American Military History And The Evolution Of Warfare In The Western World

" ... Designed to present a readable, authoritative history of military operations -- in this instance, of operations in the Western world that best convey the American experience of warfare from the seventeenth century to the present."--Preface.

Authoritative and concise, Warfare in the Western World concentrates on selected campaigns and battles, showing how political and military leaders in the West have used armies to wage war effectively over the last four centuries. The text moves through the centuries, discussing how operational developments and technological improvements eventually led to the concept of total war, first approached in the American Civil War and culminating in the twentieth century's two world wars.

The story of the United States Army is always growing and changing. Historians constantly seek to reinterpret the past while accumulating new facts as America's Army continues to be challenged on new foreign battlefields. Nor does the Army, as an institution, ever stand still. It necessarily changes its organization, materiel, doctrine, and composition to cope with an ever-changing world of current conflict and potential danger. American Military History provides a comprehensive but brief account of Army's past. The history of an active organization tends to expand rapidly as the organization grows larger and more complex. The first volume covers the Army's history from its birth in 1775 to the eve of World War I. The second volume of this edition takes up that story and extends it into the twenty-first century and the early years of the war on terrorism.

As the author explains it its Foreword, the book is “a brief review of the now rather extensive military history of the United States in relation to its political, economic and social implications.” “This is a book for the years... a distinguished job of writing... [Millis is] a penetrative analyst... vigorous expression and the steady flow of challenging ideas keep the book from ever becoming dull... The book... is a total study of the evolution of American military power... The author knows weapons, politics and human nature. His perceptive grasp of these complexes shines in the writing.” — The New York Times “[A]fter the passage of a generation, Arms and Men remains the most satisfactory one-volume survey of the military history of the United States, showing an unrivalled depth of insight into the interrelationships between American military history and the whole history of the United States, with a constant regard for the still larger context of American military history in world history.” — Reviews in American History “[A] remarkable example of synthesis and readability... excellent.” — Political Science Quarterly “Mr. Walter Millis... has written the most penetrating and stimulating of the studies on American military affairs. This is not a detailed study of battles and tactics; it is instead an examination of the interaction of a changing society and technology on military institutions... Mr. Millis has a superb sense of history... a graceful style and a lively, civilized wit... This is a volume which should be read by all who are concerned with the most pressing problem of our day.” — New York History “Arms and Men, in my view, is the best single study dealing with American military history as a whole which has been written in the last half century, and virtually nothing of the sort was written earlier.” — Military Affairs “Although Mr. Millis, who has devoted many years to the subject, calls this only a ‘commentary’ on the history of American military policy, it is a most useful and well-written survey.” — Foreign Affairs “[A] good book, readable and admirable for its factual accuracy and general thoughtfulness.” —The American Historical Review “[Millis’] well-phrased analysis of American military history is a tremendous contribution to the thoughtful citizen.” — Current History “[N]o more searching or more stimulating study of the subject has been published for a decade.” —International Affairs “This is... a review of the military history of the United States in relation to the economic, political, and social phases of our history... This book is well written, excellently organized with logical arguments. It should be widely read and generously consulted.” —The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science “The changes made by the forces of democracy and by public opinion in the conduct of wars is traced... in... Arms and Men. It is a brilliant exposition of the factors that brought such evolution in warfare... Walter Millis has written many profound works but this readable book is his best.” —World Affairs “It is a brilliant survey of American military history... acutely conceived and beautifully written... one of those rare creative works of interpretation and synthesis.” — Saturday Review “[Millis’] twin gifts of perception and expression are again apparent in Arms and Men, a mature commentary on America’s record of preparation (or non-preparation) and performance in its wars.” — New York Herald Tribune

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.

Citizen soldier and sailor vs. standing armed forces -- The struggle for military professionalism -- Technology, mechanization, and the world wars -- The limits of power -- Conclusion: The armed forces and perennial problems,

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.

A century ago, the great powers of Europe became engulfed in what was then called the Great War. The modern U.S. Army, capable of conducting industrialized warfare on a global scale, can trace its roots to the World War. Although the war's outbreak in August 1914 shocked most Americans, they preferred to keep the conflict at arm's length. In April 1917, the president, out of diplomatic options, asked Congress to declare war on Germany. The president ordered nearly 400,000 National Guardsmen into federal service, and more than twenty-four million men eventually registered for the Selective Service, America's first conscription since the Civil War. By the end of 1918, the Army had grown to four million men and had trained 200,000 new officers to lead them. The United States will never forget the American soldiers who fought and died in the World War. To this day, memorials to their sacrifice can be found across America, and the date of the armistice has become a national holiday honoring all those who serve in defense of the nation. Contents: The U.S. Army in the World War I Era The Prewar Army, 1899–1917 At War After the Armistice The American Army and the Great War Joining the Great War April 1917– April 1918 Strategic Setting The U.S. Army Before the War American Military and Civilian Leadership The Amalgamation Debate Mobilization of Manpower Building the AEF, 1917 American Soldiers Begin Arriving Training the AEF Men and Materiel in the AEF The War Department: Challenges and Reform Strategic Crisis on the Western Front The AEF Joins the Fight Joining the World War I Strategic Setting The U.S. Army Before the War American Military and Civilian Leadership The Amalgamation Debate American Soldiers Begin Arriving Men and Materiel in the AEF The War Department: Challenges and Reform Strategic Crisis on the Western Front The AEF Joins the Fight Official Documents of the U.S. Government from the World War I