Bacteria and Bayonets: The Impact of Disease in American Military History

by David Petriello

A fascinating look at how microbes have affected war outcomes from colonial times to the present.   Various powerful enemies from the British to the Nazis, and legendary individuals including Tecumseh and Robert E. Lee, have all fallen before the arms of the American soldier. Yet the deadliest enemy faced by the nation, one that has killed more warriors than all its foes combined, is disease.   But illness has been more than just a historical cause of casualties for the American military. In numerous wars, it has helped to decide battles, drive campaigns, and determine strategy. In fact, the Patriots owed pestilence as much for their victory in the Revolution as they did their own force of arms. Likewise, disease helped to prevent the conquest of Canada in 1812, drove strategy in the Mexican War, handicapped Lee’s 1862 advance, and helped lead to World War II. Disease also provided an edge in the wars against Native Americans, yet just as soon turned on the United States when unacclimated US troops were dispatched to the southern Pacific.   This book not only traces the path of disease in American military history but also recounts numerous episodes and anecdotes related to the history of illness. It is a compelling story, one that has been overlooked and underappreciated. Yellow fever, malaria, tuberculosis, glanders, bubonic plague, smallpox, and numerous other bacteria and viruses all conspired to defeat America—and remain enemies that need to be recognized.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

360 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2015

Reviews

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book, and the only complaint I have about it is that it restricted itself mainly to what happened on the American continent and only on the United States. The research was very thorough. The book covered what happened when people first started arriving in America to both them and the Native American Indians. I don't think this was ever mentioned in the history books that I read in school...that basically we won the nation due to the fact we made Native Americans very sick first...and decimated their population. It covers all of the major American wars. I especially didn't know as much concerning the French and Indian Wars, or the Revolutionary War and how disease impacted the outcomes of these wars. I knew more about what happened during the Civil War because we lived very near a home used in the Civil War in Pennsylvania, and I often went to their Civil War days. They always had a medical kits and the embalmers, instruments that were used back then. It's actually kind of amazing that so many men did survive the Civil Wars with horrendous injuries...but it is important to remember that that disease did more killing during this war, than in the future ones.

The book went into WWI and WWII, and Korea and Vietnam. I was a bit disappointed in the later wars...I think more could have been supplied about the later wars. In fact, I didn't see very much information about the Hantavirus which was a problem over in Korea, and is a current problem in the four corners area of the US. Even though disease has quit being the primary source of death during the wars, it is important to know about the problems with the current vaccines our military are required to take, and exposure to garbage smoke when they have large burns in places like Iraqu and Afghanistan, because these vaccines and exposures are causing so many autoimmune system problems. And definitely more could have been shared about Agent Orange in Vietnam.

This is a good first book in the topic, and I definitely would be interested in another book from Petriello on perhaps European wars.

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful book for a project in World History. I enjoyed reading it. Ver well written.

[Bernard Lavallee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

A good book regarding disease and conflict. Spends to much time on the revolution and civil war period but very enjoyable.

[Kirk Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Someone forgot to edit a chapter or two, which are a bit unclear in places and suffer from stylistic and grammatical mishaps, but other than that this is a well-researched and coherent book.