In this well written book, author Michael A. Bellesiles has
taken the entire history of the United States and boiled it down into 10
chapters, each covering a period of our nation’s history and the role the Armed
Forces played in those conflicts. It is more of a sociological look at the
evolution of our national defense than an actual history of the battles fought.
In short, this is a very revealing book about how our citizen soldiers became
the Armed Forces as we know them today. From the early militias to the
mountains of Afghanistan, Mr. Bellesiles has written a highly readable account
of an often overlooked perspective of the wars we have fought, as well as the
ordinary men and women who have fought them.
Beginning with the American Revolution and its local
militia, the author explores the weaknesses and strengths of an untrained yet
highly motivated force and how that motivation was essential to achieving
victory on the battlefield. Surprisingly, even General Washington had his
doubts about local militia and their ability to stand up against well trained troops.
By the war’s end he had a completely different outlook on the subject.
The War of 1812 was supposed to mimic the victory of the
militia in the Revolution, but instead exposed the weakness of not having a
standing army to defend our young nation. The only real victory on the
battlefield in that war came weeks after the peace had been negotiated at
Ghent, with neither side gaining a thing. That victory, by General Jackson in
New Orleans in January 1815, only served to further obfuscate our nations need
for a real army.
The War with Mexico, which set us up for our own Civil War,
was fought with a hodge-podge of both militia and Federal Troops. Their performance
made the public, as well as the government, understand that we did need some
sort of standing Army to defend the nation. Our Navy was doing a splendid job
of defending our coast and even raiding other vessels, but our land was still
vulnerable.
The Civil War changed much of the prevalent thinking about
drafting soldiers for a specific term of service, although the laws did allow
you to buy out of the draft, or else send a substitute. The Draft Riots in New
York City during July 1863 were largely the consequences of what many believed
to be the unfair practice of allowing these substitutes.
The Indian Wars of the late half of the 19th
Century galvanized our cavalry troops, who would be the bulwark of our national
defense for decades to come. And during the Spanish American War, which
extended from Cuba to the Philippines, our cavalry troops were landed by our
Navy wherever they were needed.
World War One was fought by volunteers. Although there was a
national registration of men eligible for service, the war was largely fought
and won by volunteers eager to experience the “glory” of conflict.
After the First World War ended America found herself taking
a leading role in the world. By 1940 that role had grown so large, and the
threat of a new war was so imminent, that we began an actual draft lottery.
This would set the template for military service up to and through the Korean
and Vietnam Wars. It was a good system, with every eligible American being
called upon to serve his country.
The draft also acted as a deterrent against
becoming involved in “questionable” wars, such as Vietnam. Resistance to the
draft in that conflict helped to bring the war to an end, ushering in the all-volunteer
military which we have today.
In this lively written and informative book, the author has
taken the time and effort to chronicle the history of our Armed Forces and what
the continuing evolution of our military means in an ever changing and
increasingly dangerous world. This is a great book for veterans and also lovers
of military history.
