Army: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Army from 1775 to the 21st Century [Hardcover]

Chester G. Hearn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2006

From its Revolutionary War beginnings as the Continental Army to its leadership of the “Coalition of the Willing” in today’s Iraq, for more than 200 years the United States Army has fulfilled its solemn charge: to provide for the common defense, at home and abroad. To a significant degree the U.S. Army’s story is the story of the United States, as becomes clear in this absorbing, illustrated history of the U. S. Army from its beginnings in a rag-tag force of colonial militia to its current incarnation as the world’s most powerful and sophisticated land-combat force.

 

With an emphasis on post-Vietnam operations and detailed information on the technological component of the force’s military might, distinguished historian Chester Hearn follows the U. S. Army through its combat history—the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Civil War, various Indian wars, the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf war, and Afghanistan and Iraq—offering a complete and thoroughly fascinating account of an armed force ever remaking itself to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Tacoma News Tribune, October 26, 2006

“One can imagine how hard it would be to do a good, well-illustrated book on the history of the U.S. Army and keep it under 200 pages: After all, a detailed look at the Army’s involvement in, say, World War II can easily take up several volumes. Nonetheless, ARMY: An Illustrated History, published by military book publisher Zenith Press, is a noble effort. This volume is organized in periods rather than war by war, and it employs an interesting mix of biographies of important officers, overviews of key battles and profiles of weaponry in use up to the current conflict in the War on Terror in order to document the Army’s development as an organization. While this survey may be too superficial for serious military enthusiasts, even they will admit the book’s value to those readers—especially younger ones—wanting a basic look at the Army in action through the years.”

Military Heritage, June 2007

“Military historian Charles Hearn not only provides the reader with a comprehensive look at the Army’s past exploits, but also delves into the Army of the future. The book has numerous black and white and color photographs of the weapons, garments and equipment that will be used by our soldiers in the ensuing years … One interesting area the author mentions is the rapid advance of electronics in tomorrow’s Army.”

Midwest Book Review, February 2007

“A number of books chart U.S. Army members, achievements, and battles, but few offer the general public a fine visual overview as does Army … an outstanding survey.”

About the Author

Chester G. Hearn, an American military veteran and historian, is the author of more than twenty books, including Six Year's of Hell: Harpers Ferry during the Civil War and George Washington's Schooners: The First American Navy.  Three of his books have been History Book Club selections.  Hearn lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (November 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760326800
• ISBN-13: 978-0760326800
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #271,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for what it is (until Iraq, anyway), July 5, 2009

By 

Michael K. Smith (South Louisiana) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Army: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Army from 1775 to the 21st Century (Hardcover)

This is a not-bad anecdotal history of the U.S. Army (not armies in general) by a non-academic military history buff. He begins at the beginning, with the colonial militia in New England exterminating the Narragansett Indians, and by the end of Chapter 2 he has reached the beginning of the 20th Century. This hectic pace slows in the following seven chapters, which cover the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. The author generally takes a rah-rah approach to his subject, which is to be expected these days, but he does seem to manage a balanced narrative most of time, pointing out (for instance) that McKinley was decidedly unenthusiastic about war with Spain and that Theodore Roosevelt's Medal of Honor for San Juan Hill was purely political. Nor is he an apologist for U.S. expansionism in the Pacific and Latin America. The chapter on Pershing and the AEF seems a bit disjointed, but the two chapters on World War II (one each for Europe and the Pacific) is a good survey. I approached the Vietnam chapter somewhat reluctantly since that's my generation's war, but Hearn manages not to call names and recognizes the key role played by reluctant and resentful draftees in the U.S. defeat. (You can't force soldiers to accept the necessity of a given war if they don't really believe it.) It's also refreshing to read an unblinkered account of figures like Patton, MacArthur, and Audie Murphy. He often includes appreciation of military leaders like Stilwell and Buckner, too, who are less well-known today. Coverage of women and blacks in the army, on the other hand, is a bit thin, but it's there. As he enters the Reagan era, however, Hearn begins to leave objectivity behind; the invasion of Grenada is, for him, principally an opportunity to experiment with new military doctrine. He also falls into the common conservative calumny of blaming all military failures on the media and/or politicians -- forgetting that, in a democracy, the military command structure is not going to be allowed to run everything its own way without civilian control. By the time of the first Gulf War, he's in full cheerleader mode and Bush's invasion of Iraq is not only justified but glorious. The final chapter, "Into the Future," is positively poetic in its promises of the "Army of One" and its unbeatable new weapons systems, . . . which, one suspects, will be just as vulnerable to cheap IEDs. Of course, this is first and foremost an *illustrated* history, and while there are a few very well-known photos (Eisenhower delivering a pep talk to the 101st just before the Normandy landings), most are probably new to most readers. Not a bad book for what it is, as long as you read the last third of the volume with your eyes open.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT for the Military History Buff, January 19, 2009

By 

tiggernpooh - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Army: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Army from 1775 to the 21st Century (Hardcover)

My son loves these books. They are well written with great pictures. Definitely for the Military history buff

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The entire combat history of the U.S. Army from the American Revolution to modern times, making for an outstanding survey., February 8, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Army: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Army from 1775 to the 21st Century (Hardcover)

A number of books chart U.S. Army members, achievements, and battles; but few offer the general public a fine visual overview as does Army: An Illustrated History, suitable for public library lending. Dramatic paintings, action photos and battle maps survey the army's changes, success, failures, and growth around the world, juxtaposing history and biography with technological insights on weaponry and battlefield strategies. Historian Chester Hearn covers the entire combat history of the U.S. Army from the American Revolution to modern times, making for an outstanding survey.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch