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Very Short Introductions #657
American Military History: A Very Short Introduction
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 American Military A Very Short Introduction , 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 struggled to learn 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 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 US emerged from World War II as the most powerful nation in the war, but over the next several decades it was forced to confront the limits of its power. 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.
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 struggled to learn 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 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 US emerged from World War II as the most powerful nation in the war, but over the next several decades it was forced to confront the limits of its power. 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.
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2020
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About the author
Joseph T. Glatthaar
26 books14 followersMilitary historian, specializing in the American Civil War and American military history
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February 12, 2021veldig kjedelig
May 25, 2022
Exactly what it says on the cover. This is a good solid overview that nicely balances a history of American military campaigns from the colonial era to the early days of the Trump administration with a history of the development of American military institutions and their relationship to law, government, and broader social trends.
Glatthaar does especially well in bringing these together between the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War, emphasizing the ways American armed forces and warfare changed under the influence of civilian Secretaries of War like John C Calhoun (after the War of 1812), Jefferson Davis (after the Mexican War), and Elihu Root. He also explores four themes throughout: the roles of the citizen soldier or militiaman and the regular; the related question of professionalization; technological change; and the temptations and limitations of military power. This last proves especially important in the final chapter, which covers everything since the end of World War II.
If I have any complaints, it’s that the book is perhaps a bit too cursory in one or two areas, Glatthaar sometimes underexplains or does not explicitly connect related events (especially in the Civil War section, in which his expertise and specialization are a minor obstacle, since he assumes readers will pick up on things he is subtle about), and the quality of the writing falters in a few places. But these are minor problems.
It feels odd to say about a book first published four years ago, but it could stand an update. That’s because of how rapidly Afghanistan imploded last year, for starters. Perhaps two more pages could be added to the last chapter. Very Short Introductions periodically issues new editions of its books, so maybe that will happen.
This book would be an ideal overview for a beginner the field of military history seeking some sense of the “big picture,” or for a class in which this slender volume could be supplemented by primary source readings or deep-dive case studies. As it happens, I read this as part of a search for the latter.
Highly recommended.
Glatthaar does especially well in bringing these together between the War of 1812 and the Spanish-American War, emphasizing the ways American armed forces and warfare changed under the influence of civilian Secretaries of War like John C Calhoun (after the War of 1812), Jefferson Davis (after the Mexican War), and Elihu Root. He also explores four themes throughout: the roles of the citizen soldier or militiaman and the regular; the related question of professionalization; technological change; and the temptations and limitations of military power. This last proves especially important in the final chapter, which covers everything since the end of World War II.
If I have any complaints, it’s that the book is perhaps a bit too cursory in one or two areas, Glatthaar sometimes underexplains or does not explicitly connect related events (especially in the Civil War section, in which his expertise and specialization are a minor obstacle, since he assumes readers will pick up on things he is subtle about), and the quality of the writing falters in a few places. But these are minor problems.
It feels odd to say about a book first published four years ago, but it could stand an update. That’s because of how rapidly Afghanistan imploded last year, for starters. Perhaps two more pages could be added to the last chapter. Very Short Introductions periodically issues new editions of its books, so maybe that will happen.
This book would be an ideal overview for a beginner the field of military history seeking some sense of the “big picture,” or for a class in which this slender volume could be supplemented by primary source readings or deep-dive case studies. As it happens, I read this as part of a search for the latter.
Highly recommended.
July 7, 2025
Very useful and concise mini-survey of US military history. It takes a lifetime of expertise to condense all of US military history into 125 pages. JG does a great job with this, surveying campaigns, technology, and the military's relationship to civilian society. His main themes are the struggle for professionalism v. the republican citizen-soldier tradition, the need for institutional adjustments to make technological innovation effective, and the limits of military power.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews