The U.S. Army Center of Military History presents ...
AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY
VOLUME 1
THE UNITED STATES ARMY
AND THE
FORGING OF A NATION, 1775-1917
Richard W. Stewart
General Editor
Center of Military History
United States Army
Washington, D.C., 2005
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data American military history / Richard W. Stewart, general editor. 2004052970
CMH Pub 30–21 |
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area (202) 512-1800 Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001 ISBN 0-16-072362-0 |
United States Army Historical Series Advisory Committee |
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Jon T. Sumida Eric Bergerud Mark Bowden Lt. Gen. Franklin L. Hagenbeck Brig. Gen. James T. Hirai Lt. Gen. Anthony R. Jones Brig. Gen. Daniel J. Kaufman |
Adrian R. Lewis Brian M. Linn Howard Lowell Col. Craig Madden John H. Morrow, Jr. Reina Pennington Ronald H. Spector |
Brig. Gen. John S. Brown, Chief of Military History |
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Chief Historian Chief, Histories Division Editor in Chief |
Jeffrey J. Clarke Richard W. Stewart John W. Elsberg |
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FOREWORD |
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American Military History intends to provide the United States Army—in particular, its young officers, NCOs, and cadets—with a comprehensive but brief account of its past. The Center of Military History first published the book in 1956 as a textbook for senior ROTC courses. It has gone through a number of updates and revisions since then, but the primary intent has remained the same. Support for military history education has always been a principal mission of the Center, and this new edition of an invaluable history furthers that purpose. The history of an active organization tends to expand rapidly as the organization grows larger and more complex. The period since the Vietnam War, at which point the most recent edition ended, has been a significant one for the Army, a busy period of expanding roles and missions and of fundamental organizational changes. In planning an update, it became clear that trying to wedge this additional sweep of history into the previous single-volume format would yield a cumbersome book. We are thus publishing a revised and expanded edition in two volumes. This first volume covers the Army’s history from its birth in 1775 to the eve of World War I. By 1917 the United States was already a world power. The Army had sent large expeditionary forces beyond the American hemisphere, and at the beginning of the new century Secretary of War Elihu Root had proposed changes and reforms that within a generation would shape the Army of the future. But world war—global war—was still to come. The second volume of this new edition will take up that story and extend it into the twenty-first century. We have developed a new design to reflect the often highly visual nature of contemporary textbooks. Our primary audience is still the young officer and NCO, but by adopting a more illustrated format we also hope to promote a greater awareness of the Army’s history within the American public. In so doing, we remain mindful of the Center’s responsibility to publish an accurate and objective account. We owe no less to the soldier and the veteran, to the student and the teacher, and to those pursuing a personal interest in learning more about the Army’s campaigns—and about its role in the larger history of the nation. |
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Washington, D.C. 22 July 2004 |
JOHN S. BROWN Brigadier General, USA Chief of Military History |
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PREFACE |
Despite the popular image of the solitary historian immured in the stacks of a library or archives, history is very much a collective enterprise. This is true not only in philosophical terms (all historians stand on the shoulders of previous generations of scholars) but also in the practical sense that historians rely heavily on the work of many others when they attempt to weave a narrative that covers centuries of history. American Military History is truly such a collaborative work. Over the years numerous military historians have contributed to the earlier versions of this textbook published in 1956, 1969, and 1989. In this latest telling of the story of the U.S. Army, additional scholars inside and outside the Center of Military History have conducted research, written or revised chapters and inserts, or reviewed the texts of others. Other experts have edited text, proofed bibliographies, prepared maps, and located photographs to bring this book together. It is important to highlight those historians and other professionals who have helped make this book a reality. Indeed, there were so many contributors that I hasten to beg forgiveness in advance if I have inadvertently left someone off this list. First, I wish to thank those many scholars outside the Center of Military History who voluntarily gave of their time to review chapters of this book and provide their expertise to ensure that the latest scholarship and sources were included. These scholars include: John Shy, Don Higginbotham, Robert Wright, John Mahon, William Skelton, Joseph Dawson, Joseph Glathaar, Gary Gallagher, Carol Reardon, Mark Grimsley, Perry Jamieson, Robert Wooster, Brian Linn, Timothy Nenninger, Edward Coffman, David Johnson, Stanley Falk, Mark Stoler, Gerhard Weinberg, Edward Drea, Steve Reardon, Allan R. Millett, Charles Kirkpatrick, and Eric Bergerud. Their careful reviews and suggested additions to the manuscript enriched the story immeasurably and saved me from numerous errors in interpretation and fact. Within the Center of Military History, of course, we have a number of outstanding historians of our own to draw upon. The Center is, I believe, as rich in talent in military history as anywhere else in the country; and I was able to take advantage of that fact. In particular, I would like to thank the following historians from the Histories Division for their writing and reviewing skills: Andrew J. Birtle, Jeffrey A. Charlston, David W. Hogan, Edgar F. Raines, Stephen A. Carney, William