Having evolved over the past two and a quarter centuries to become the premier military force in the world, the U.S. Army has a heritage rich in history and tradition. This historical dictionary provides short, clear, authoritative entries on a broad cross section of military terms, concepts, arms and equipment, units and organizations, campaigns and battles, and people who have had a significant impact on Army. It includes over 900 entries written by some 100 scholars, providing a valuable resource for the interested reader, student, and researcher. For those interested in pursuing specific subjects further, the book provides sources at the end of each entry as well as a general bibliography. Appendixes provide a useful list of abbreviations and acronyms and a listing of ranks and grades in the U.S. Army.

Covering individuals, campaigns, battles, terms, and events that have significance for the history of the U.S. Army, Newell (a former lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army) provides a historical chronology and a dictionary with entries covering everything from General Creighton Abrams to the battle of the Zapote River in the Philippines. Appendices list commanding generals and chiefs of staff, secretaries of war and of the army, sergeants major, campaigns, and U.S. Army casualties by war. U.S. Army rank insignias are also reproduced. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The importance of the Civil War and Reconstruction in the history of the United States cannot be overstated. Many historians regard the Civil War as the defining event in American history. At stake was not only freedom for 3.5 million slaves but also survival of the relatively new American experiment in self-government. A very real possibility existed that the union could have been severed, but a collection of determined leaders and soldiers proved their willingness to fight for the survival of what Abraham Lincoln called "the last best hope on earth." The second edition of this highly readable, one-volume Historical Dictionary of the Civil War and Reconstruction looks to place the war in its historical context. The more than 800 entries, encompassing the years 1844-1877, cover the significant events, persons, politics, and economic and social themes of the Civil War and Reconstruction. An extensive chronology, introductory essay, and comprehensive bibliography supplement the cross-referenced dictionary entries to guide the reader through the military and non-military actions of one of the most pivotal events in American history. The dictionary concludes with a selection of primary documents. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Civil War and Reconstruction.

The Civil War was the most traumatic event in American history, pitting Americans against one another, rending the national fabric, leaving death and devastation in its wake, and instilling an anger that has not entirely dissipated even to this day, 150 years later. This updated and expanded two-volume second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the Civil War relates the history of this war through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and hundreds of cross-referenced dictionary entries on persons, places, events, institutions, battles, and campaigns. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the Civil War.

This greatly expanded second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the American Revolution covers more battles, skirmishes, and raids of the American Revolution than any other printed source. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, maps and photos, a bibliography, and over 1000 cross-referenced dictionary entries.

The evolution of the United States from a late-18th century coalition of rebel British colonies to a 21st century global superpower was shaped by several forces. As the nation expanded its boundaries after the Treaty of Paris confirmed independence from Great Britain in 1783, it acquired a rich variety of resources – coal, fertile soils, forests, iron ore, oil, precious metals, space, and varied climates as well as extensive tracts of territory. Technological innovations, such as the cotton gin and steam power, enabled entrepreneurs to exploit those resources and create wealth. Federal and state legislators provided environments in which the economy could flourish, and military strategists kept the country safe from external attack. Diplomats negotiated commercial agreements with foreign governments and cultivated multinational alliances that strengthened freedoms. Through its focus on the people and places that shaped the country’s economic and political development and its detailed accounts of the processes that enabled the U.S. to expand across the continent Historical Dictionary of the United States contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 400 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country’s politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about the United States.

This is a complete list of commissioned officers of the U.S. from the organization of the Army, September 29, 1789, to the year of the list's original publication in 1903, giving the officers' full names and showing their services as cadets and all services as officers or enlisted men, either in the regular or volunteer service. The heart of the work, Part II, an alphabetical listing of the officers, runs to some 60,000 entries. Each entry contains a brief paragraph on the officer giving his state or country where born, state from which originally appointed, date of induction, rank, date of discharge, promotions, medals, battles participated in, and, in about a fifth of the entries, date of death after leaving the Army. This monumental book is actually a lot more than a listing of the officer corps, as crucial as that is. Rather, it is a handbook on the men, events, and terminology of American military life during the years of its coverage.

The War of 1812 was an extremely complicated war motivated by British seizures of American vessels and goods, American desire to expand into Canada, and impressment of American sailors into the British Navy. However, these are merely the immediate causes. To fully understand the War of 1812, one must delve deeper into history. This book does just that, as it covers the period leading up to the war (1803-1812) and the events of the war itself (1812-1815) through the use of a dictionary consisting of more than 1,400 cross-referenced entries covering descriptions of engagements, ships, weaponry, the compositions of regiments, significant political and military figures, and a full list of key places, issues and terms. Also included are 21 photographs, 6 maps, a chronology of events, an introductory essay, and a comprehensive bibliography, subdivided by topic and fully annotated.

This historical dictionary is the first of its kind on the U.S. Air Force and antecedent organizations. The reference is based on lengthy research by Charles Bright and 57 military historians, air force officers, and aviation specialists. Over 1,050 entries survey the major commands, air forces, staff services, bases, significant battles, events, campaigns, concepts, people, equipment, legislation, and other characteristics. This landmark reference has been developed as a tool for those who know the USAF and want to investigate different subjects further and for those with only slight knowledge who need a general base for exploring air force matters more fully. The dictionary is intended for libraries, for museums and special military collections, and for all bookstores interested in the history of flight. The volume provides a preface with guidelines for using the dictionary, a short history of the U.S. Air Force and its antecedents from 1907 to 1992. Entries are arranged alphabetically with bibliographical citations. They cover all the significant subjects of USAF history from a handful of men with flimsy balloons and flying machines to the earth-shaking aerospace giant. Cross references throughout the book help the reader have easy access to all the entries that are related or that appear under a different entry title. A full index is provided also.

An expert in world conflicts, Jones brings the sounds and sights of battle to life, detailing each charge, the evolution of battle tactics, and the importance of diplomacy for both sides. In these two volumes Terry Jones provides impressively clear coverage of the underlying economic causes, the progressively divisive political developments, the outbreak of the war itself, and, finally, the military campaigns year-by-year and battle-by-battle. He clarifies complex issues as he explains the various factions, their interests, and their hidden agendas. From the hopelessly impotent Congressional votes to the spilling of blood on the battlefield, Jones makes this period of American history compelling reading. Extensively cross-referenced; includes a substantial bibliography; illustrated with maps and photos.--Amazon.com.