America's First Battles, 1775-1965

by Charles E. Heller (Editor), William A. Stofft (Editor)

Overview

This volume, a collection of eleven original essays by many of the foremost U.S. military historians, focuses on the transition of the Army from parade ground to battleground in each of nine wars the United States has fought. Through careful analysis of organization, training, and tactical doctrine, each essay seeks to explain the strengths and weaknesses evidenced by the outcome of the first significant engagement or campaign of the war. The concluding essay sets out to synthesize the findings and to discover whether or not American first battles manifest a characteristic "rhythm."

America's First Battles provides a novel and intellectually challenging view of how America has prepared for war and how operations and tactics have changed over time. The thrust of the book—the emphasis on operational history—is at the forefront of scholarly activity in military history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780700602773
Publisher:	University Press of Kansas
Publication date:	12/16/1986
Series:	Modern War Studies
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.92(d)

Table of Contents

List of Maps

Preface

1. America’s First Battle: Long Island, 27 August 1776, Ira D. Gruber

2. The Battle of Queenston Heights, 13 October 1812, Theodore J. Crackel

3. The Battles on the Rio Grande: Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma, 8-9 May 1846, K. Jack Bauer

4. First Bull Run, 19 July 1861, W. Glenn Robertson

5. San Juan Hill and El Caney, 1-2 July 1898, Graham A. Cosmas

6. Cantigny, 28-31 May 1918, Allan R. Millett

7. Buna, 19 November 1942–2 January 1943: A “Leavenworth Nightmare.” Jay Luvaas

8. Kasserine Pass, 30 January –22 February 1943, Martin Blumenson

9. Task Force Smith and the 24th Division: Delay and Withdrawal, 5–19 July 1950, Roy K. Flint

10. the 1st Cavalry and the Ia Drang Valley, 18 October –24 November 1965, George C. Herring

11. First Battles in Retrospect, John Shy

Notes

About the Editors and Contributors

Index

Editorial Reviews

"An important contribution both to the literature of war and to the analysis and making of defense policy."—Washington Post Book World

"Fine military history, good reading and challenging intellectual stimulation."—Army

"Presented here is a discussion of ten military battles, each representing one of the first battles or campaigns in the nine wars in which the U.S. Army has fought from 1776 through Vietnam. Each chapter treats a single battle and is written by a historian with acknowledged specialization in that period of military history. These evaluations are stimulating, comparable pictures for students of general history, military history, and political-military relationships."—Choice

"Must reading for the serious student of history, whether military or civilian."—Military Review

"Not just soldiers and historians should read it, but all thoughtful Americans, even those with a visceral dislike for anything military."—The Historian

"A brilliantly conceived and executed collection of essays written by some of the country’s foremost military historians. America’s First Battles achieves that rare feat of combining genuine reading enjoyment with superb scholarship. While portraying the human drama inherent on the battlefield with the flair of novelists, the authors also masterfully integrate the sustained exploration of the effects that command and control procedures, prewar doctrine, Army readiness, and the war’s political context can have on first battles (which in turn can have such a profound impact that they often shape a war’s entire course). Nothing quite like this book exists in the literature. It automatically goes to the top of the ‘must read’ list for anyone interested in America’s military past—and, perhaps, its future."—Peter Maslowski, coauthor of For the Common Defense

"I can rave about this book. In contrast to the typical narrative focused on the leaders, these accounts go into depth on each battle. The authors not only tell the stories fully but also make excellent analyses. I became engrossed as I read."—Edward M. Coffman, author of The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I

From the Publisher

Must reading for the serious student of history, whether military or civilian.

Military Review

Fine military history, good reading and challenging intellectual stimulation.

Army

An important contribution both to the literature of war and to the analysis and making of defense policy.

Washington Post Book World

Not just soldiers and historians should read it, but all thoughtful Americans, even those with a visceral dislike for anything military.

The Historian

Presented here is a discussion of ten military battles, each representing one of the first battles or campaigns in the nine wars in which the U.S. Army has fought from 1776 through Vietnam. Each chapter treats a single battle and is written by a historian with acknowledged specialization in that period of military history.

The essays incorporate standard themes, such as the strategic and political background of the period, the preparation of the U.S. Army for the war, organizational and tactical comparisons, weaponry, planning and execution, and the results or lessons learned from each engagement.

These evaluations are stimulating, comparable pictures for students of general history, military history, and political-military relationships. A concluding chapter . . . raises questions of considerable contemporary relevance. Extremely well referenced and indexed. Recommended for public and academic libraries.

Choice