M. Donnelly, William M. Hammond, and Joel D. Meyerson. Within the division, every member participated in writing the short inserts that appear throughout the text. In addition to the names previously listed, I would be remiss if I did not also thank Stephen J. Lofgren, William J. Webb, Dale Andrade, Gary A. Trogdon, James L. Yarrison, William A. Dobak, Mark D. Sherry, Bianka J. Adams, W. Blair Haworth, Terrence J. Gough, William A. Stivers, Erik B. Villard, Charles E. White, Shane Story, and Mark J. Reardon. Whether they have been in the division for one year or twenty, their contributions to this work and to the history of the U.S. Army are deeply appreciated. I particularly wish to thank the Chief of Military History, Brig. Gen. John Sloan Brown, for his patience and encouragement as he reviewed all of the text to provide his own insightful comments. He also found time, despite his busy schedule, to write the final two chapters of the second volume to bring the story of the U.S. Army nearly up to the present day. Also, I wish to thank Michael Bigelow, the Center’s Executive Officer, for his contribution. In addition, I would like to note the support and guidance that I received from the Chief Historian of the Army, Jeffrey J. Clarke, and the Editor in Chief, John W. Elsberg. Their experience and wisdom is always valued. I wish to thank |
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the outstanding editor of American Military History, Diane M. Donovan, who corrected my ramblings,
tightened my prose, and brought consistency to the grammar and style. Her patience and skilled work made this a much finer book. I also wish to thank those who worked on the graphics, photographs, and maps that helped make this book so interesting and attractive. This book would not have been possible without the diligence and hard work of the Army Museum System Staff, as well as Beth MacKenzie, Keith Tidman, Sherry Dowdy, and Dennis McGrath. Their eye for detail and persistence in tracking down just the right piece of artwork or artifact or providing the highest quality map was of tremendous value. Although countless historians have added to this text over the years, I know that any attempt to write a survey text on the history of the U.S. Army will undoubtedly make many errors of commission and omission. I take full responsibility for them and will endeavor, when informed, to correct them as best I can in future editions. In conclusion, I wish to dedicate this book to the finest soldiers in the world, to the men and women who have fought and died in service to the United States over two centuries and those who continue to serve to protect our freedom. They have built America into what it is today, and they continue to defend the principles upon which our great country was founded. This is their story. |
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Washington, D.C. 14 June 2004 |
RICHARD W. STEWART Chief, Histories Division |
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Demobilization, Reorganization, and the French Threat in Mexico |
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Victory at Sea: Naval Operations in the Caribbean and the Pacific |
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Reorganization of the Army: Establishment of the General Staff |
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Reorganization of the Army: The Regular Army and the Militia |
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Maps
Illustrations
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8 | |
Alexander the Great |
20 |
Gustavus Adolphus |
22 |
24 | |
American Artillery Crew in Action during the Revolutionary War |
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27 | |
31 | |
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Minutemen Bid Their Families Farewell |
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Presenting the Declaration of Independence |
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Surrender of Hessian Troops to General Washington after the Battle of Trenton, December 1776 |
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Benedict Arnold |
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Surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia, October 19th, 1781 |
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Alexander Hamilton |
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Washington Reviewing the West Army at Fort Cumberland, Maryland |
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Jacob Brown |
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Battle of New Orleans |
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Army Camp #6 | 214 |
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107th Infantry Guards in Front of the Guard House |
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A Nurse Caring for Wounded Union Soldiers |
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Thornburgh's Battle |
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Tracking Victorio |
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Caliber .45 Pistol |
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Construction of Locks for the Panama Canal |
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Illustrations courtesy of the following sources: cover
illustration by Elzie R. Golden; 20, 22, 233, 294, 376, Corbis; 25, Fort
Lewis Museum, Fort Lewis, Wash.; 24, 39, 42, 65, 88, 162, 182, 216, 274,
293, 314, West Point Museum Art Collection, U.S. Military Academy; 27,
A Treatise of Fortifications, John Muller; 31, U.S. Army National Guard;
47, 56, PictureHistory.com; 71, 84, George Washington Bicentennial Commission;
77, 117, 118, 139, Independence National Historical Park; 102, Yale University
Art Gallery; 109, National Gallery of Art; 115, Metropolitan Museum of
Art; 122, U.S. Senate Collection; 154; New Orleans Museum of Art; 173,
Department of the Navy; 201, 202, 212, 222, 225, 228 (top), 257, 280,
283, 296, 297, 310, 317, 336, 342, 355, 360, National Archives; 367, Courtesy
of David C. Cole. All other illustrations from Department of the Army
files.
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Last updated 10 July 2006
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