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"United States. Army--Officers--Biography"
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Edward M. Almond and the US Army : from the 92nd Infantry Division to the X Corps
\"Edward Mallory \"Ned\" Almond belonged to the generation of US Army officers who came of age during World War I and then ascended to senior command positions during World War II and the Korean War. He displayed personal courage in combat, exercised strong leadership as a battalion and later a corps commander, demonstrated dedication and efficiency as a staff officer, and showed some capacity as an author and military innovator. Almond initially made his mark on history as the commander of the 92nd Infantry Division, one of only two African American divisions to see combat during World War II. Later he commanded the X Corps for the Inchon invasion that decisively changed the course of the Korean War. However, alongside these considerable achievements lurked the distasteful beliefs of a fervent racist and right- wing political zealot. Almond's vehement attitudes regarding African American soldiers serving in combat units overshadowed his accomplishments. In Edward M. Almond and the US Army, Michael E. Lynch takes a comprehensive look at the accomplishments and downfalls of US Army officer Edward Almond. While acknowledging Almond's faults, this book balances the historical ledger by arguing Almond played significant roles in the Army's history that are worthy of careful consideration. This critical examination of his life and career treats both the good and the bad, taking stock of a complex man who was so deeply flawed in some areas, yet supremely strong in many others.\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
From Conciliation to Conquest
In the summer of 1862, the U.S. Army court martialed Colonel John B. Turchin, a Russian-born Union officer, for "outrages" committed by his troops in Athens, Alabama. By modern standards, the outrages were minor: stores looted, safes cracked, and homes vandalized. There was one documented act of personal violence, the rape of a young black woman. The pillage of Athens violated a government policy of conciliation; it was hoped that if Southern civilians were treated gently as citizens of the United States, they would soon return their allegiance to the federal government. By following Turchin to Athens and examining the volunteers who made up his force, the colonel's trial, his subsequent promotion, the policy debate, and the public reaction to the outcome, the authors further illuminate one of the most provocative questions in Civil War studies: how did the policy set forth by President Lincoln evolve from one of conciliation to one far more modern in nature, placing the burden of war on the civilian population of the South?
eBook
Commander and Builder of Western Forts
During his thirty-eight-year career as a military officer, Henry Clay Merriam received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Civil War, rose to prominence in the Western army, and exerted significant influence on the American West by establishing military posts, protecting rail lines, and maintaining an uneasy peace between settlers and Indians.
Historian Jack Stokes Ballard’s new study of Merriam’s life and career sheds light on the experience of the western fort builders, whose impact on the US westward expansion, though less dramatic, was just as lasting as that of Indian fighters such as Custer and Sheridan. Further, Merriam’s lengthy period in command of black troops offers a study in leadership and important understandings about the conditions under which African Americans served on the Western frontier.
During the course of his service, Merriam crisscrossed the country, from Brownsville, Texas, to the Pacific Northwest and Vancouver Barracks, serving in eastern Washington, California, and Denver.
Drawing extensively on the many letters and records associated with Merriam’s long army career, Ballard presents his service in a wide range of settings, many of which have become the stuff of Western history: from conflict with Mexican revolutionaries on the Rio Grande to the miners’ riots in Coeur d’Alene.
Ballard’s careful research provides a vivid picture of the military’s role in the westward expansion.
eBook
Until Antietam
This first-ever biography of Union general Israel Bush Richardson (1815-1862) shows his growth and career from his days as a West Point cadet, through his military service on the frontier and during the Mexican-American War, his short stint as a farmer, and his rapid advancement in the first year of the U.S. Civil War. Richardson sustained a fatal wound at the battle of Antietam and died three weeks later.
eBook
George Marshall : a biography
Presents a complete picture of the life of George C. Marshall, from his childhood and military training through his role as chief of staff of the U.S. Army during World War II and his leadership efforts as Secretary of State in rebuilding post-war Europe.
Book
Taliban Safari
\"We aren't home yet,\" Major Paul Darling reminds his team at the end of a sixteen-hour day. \"Two more miles and we are done. We have pissed off a lot of Taliban today, and they are going to want payback.\" Shortly, the major will find himself sitting on a concrete basketball court next to the bunker where the day started so long ago, talking by satellite phone to his wife on the other side of the world. When she asks, \"What happened?\" there is too much to say. But one day, he promises himself, he will put into words what it was like-one day in the life of a combat soldier in Afghanistan in 2009. This is the story of that day. In crisp prose and sharp detail Darling offers a moment-by-moment account of a one-day mission to track down and kill Taliban insurgents in the Zabul Province of southeastern Afghanistan. A rare day-in-the-life narrative that is also a page-turner, his story captures the mundane realities of deployment-the waiting, the heat, the heavy gear, the 0345 wake-up-along with the high-octane experience of crossing foreign terrain where every turn, every decision might have life or death consequences. The living accommodations, reporting up the chain of command, the bureaucracy, and the almost insurmountable challenges of functioning effectively in two cultures-all become intimately real in Darling's telling as he balances the imperatives of his mission and the skills of his men against the ever-multiplying unknowns, the unpredictable and dangerous Afghan \"allies,\" and the elusive enemy: the unseen IED and the possibility of fatal miscalculation. In the midst of the soldier's everyday drama of never quite knowing what comes next, Darling's moments of humor and reflection put the chaos and uncertainties of combat into a larger perspective. The story is about one man and the ethical choices and compromises he has to make as a leader-a man who has promises to keep: to family; to country; to his soldiers, both Afghan and American; and, ultimately, to himself.
eBook
The strong gray line
The Strong Gray Line profiles members of the West Point class of 2004 who fought and died in service to their country. Alongside these commemorative stories, surviving members describe some of the most brutal combat of the Iraq and Afghanistan war in vivid and stirring vignettes.
eBook