studies of Maneuver in …
Over the last two years, the US Army has rapidly shifted the focus of its doctrine, training, education, and leader development to increase read- iness and capabilities to prevail in large …
