Fields of Battle: The Wars for North America (Hardcover)

by John Keegan (Author) "I LOVE AMERICA..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, North America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Best known for his 1976 book, The Face of Battle, which argued that conventional battle accounts oversimplified the dynamics of troop movements while attributing too much control to leaders, John Keegan has become a prolific author. Fields of Battle includes fascinating observations about how Americans do things differently, both on and off the battlefield, than the English and French. With detailed accounts from long-forgotten conflicts, such as the French and Indian War, and moving portraits of important figures in American military history, including the Wright brothers, who naively hoped their airplane would end warfare, Keegan, an Englishman, explains the past and reaffirms the present to an America struggling to find its national strength.

From Publishers Weekly
Readers can always count on Keegan (A History of Warfare) to bring a fresh perspective to the art of military history. Here, in an unusually intimate work that fails to persuade wholly, he emphasizes the influence of geography on the military history of North America. Keegan examines five fortress systems that, he says, have controlled space on our continent within the past 400 years: French Canada, Yorktown during the American Revolution, Confederate Richmond, the forts of the Great Plains and the "flying fortresses" of the 20th century. Though he offers many stimulating insights-for example, how the terrain around the Little Bighorn contributed to Custer's defeat-Keegan fails to convince that fortresses, however broadly defined, have shaped warfare on a continent where force-to-space ratios (the number of combatants relative to the area in which they're fighting) have always been extremely low. In an enlivening departure from his usual format, the author personalizes his narrative with reports on his tours of many of the battle sites discussed. Less satisfactory is his extensive commentary about his relationship with the U.S. and its citizens: "I love America"; "I like American airports"; "Uncuriosity is one of the reasons I love America." Such banalities diminish a work that offers fresh views but that in any case is best approached with caution. Maps and photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 348 pages
• Publisher: Knopf (May 7, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067942413X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679424130
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.9 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,084,947 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual for Keegan, but a Fine Read!, April 10, 2001

By	Keith Endres (United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fields of Battle: The Wars for North America (Paperback)

Having read a number of Keegan's other work, I can say confidently that this title is extremely unique and resembles his other work almost none at all. While most of his books break down and analyze battles in a very scientific, scholastic manner, the manner that has set him apart from most in the military history field, this book is much less of an academic analysis on a specific subject, as rather it is a personal narrative through his experiences in North America. With those retellings, he intermixes information on the uniqueness of military history in the US and Canada as compared to the rest of the world. Though it is obvious that Keegan has a deep appreciation for the US and loves the culture, the portions of this book that read in that fashion prove to be far more like Tocqueville than Keegan. A lot of this is his commentary on America, from the perspective of a well-versed foreigner with in depth historical knowledge. It makes for a fascinating read, but not in a manner comparable to any of his other work. The portions focusing on battles are well done though, especially his portion on Custer, which may well be the most intriguing American west military analysis I have ever read, interesting becasue of the perspective from which it is written. I would highly recommend it. Ultimately though, despite my high accalaids, I would say that anyone who wants to read some of the material making Keegan the world's top military historian would be better served starting off with "Mask of Command," "The Face of Battle" or "The Price of Admiralty." If you already know Keegan's work or personally don't care, then give this title a chance.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Overview of these Four Wars, April 17, 2002

By	John G. Hilliard (Toronto Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Fields of Battle: The Wars for North America (Paperback)

The author, John Keegan is a noted British historian that has spent most of his time on European warfare. It was interesting to see what he was going to come up with in this study of the battles primarily in the U.S. The book opens with something probably all American's will enjoy, a chapter talking about how much he loves American and the particular reasons why, maybe this was just a buttering up technique so that we would buy the book? He then covers four major battles / wars that have taken place in North America, the French Indian War, the American Revolutionary war, the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.

Obviously whole books or series of books can and have been dedicated to these particular topics so the reader should be prepared for just a light overview of each of the wars. Keegan takes the reader into one particular point or battle within each war after giving the reader a very good brief on why the war is taking place, the parties involved and then the outcome. He does a very good job here with this overview.

Overall the book is easy to read and interesting. The beginning chapter will make you happy just reading it and the good feelings will remain with you through out the book. This book is much lighter and less detailed then many of his other works so it does serve as a good introduction to the author.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars America from an America-phile, October 5, 2006

By	Stratiotes Doxha Theon "2 Thes 2:15" (Richmond, Missouri) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Fields of Battle: The Wars for North America (Paperback)

Few Americans could have written such a work. It is our great fortune as Americans to have Mr. Keegan to tell the story with such style and readability. It is a fascinating story of the wars that shaped the North American continent and the United States in particular. It also opens our eyes to how historical trends we might not have noticed oterhwise - such as the importance of fortifications in US expansion across the continent. Despite our belief and espousal of maneuver or mobile warfare, fortification has been a halmark of US military doctrine. Mr. Keegan brings out this paradox and helps us see our history in a different light. Mr. Keegan does not disappoint in this volume from the great expectations we might have from his other books.