A people's history of the U.S. military : ordinary soldiers reflect on their experience of war, from the American Revolution to Afghanistan

Available (2)

Location	Collection	Call #
C.C. Mellor Memorial Library	Non Fiction	355.009 Bel
Location	C.C. Mellor Memorial Library
Collection	Non Fiction
Call Number	355.009 Bel
CLP - Main Library	Mezzanine - Non-fiction	E181.B535 2012
Location	CLP - Main Library
Collection	Mezzanine - Non-fiction
Call Number	E181.B535 2012

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Summary

Published Reviews

Booklist Review: "Controversial historian Bellesiles' most recent book explores the American army from the Revolution through Iraq and Afghanistan, using excerpts from letters, diaries and memoirs, recordings, and videos and blogs of soldiers in combat. In it he shows that military service can enrich or destroy a life in many ways, but that our soldiers' comradeship under fire and strong sense of nationalism, despite poor supplies, low pay, and contempt for veterans, have kept this country going for 236 years. The material from the Revolutionary War shows that many young men enlisted for the promised food and pay, which were often short or not provided at all. There were major conflicts on both sides as to whether black men should serve in the armies. Many of the same men, a generation older, fought in the War of 1812. The documents show that quite a few soldiers were confused as to why the war was being fought that hasn't changed in 200 years but glad to accept General Andrew Jackson as a popular hero. The Mexican War, with its low casualty rate, was generally a celebration of Manifest Destiny, although certain farseeing individuals, including Lieutenant Ulysses S Grant, altered their career plans as a result of the conflict. The Civil War, with its rapid-firing weapons, more powerful artillery, and frightful casualty rates, was a shock for men and women on both sides. Bellesiles finishes with accounts from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This history is compact yet complete, and its narrative is excellent. Its only fault is a somewhat didactic plea for honoring and understanding our veterans. Except for the 20-odd years following WWII, American veterans have been mistrusted, regarded as degenerate and a source of social tension. Their pensions have frequently been reneged upon. Even today, there is a very high suicide rate for veterans of Afghanistan and Iraq.--Murray, Frieda Copyright 2010 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "In just under 400 pages Central Connecticut State University history professor Bellesiles (1877: America's Years of Living Violently) provides a captivating history, based largely on first-person accounts, of America's military. Drawing on letters, diaries, and memoirs of American soldiers over more than two centuries, he connects the soldiers' accounts with a contextual narrative that ensures the book is more than a disconnected anthology of testimonies of service. Bellesiles's most important contribution is focusing the different chapters on various themes of military service unique to each war. For example, in the first chapter he focuses on the poverty that motivated soldiers to join the American Revolution with Congress's promise of pay, food, and a piece of land; in the chapter on the War of 1812 he emphasizes the nation's lack of preparedness and the ineffectiveness of the undisciplined, occasionally mutinous militia; and in the final chapter on Iraq and Afghanistan he investigates contemporary issues such as gays in the military and women in combat, concluding that the military has often evolved ahead of the rest of society, offering opportunities to minorities and the poor, and functioning as a meritocracy. Bellesiles's thematic structure gives the book a fresh perspective and makes it an excellent educational tool. Agent: Dan Green, Pom Inc. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Additional Information

Subjects	Soldiers -- United States -- Diaries. Soldiers -- United States -- Anecdotes. Soldiers' writings, American. United States -- History, Military. United States -- Armed Forces -- Diaries. United States -- Armed Forces -- Biography -- Anecdotes.
Publisher	New York :New Press,2012
Other Titles	Ordinary soldiers reflect on their experience of war, from the American Revolution to Afghanistan
Language	English
Description	375 pages ; 24 cm
Bibliography Notes	Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-364) and index.
ISBN	9781595586285 (hc. : alk. paper) 1595586288 (hc. : alk. paper)
Other	Classic View