The American military tradition: from colonial times to the present

555 Pages·1993·3.22 MB·English

by  John Martin Carroll

The American Military Tradition : From
title:
Colonial Times to the Present
author: Carroll, John M.
publisher: Scholarly Resources, Inc.
isbn10 | asin: 084202381X
print isbn13: 9780842023818
ebook isbn13: 9780585196312
language: English
subject United States--History, Military.
publication date: 1993
lcc: E181.A445 1993eb
ddc: 355/.00973
subject: United States--History, Military.
Page iii
The American Military Tradition
From Colonial Times to the Present
Edited by
John M. Carroll
and Colin F. Baxter
A Scholarly Resources Inc. Imprint
Wilmington, Delaware
Page iv
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standard for permanence of paper for
printed library materials, Z39.48, 1984.
(c) 1993 by Scholarly Resources Inc.
All rights reserved
First published 1993
Printed and bound in the United States of America
Scholarly Resources Inc.
104 Greenhill Avenue
Wilmington, DE 19805-1897
Sources for Illustrations
Maurice, Matloff, ed., American Military History (1969; reprint ed.,
Washington, DC: U.S. Army, Office of the Chief of Military History,
1973). Reprinted by courtesy of The Center of Military History.
Owen Connelly, Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns
(1987; reprint ed., Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 1992).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
The American military tradition : from colonial times to the present /
edited by John M. Carroll, Colin F. Baxter.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-8420-2381-X (alk. paper). - ISBN 0-8420-2450-6 (pbk. : alk.
paper)
1. United States-History, Military. I. Carroll, John M. (John Martin),
1943- . II. Baxter, Colin F., 1942- .
E181.A445 1993
355'.00973-dc20 92-23353
CIP
Page v
Contents
Preface vii
Introduction ix
Chapter One 1
The Colonial Wars and the American Revolution
David H. Overy
Chapter Two 23
Warfare in the Age of Napoleon
John A. Maxwell
Chapter Three 39
The Wars of 1812 and 1846: The Leadership Factor
J. David Valaik
Chapter Four 61
The Civil War: The First Modern War
Charles C. Fennell, Jr.
Chapter Five 95
The United Suites and the Native Americans
Joseph A. Stout, Jr.
Chapter Six 117
The Military Role of the United States in World War I
David R. Woodward
Chapter Seven 135
The American Army Returns to Europe: World War II
Colin F. Baxter
Chapter Eight 155
The Pacific War
Myron J. Smith, Jr.
Page vi
Chapter Nine 177
The Korean Conflict and the Cold War
Pierce C. Mullen
Chapter Ten 201
America in Vietnam
John M. Carroll
Chapter Eleven 219
The Evolution of American Strategic Doctrine
Joseph A. Cernik
Afterword: From the Persian Gulf to the Future of 239
Warfare
About the Contributors 245
Index 247
Page vii
Preface
This book contains eleven original essays on major issues and events
in American military history. Although the authors are dealing with
complex material and an extended time span ranging from the colonial
era to the present, they have attempted to make their essays
meaningful, challenging, and enjoyable for the undergraduate student
by focusing on a number of central themes in the U.S. military
experience. Designed to complement a standard textbook for courses
in U.S. military history or to supplement other reading material, this
book presents interpretive material from new viewpoints, as well as
traditional ones, and should assist in stimulating class discussion. The
authors, both teachers and researchers, have not hesitated to express
opinions or take stands on critical issues and have tried to produce an
exciting, readable, and thought-provoking study rather than a mere
collection of facts.
The American Military Tradition includes a general introduction and
an afterword and focuses on central questions about the nation's
military heritage: Who fought America's wars, and how did they fight
them? The essays trace the evolution of America's military tradition
from reliance on the citizen-soldier, the Minuteman of the American
Revolution, to a mixed force including a growing number of
professional soldiers, to an era of mainly all-professional armed
forces. In accounting for this gradual transition, the authors examine
the shifting position of the United States in international affairs,
changes in technology and weaponry, new military strategies, and
battlefield events that contribute to America's evolving military
posture. Beyond this, the essays provide the student with a sample of
what commanders and common soldiers faced in combat by
examining specific battles from our more than two centuries of
military history. While the authors do not intend this volume to be a
comprehensive account of America's wars or military tradition, they
do hope to provide a useful commentary and analysis concerning
some of the most pressing questions and issues in the nation's martial
experience.
The idea for this book resulted from the experiences and friendships
that most of the authors gained while attending the U.S. Army
Training and Doctrine Command ROTC Workshop in military history
at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. Many
of us concluded it that time
Page viii
that we lacked an adequate, succinct text for our military history
courses. We hope that this book in some small way will fill that gap.
We would like to acknowledge the numerous people who contributed
to the completion of this book. Many friends offered suggestions;
colleagues read parts of the manuscript. To all our friends and
colleagues, our thanks. We would like to thank Col. Roy K. Flint, Col.
Harold M. Hannon, and Capt. Robert W. Mixon, Jr., who were
especially helpful in guiding us through the summer workshop at West
Point. A special thanks goes to Richard M. Hopper of Scholarly
Resources, whose high standards and useful criticism improved our
efforts.
We wish finally to express our appreciation to the scholars who
contributed to this book. They gave generously of their time and
talents and accepted our editorial revisions with remarkable
forbearance.
COLIN F. BAXTER
JOHN M. CARROLL