This 1915 publication collects letters written by a driver for the American ambulance service. The incidents they relate occurred before the entrance of the United States into World War I as a combatant. “These letters, according to ordinary ethics in such matters, should not, perhaps, be published. They were merely intended as tributes of friendship and remembrance. Casually written — in pencil often — at moments between duties, with no thought of their being destined to any further purpose than that distance and absence might count a little less through the pictures they would give of a day's work far away.” - Summary by Book Preface and David Wales

Gelett Burgess, an American writer, penned this gripping account of the profound change that war caused in a young Frenchman he knew. “Because he was my friend, because he was so lovable, because he suffered much, I want to try to tell the story of a boy who, in two months, became a man. I happened to see him first just before the war began, and not again until after he had been wounded; and the change in him was then so great that I could not rest until I had learned how it had been brought about.” – From War the Creator

Fort Concho was a U.S. Army post in central Texas from 1867 to 1889. It figured considerably in the Indian Wars, notably against the Comanches. It mainly served to protect frontier settlers, stagecoaches, wagon trains, the U.S. mail, and trade routes. This 1957 book, published by the museum at the site of the fort, is the story of its activities. - Summary by David Wales

This 1914 book gives a picture of the British Army structure and life in the early hours of World War I. Summary by david wales

Memoirs of General George Brinton McClellan, commanding general of the Army of the Potomac during the early years of the American Civil War. The work covers the time that McClellan commanded the Army of the Potomac, including the Peninsula Campaign, the Seven Days' Battles, and the Battle of Antietam.

This little book by the British military historian, Charles Oman, begins with the accession of the warrior king, Edward III, to the English throne in 1327 and ends with the downfall of Richard III at Bosworth Field in 1485. By carrying the story of the Hundred Years' War through the Wars of the Roses, Oman portrays this era of battle and plague within the larger context of the dynastic struggles and civil wars which destabilized England and left France vulnerable to invasion and conquest. Summary by Pamela Nagami.

During the Spanish-American War, Naval Constructor Hobson U.S.N. devised a plan to scuttle a ship in the channel leading to Santiago harbor in Cuba and thus bottle up the Spanish fleet at anchor in the bay. This book contains Hobson's personal narrative of how the scheme was carried out and of what happened afterward.

"It must be remembered that many of our men up to the time of their enlistment have passed their lives entirely in large towns, and have rarely been beyond the range of street lamps. Such men, when first taken out in the dark, are helpless; they start at every shadow, stumble even on level ground, make a terrible amount of noise, and are generally in such a state of nervous excitement that they are hardly responsible for their actions. Yet these same men, by a short course of careful, individual instruction, can be trained to work together with confidence on the darkest night, and when once they have gained confidence their further instruction is comparatively easy...

The life of the Confederate States of America general, Robert E. Lee, through the eyes of his youngest son, who was also a Confederate Army officer. Published in 1905. Note: in many of the letters the recipient's name is printed after General Lee's signature; the White House is not that in Washington but General Lee's elder son's house in Virginia. - Summary by david wales

Fighting in France during the Great War, Bernard Adams, an officer with a Welsh battalion, was moved to chronicle what he saw and experienced: the living conditions and duties of officers and “Tommies” in their dank, rat-infested trenches and behind the lines; the maiming and deaths; and the quiet periods described in official reports as “nothing of importance”. Adams relates his wounding in June, 1916 and its aftermath. The concluding chapter, which he wrote during his convalescence in “Blighty” , is an impassioned reflection on war...

After years of telling these stories to his grandchildren, Foster was prevailed on to write them down for future generations. Rather than rely on his memory, he conducted research for accuracy. He served as a colonel for the Union Army during the American Civil War and later went on to serve as U.S. Secretary of State under President Benjamin Harrison. - Summary by Lynne Thompson

The first-person experiences and adventures of blockade runner during the American civil war. - Summary by Delmar H. Dolbier

In the last year of the American Civil War, Horace Porter served as aide-de-camp to General Ulysses S. Grant, then commander of all the armies of the North. This lively 1897 memoir was written from the extensive notes he took during that time. It is highly regarded by later historians. Porter continued in that position with Grant to 1869. From 1869 to 1872 he served Grant as personal secretary in the White House. He was U.S. ambassador to France from 1897-1905.

Reprinted from Scribner’s Magazine for June, 1904, in an edition of forty copies for private distribution, by the courtesy of Charles Scribner’s Sons

This second volume of memories from the Great War by the celebrated war cartoonist and social observer, begins with Bairnsfather's recuperation from injuries suffered in the Second Battle of Ypres and ends with the Armistice. In this phase of his war activity, Bairnsfather is repeatedly hampered by his inability to fully recovery from his war wounds, and is eventually removed from combat service. This perceived disaster for his war career actually was a lucky break, because he was then attached to British Intelligence as an authorized war cartoonist--perhaps the only one of the war...

Housing, Food, Clothing, Health, Sanitation, Recreation, Religion, Duties, Discipline. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of arts in history in the Graduate School of the University of Illinois 1918. - Summary by David Wales

A firsthand account of the deplorable conditions within the most infamous prisoner-of-war camp of the Confederacy. Though functioning only during the last year of the Civil War, nearly 13,000 of 45,000 incarcerated Union soldiers died under inhumane conditions. - Summary by Jeffery Smith

Much was been written about the American Revolution, but our knowledge of the private solders of the patriot army is confined chiefly to Washington’s description of their sufferings at Valley Forge. This 1902 book by a Harvard University librarian helps to fill in the picture of the common soldier throughout the war by collating references from a great many primary and secondary sources. - Summary by Book Preface and David Wales

"The sending of a Women’s Convoy Corps to the Balkans was the result of Mrs. Stobart’s keen desire to demonstrate the ability of women to render signal service under war conditions and without the direction and assistance of men. This record of their achievements, therefore, provides a strong vindication of the claims of women to inclusion in the Territorial Defence Scheme".

