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American Military History, Volume 1: The United States Army and the Forging of a Nation, 1775-1917
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.
This text is used in military ROTC training courses as a basic military history textbook. Volume 1 of 2 volume set.
This text is used in military ROTC training courses as a basic military history textbook. Volume 1 of 2 volume set.
409 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 22, 2025
A military history textbook written in the most quintessential history textbook style. Lists of facts and dates, with hardly any story narrative, except for the threaded message that, "a large standing professional army is good, relying on militias and citizen soldiers is bad".
Honestly, it is a bit hard not to roll your eyes. You're telling me, historians hired by the U.S. Army to write a military history textbook in which all future Army officers will be forced to read, is implicitly advocating that current form of the U.S. Army is ideal? That the U.S. Army of today, with its historical unprecedented size, bureaucracy, and budget is really the best version. The second volume was published before we officially lost Afghanistan, but I'm interested to see how the authors were interpreting it in 2008.
Obviously, not a massive fan, but it still gets the major facts of battle across and taught me some interesting historical nuggets in the footnotes.
Honestly, it is a bit hard not to roll your eyes. You're telling me, historians hired by the U.S. Army to write a military history textbook in which all future Army officers will be forced to read, is implicitly advocating that current form of the U.S. Army is ideal? That the U.S. Army of today, with its historical unprecedented size, bureaucracy, and budget is really the best version. The second volume was published before we officially lost Afghanistan, but I'm interested to see how the authors were interpreting it in 2008.
Obviously, not a massive fan, but it still gets the major facts of battle across and taught me some interesting historical nuggets in the footnotes.
February 2, 2023
Didn't even read the second volume. I swung this course.
June 11, 2020
An interesting history of the institution of the US Army. As a text, the focus is on this aspect and not battles, personalities, etc. While the volume summarizes both of the above as well as can be expected in view of the space allotted, the true value is in describing how the institution was born and changed over the nation's history as society, politics, and technology evolved. In some instances the Army could react well, and in some it could not and was woefully unprepared to fight through no fault of its own. The real value of this text is in its explanation of these trends and how they can be utilized to adapt the Army for future conflicts within the limitations placed up on it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews