Soldiers and Scholars: The U.S. Army and the Uses of Military History, 1865-1920 (Modern War Studies) [Paperback]

Carol Reardon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 19, 1990 | Series: Modern War Studies

The use and abuse of military history is the theme of this book. Historian Carol Reardon scrutinizes the Army's relationship to its own history and traces the Army's attempts, from the end of the Civil War through the Progressive Era, to lay claim to the discipline of military history.

"Owning" military history was important to the Army, Reardon maintains. Not only was military history a cornerstone in the Army's emerging education system, but it carried with it a professional image and social respectability as well.

As a result, the Army tenaciously defended the discipline from the incursions of civilian academics, arguing that military professionals should set the standards for the study of military history. The American Historical Association, on the other hand, countered that military history should not be left to amateurs.

In this well-researched study Rearson argues that the lengthy, unresolved debate over proprietorship of military history was largely responsible for its demise as a discipline during the half century following World War I.

This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"An original and important study that breaks new ground in the fields of military history and historiography."--George C. Herring, University of Kentucky, author of America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975

"A sophisticated work that addresses problems in military education that are far from being resolved today. It is at once an intellectual history of the U.S. Army at a most interesting time in its evolution and an illuminating commentary on the ways that an army can utilize history. Civil War buffs will be especially pleased by Reardon's analysis of the Army's study of the Civil War during this period."--Jay Luvaas, Army War College, author of The Military Legacy of the Civil War

"An excellent and original study of the development of American military thought and literature in the era before World War I."--Timothy K. Nenninger, National Archives, author of The Leavenworth Schools and the Old Army --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Carol Reardon is assistant professor of history at the University of Georgia. She has been associate editor for the Henry Clay Papers project at the University of Kentucky and assistant editor of the journal Diplomatic History. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: University Press Of Kansas (December 19, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700611126
• ISBN-13: 978-0700611126
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,148,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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