April, 1865. The country was in turmoil. The U.S. Civil War had come to an end, thousands of Union prisoners of war had recently been released, and President Lincoln had just been assassinated. The steamship 'Sultana' left New Orleans on April 21st, traveled to Vicksburg, Mississippi where it took on 1,965 federal soldiers and 35 officers, all recently released prisoners of war, most of them held at the prison camps of Cahaba and Andersonville , and now finally headed for their homes. The 'Sultana' arrived in Memphis, Tennessee on April 26th and headed north toward Cairo, Illinois carrying over 2,100 passengers, but designed for a capacity of only 376...

Imagine a world in which there were no major revolutionary upheavals , there was no Victorian Age, the Great War went unfought. No Cold War, no United States, no Soviet Union; in short, no world as we have known it. Such is the vision presented in this counterfactual historical work.Originally written by Samuel Madden in 1763, the work is a prospective look at events in Europe from 1900-1925, the reign of Madden's "George VI." Taking the social, political, and economic trends of the eighteenth century and projecting their impact in the twentieth, this work is written in the style of a history of the first quarter of the twentieth century...

Prepared in cooperation with the staff of the surgeon general's office as a source of information and printed materials concerning psychological testing used within the United States Army and indications of the possible use of similar methods in education and industry. - Summary by Leon Harvey

This 1915 novella was published as the First World War raged. "Belgium lies bleeding. Across her level, lush meadows the harsh-shod hosts of war have marched. Beside her peaceful waters the sons of God have spilled each other’s blood. Beneath her noble trees have raged the fires of human hate. Her king and his brave warriors have fought to save that which was their own and, driven back, have left their smiling land to suffer the desolation which has ever been the conqueror’s boast. Her ancient cities smoke...

Charles Quintard was an Episcopal priest who, in spite of his pro-Union stance, volunteered to be a chaplain in the Confederate army in the American Civil War. A sympathetic, warm, intellectual man loved by soldier and civilian alike, he volunteered because he felt that the soldiers from his local area needed him more than his local parish. Within four months of the end of the war, he was elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee, an election ratified by the Episcopal Church's General Convention in October...

The Art of War is the only book published by Niccolo Machiavelli during his lifetime, and he saw it as one of his finest achievements. The Art of War develops many themes introduced in Machiavelli’s earlier works “The Prince” and “Discourses” and presents them as the collected wisdom of a fictional leader Lord Fabrizio Colonna. The book is constructed as a series of dialogues supposedly held during a summer afternoon spent in the Orti Oricellari gardens in Florence.The stated aim is “To...

The Brown Book was the first English publication to detail events which were currently happening in occupied Germany in 1933; book-burning and the destruction of universities, the development of concentration camps for Jewish people, forced labour and the use of the "shot while trying to escape" excuse for murder by police. This was the first time such events had been brought into the public consciousness, and the book was supported by documentation with names and dates - substantial evidence of the brutality which was taking place...

This is the fourth volume of the 15-volume series of The World’s Story: a history of the World in story, song and art, edited by Eva March Tappan. Each book is a compilation of selections from prose literature, poetry and pictures and offers a comprehensive presentation of the world's history, art and culture, from the early times till the beginning of the 20th century. Topics in Part IV include Greek mythology, the classical Greek period and the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire. - Summary by Sonia Cast list for The sacrifice of Iphigenia: Iphigenia: Devorah Allen / Chorus: alanmapstone / Messenger: Foon / Clytemnestra: Monika M...

It should be noted that this national park is now called the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. “The long, tragic history of Indian warfare in the American West reached its climax with the defeat of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and his 7th Cavalry in Montana’s valley of the Little Bighorn River on June 25, 1876. Although the Indians won the battle, they subsequently lost the war against the white man’s efforts to end their independent way of life. The story of the battle and its consequences is told in the following pages by Robert M...

Some of the states who rebelled against the Federal Government in the American Civil War issued statements by nascent governing bodies explaining why they were attempting to leave. Here are the statements, published in 1860 and 1861, of South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Mississippi, and Georgia. - Summary by David Wales

The Victoria Cross is the highest military award that can be made to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces for acts of gallantry and valour “in the face of the enemy”. The medal was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1856 by Queen Victoria, who had taken an active interest in the reports and despatches during the battles of the Crimean War; especially the details describing the exceptional bravery and gallantry of individual soldiers of all ranks whilst under intense conflict. This book, Stories of the Victoria Cross was one in a series of inspirational texts and ‘heroic writings’ by the Victorian author Frank Mundell and published by The Sunday School Union...

In the American Civil War, the Vicksburg campaign was a pivotal victory for the Union under the generalship of Ulysses S. Grant, who as a result was promoted by President Lincoln to command of all the North’s military forces. Historian James M. McPherson called Vicksburg “The most brilliant and innovative campaign of the Civil War.” A U.S. Army field manual called it “the most brilliant campaign ever fought on American soil.” National Park Service Historical Manual number 21 published in 1954. - Summary by David Wales

An engaging history of Great Britain in the heyday of Queen Victoria and of her empire by the liberal Irish Member of Parliament, Justin McCarthy. He brings us the larger than life personalities of the day, Victoria and Albert, Russell and Peel, O'Connell and Palmerston, Gladstone and Disraeli, and relates great events, the Afghan War, the Irish famine, and the Crimean War without ever losing sight of the hopes and fears of the common people at home and abroad.