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Taylor Peirce was 40 years old when he left his family to fight in the Civil War. During that time he saw his wife only twice, but stayed in touch through their intimate and dedicated exchange of letters. These letters provide a look at the war's impact on the common soldier and his family.

Peter Seaborg Award The heroics of black Union soldiers in the Civil War have been justly celebrated, but their postwar lives largely neglected. Donald Shaffer's illuminating study shines a bright light on this previously obscure part of African American history, revealing for the first time black veterans' valiant but often frustrating efforts to secure true autonomy and equality as civilians.After the Glory shows how black veterans' experiences as soldiers provided them for the first time with a sense of manliness that shaped not only their own lives but also their contributions to the African American community. Shaffer makes clear, however, that their postwar pursuit of citizenship and a dignified manhood was never very easy for black veterans, their triumphs frequently neither complete nor lasting Shaffer chronicles the postwar transition of black veterans from the Union army, as well as their subsequent life patterns, political involvement, family and marital life, experiences with social welfare, comradeship with other veterans, and memories of the war itself. He draws on such sources as Civil War pension records to fashion a collective biography-a social history of both ordinary and notable lives-resurrecting the words and memories of many black veterans to provide an intimate view of their lives and struggles.Like other African Americans from many walks of life, black veterans fought fiercely against disenfranchisement and Jim Crow and were better equipped to do so than most other African Americans. They carried a sense of pride instilled by their military service that made them better prepared to confront racism and discrimination and more respected in their own communities. As Shaffer reveals, they also had nearly equal access to military pensions, financial resources available to few other blacks, and even found acceptance among white Union veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic fraternity.After the Glory is not merely another tale of black struggles in a racist America; it is the story of how a select group of African Americans led a quest for manhood--and often found it within themselves when no one else would give it to them.

This text documents the careers and lives of military leaders, Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. Their conflicting views over the proper conduct of the war between North and South are documented in this text, along with their personal characteristics as revealed in their relationship.

This work on the Civil War describes how and why the Confederate leader, John Bell Hood, was ultimately defeated by the Union General, George G. Thomas, at Springhill, Franklin and Nashville after the fall of Atlanta. The story is told from both sides, illuminating both the good and the bad.

An examination of the American president's constitutional/political roles during wartime. The book analyses the war powers of the presidency as well as the wartime leadership of six presidents - William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon.

Examines the ways in which ULTRA (intelligence from decrypted Japanese radio communications) shaped MacArthur's operations in New Guinea and the Philippines. Drea also clarifies the role of ULTRA in Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.

Focuses on the experiences and writings of the surprisingly large number of Prussian, British, and French military observers who witnessed the Civil War firsthand. Luvaas's fascinating account reveals why they came, what they wrote, what their armies learned from their reports, and how their writings influenced later European military theorists.

This title covers among other things Desert Storm, the war in Chechnya, and the rise of ""smart weapons"" and related technologies. It traces the evolution of tactics, weapons, and organization in five major militaries, American, British, German, Russian, and French, over 100 years of warfare.

First published around 1950, this study assesses the military leadership of Grant, Lee, Sherman, Hood, Johnston, Early and Sheridan from mid-1864 to Appomattox, contradicting prevailing perceptins of the generals and proposing that Grant's military capabilities were inferior to Lee's.

Analyzes the Niagara Campaign of 1814 - America's ambitious but failed attempt to wrest Canada from British control. The author argues that the American government was never really able to harness, co-ordinate and focus its huge resources in ways that would have allowed the campaign to succeed.

The Cold War marked a new era for America's military, one dominated by nuclear weapons and air power that seemed to diminish the need for conventional forces. This title chronicles the US Army's struggles with its identity, structure, and mission in the face of those challenges.

The fate of Polish Jews under the German occupation has been well documented, but not as much is known about non-Jewish Poles. This work examines Nazi policies of ""ethnic cleansing"" to reveal the striking anti-Polish nature of the crusade to Germanize newly occupied territory and to show that these actions were a dress rehearsal for the Holocaust.

