The Hidden History of America at War: Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah

by Kenneth C. Davis

Overview

Multi-million-copy bestselling historian Kenneth C. Davis sets his sights on war stories in The Hidden History of America at War. In prose that will remind you of "the best teacher you ever had" (People Magazine), Davis brings to life six emblematic battles, revealing untold tales that span our nation's history, from the Revolutionary War to Iraq. Along the way, he illuminates why we go to war, who fights, the grunt's-eye view of combat, and how these conflicts reshaped our military and national identity.

From the Battle of Yorktown (1781), where a fledgling America learned hard lessons about what kind of military it would need to survive, to Fallujah (2004), which epitomized the dawn of the privatization of war, Hidden History of America at War takes readers inside the battlefield, introducing them to key characters and events that will shatter myths, misconceptions, and romanticism, replacing them with rich insight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316348355
Publisher:	Hachette Books
Publication date:	05/17/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Don't Know Much About® series with more than four million copies in print worldwide. Davis is a frequent media guest on national television and radio; he has written for the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, and been a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He posts regularly at DontKnowMuch.com and makes "virtual visits" to schools, libraries, and other audiences.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 Washington's Men: Yorktown, Virginia-October 1781 21

Chapter 2 The Battle of the Old Men and the Young Boys: Petersburg, Virginia-June 1864 87

Chapter 3 The Water Cure: Balangiga, Philippines-September 1901 139

Chapter 4 Berlin Stories: Berlin, Germany-April 1945 193

Chapter 5 The "Living-Room War": Hué, South Vietnam-February 1968 249

Chapter 6 The Bridge over the River Euphrates: Fallujah, Iraq-March 2004 297

Afterword 349

Acknowledgments 359

Bibliography 361

Notes 373

Index 395

Editorial Reviews

"Ambitious...[Davis] makes history palatable and intriguing, pointing out what gets left out and drawing parallels. If that motivates readers to delve into McPherson on the Civil War, Chernow on Washington and Alexander Hamilton, and Ricks on the fiasco in Iraq, he will have achieved an important goal. History tells us where we came from, and Davis reminds us it never has to be boring."—Miami Herald

"Hidden History...should awaken many to the manifold joys of reading history...Six buoyant, fast-paced stories."—Washington Post

"[Kenneth C. Davis] has carved a niche for himself as a go-to guy for historical insight and analysis.... Absorbing... [The Hidden History of America at War] should be required reading for both the public and their elected officials."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"An informative, readable compendium of the many fallacies of modern warfare."—Kirkus Reviews

"There's only one person who can top Kenneth C. Davis—and that's Kenneth C. Davis. With The Hidden History of America at War, he's composed yet another brilliant, thought-provoking, and compelling book. But along with uncovering extraordinary and yet little-known stories that readers will find absolutely captivating, Davis demonstrates why learning about these conflicts—even those from the Revolution and the Civil War—are incredibly relevant to the present day. Davis offers a hard-hitting and sometimes critical look at some of the most consequential wartime decisions made by presidents and policy makers, but his admiration and respect for the men and women who have served and sacrificed so much for this nation is unwavering."
—Andrew Carroll, editor of the New York Times bestsellers War Letters and Behind the Lines

"With his trademark storytelling flair, Kenneth C. Davis illuminates six critical, but often overlooked battles that helped define America's character and its evolving response to conflict. This fascinating and strikingly insightful book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand our nation's bloody history of war."—Eric Jay Dolin, author of Leviathan and When America First Met China

"A fascinating exploration of war and the myths of war. Kenneth C. Davis shows how interesting the truth can be."—Evan Thomas, New York Times-bestselling author of Sea of Thunder and John Paul Jones

Praise for Kenneth C. Davis

"Reading him is like returning to the classroom of the best teacher you ever had."—People Magazine

"[M]errily removes the whitewash from an oft-bland concept of the past."—Associated Press

"The King of Knowing"—Amazon.com

From the Publisher

05/01/2015
Davis is the author of popular history books in the "Don't Know Much About" series, which provide thought-provoking retakes on well-known subjects. This volume intends to offer an understanding of the United States's uneasy relationship with its military via lengthy essays on six battles. Davis explores uncomfortable facts about the Siege of Yorktown (1781) in the American Revolution, the Siege of Petersburg (1864) in the Civil War, the Balangiga massacre (1901) in the Philippine-American War, the fight for Berlin (1945) in World War II, the Battle of Hue (1968) in the Vietnam War, and the First Battle of Fallujah (2004) in the Iraq War. These explorations add depth and context to the heroic narratives of popular imagination. As with most books that offer the "hidden" or "untold" story, the events are not in dispute but the author's interpretation, presentation, and point-of-view attack the supposed romantic myth. In the case of Berlin, for example, the grinding misery of the bomber offensive and the implacable Soviet siege are well documented, but the author's detailing of the horrors is emotionally effective. Similarly, the American conquest of Philippine insurrectionists, nearly forgotten now, is a look into the costs of early American expansion. VERDICT Sure to be popular, especially among students and history buffs. A worthwhile addition to history collections.—Edwin Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, KS

Library Journal

Author Davis, along with Arthur Morey and Mark Bramhall, do a credible job in reading this look at the all-too-human side of Americans at war. Looking at the U.S. soldier in battle at Yorktown (1781), Petersburg (1864-65), Balangiga (1901), Berlin (1945), Hue (1968), and Fallujah (2003), Davis seems almost surprised that the American soldier is human. In the “hidden” history, he mentions that American troops have committed “atrocities” in wartime, just like any other army throughout history. Morey, Bramhall, and Boehmer are more polished than author Davis as they alternate reading the accounts of the battles. Davis delivers the introduction and afterword. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

JULY 2015 - AudioFile

2015-03-21
Six turning points in military history and American democracy. Don't Know Much About… series author Davis (America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation, 2008, etc.) begins with the 1781 battle that decided the American Revolution. In Yorktown and its aftermath, we learn that George Washington favored a large standing army, despite the insistence of many that a diffuse corps of "citizen soldiers" would be a better safeguard of democracy. From Yorktown, the author moves to the 1864 Battle of Petersburg, Virginia. Davis defines specific moments when the U.S. military's role and self-image changed significantly. His stories are always analytically rigorous, and thus he describes at length the so-called "water cure" as it was employed as a method of torture by Americans during the Spanish-American War. Throughout the book, the author is careful to emphasize the critical role of African-Americans, both in the acknowledged triumphs of groups like the U.S. Colored Troops and in the disgraces visited upon black servicemen. Davis also makes sure to give voice to the fact that the actions of the Greatest Generation were not always so valiant. Russians were not the only soldiers who left a swath of brutalized women in their wake. While the Americans were not given the same license as Soviet troops avenging more than 25 million casualties, they still committed crimes. Davis' chapter on Vietnam offers a damning view of a military beset by those more interested in "management" than "leadership"—e.g., Gen. William Westmoreland. In the final chapter, on Fallujah, the author discusses the sickening scene of charred American mercenaries hanging from a bridge, failures of military policy, and a sense that the best military in the world is only as good as its civilian leadership. An informative, readable compendium of the many fallacies of modern warfare—including the fact that the inventor of the Gatling gun thought his instrument would decrease casualties.

Kirkus Reviews