The My Lai Massacre was the most publicized incident subjected to military law during the Vietnam War. This work reveals how the military justice system responded to crimes and infractions both inside and outside the combat zone and how it adapted to an unconventional political, military, and social climate as American involvement escalated.

The consequences of the leak made to the press about the secret government study on the Vietnam War and the subsequent litigation are reexamined in a study that focuses on the issue of government secrecy and the public's right to know.

This work offers a new and more positive assessment of the leadership qualities of the ""political generals"" (appointed officers with little or no military training) of the Union. In the process it cuts through the stereotype of political generals as superfluous, inept and ambitious schemers.

After the Chinese detonated their first nuclear test in 1964, America and India were both concerned. The CIA knew it needed to gather more information, but had few ways of achieving this. This text chronicles the effort to plant a sensing device on a Himalayan peak in order to listen in on China.

The German seige and Soviet defence of Leningrad in World War II was an epic struggle in an epic war, a drama of heroism and human misery unmatched in the annals of modern warfare. This work provides a military history of the conflict waged beyond the city's borders.

The first and only book to cover the World War II exploits and contributions of Detachment 101 considered by many to be the forerunner of today's Special Forces in Burma against the Japanese Imperial Army.

Some of the most brutally intense infantry combat in World War II occurred within Germany's Hrtgen Forest. Focusing on the bitterly fought battle between the American 22d Infantry Regiment and elements of the German LXXIV Korps around Grosshau, Rush chronicles small-unit combat at its most extreme.

A pathbreaking critique of the thought of military studies icon Carl Phillip Gottfried von Clausewitz and his magnum opus On War that illuminates why and how that work should be viewed as much more mature, coherent, innovative, and complete than suggested by previous accounts.

Only a few months after the start of US operations in Afghanistan, Operation Anaconda sent American-led coalition forces into their most intensely brutal confrontation with Al Qaeda and the in the Shar-i Kot Valley. Drawing on previously unavailable or neglected sources, this gives us the most complete and accurate account of this thirteen-day firefight waged in mountainous terrain nearly two miles above sea level.

Adolf Hitler had high hopes for his conquest of Norway. Despite early successes, however, his ambitious Northern air campaign floundered and ultimately failed. Adam Claasen reveals the full story of this neglected episode and shows how it helped doom the Third Reich to defeat.

A true Band of Brothers story from the Vietnam War, this first unit history of a naval air squadron uses extensive interviews to highlight the Navy's contribution to the air war.

Waziristan is a remote district of Pakistan populated by fiercely independent tribes who owe allegiance to no one and unite only to repel invaders or wage jihad. This book captures the essence of Waziristan's tribal culture, explains how the British managed to contain this volatile area, and provides insight into why Bin Laden chose to hide there.

Immense in scope, ferocious in nature, and epic in consequence, the Battle of Kursk witnessed (at Prokhorovka) one of the largest tank engagements in world history and led to staggering losses. Going well beyond all previous accounts, David Glantz and Jonathan House now offer the definitive work on arguably the greatest battle of World War II.

Based on research in formerly classified documents, Paddock examines the US Army's activities in psychological and unconventional warfare during World War II, Korea, and the early Cold War to determine the impetus for, and origins of, America's ""special warfare""capability.

Reconstructs an imposing mosaic that reveals the immense scope and ambitious intent of the first Iasi-Kishinev offensive. This book shows that Stalin was not as preoccupied with a direct route to Berlin as he was with a ""broad front"" strategy designed to gain territory and find vulnerable points in Germany's extended lines of defense.

This study provides an appraisal of Germany's air forces from the post-World War I era through the early stages of World War II. The author demolishes several myths surrounding the Luftwaffe, including the belief that they had no ideas beyond the support of ground forces.

This text chronicles Luftwaffe operations during Operation Blau, a campaign designed to protect Nazi oilfields in Romania while securing new ones in the Caucasus. Hayward offers readers an understanding of the Battle of Stalingrad and its impact on World War II.