This title provides a unique perspective into the motivations that led a young man from the American heartland to defy US neutrality and travel to Spain to fight in defence of democracy against Nazi- and Fascist-backed aggression.
This book is a collection of letters written home by George King, an American soldier who served in the Puerto Rican campaign during the Spanish-American War. At the outbreak of the War, King volunteered in the Sixth Regiment of Infantry formed in Concord, Massachusetts. He rose quickly to the rank of sergeant. King describes in some detail the life of a soldier during the war, including the kind and extent of training received, and the lean diet and physical hardships of campaigning in Puerto Rico. King's letters are interspersed with notes and explanatory commentary that puts his letters in perspective. Some of his letters and commentaries describe the interrelationships between American soldiers and the inhabitants of Puerto Rico during the War. He pointed out, for example, that the Americans hired native Puerto Ricans, who rendered the army efficient and valuable service as mounted scouts.
Few topics in 20th century history generate as much interest as the Spanish Civil War. These letter from the Abraham Lincoln Brigade take us back to a time when 2800 Americans took up arms and confronted Hitler's Condor Legion, Mussolini's Black Shirts, and Franco's fascist calvary on the battlefields of Spain. Here are their combat experiences, the love letters they wrote under fire, friendships formed among themselves and with their Spanish comrades, and reports of Madrid and Barcelona undergoing history's first saturation bombing of civilian targets. It was the eve of World War II, and these men and women saw first-hand the danger facing the world. Iadrid 1937 captures for the first time the thoughts, words and dreams of those who fought. More than a collection of separate letters, Madrid 1937 gathers letters from many hands to tell a group story. Richly illustrated with over 50 color and black and white plates, this chronicle enables the reader to travel with the volunteers through France and Spain; visit the beseiged city of Madrid and walk the streets of Barcelona under fascist bombardment; experience the chaos of battle and the excitement of celebrations behind the lines; stand beside nurses and doctors as they struggle to save the lives of the wounded; and encounter famous writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Langston Hughes. Madrid 1937 tells a story of epic proportion, the struggle of a volunteer army who chose to risk their lives in the struggle against Fascism.
This is the story of the Spanish-American War, told not from the perspective of generals, policy makers, or politicians, but from that of the soldiers, sailors and marines in the field and the reporters who covered their efforts. Concentration on the daily lives of these people provides insight into the often overlooked facets of a soldier's life, detailing their training and interaction with weaponry, their food, clothing, and medical supplies, and their personal interactions and daily struggles. While the Spanish-American War set the stage for America's emergence as a global power, this is its history on an individual scale, as seen through the eyes of those upon whom the war had the most immediate impact.
In the years following the Civil War, the U.S. Army underwent a professional decline. Soldiers served their enlistments at remote, nameless posts from Arizona to Alaska. Harsh weather, bad food and poor conditions were adversaries as dangerous as Indian raiders. Yet under these circumstances, men continued to enlist for $13 a month. Drawing on soldiers' narratives, personal letters and official records, the author explores the common soldier's experience during the Reconstruction Era, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War and the Punitive Expedition into Mexico.
An often overshadowed event in American military history, the Spanish-American War began as a humanitarian effort on the part of the United States to provide military assistance for the liberation of Cuba from Spanish domination. At the time, no one knew that this simple premise would result in an American empire. Through extensive research, Mark Barnes has created a comprehensive, annotated bibliography detailing this globally significant conflict and its aftermath. Insightful notes are included for every title in each chronologically organized chapter. By drawing together an impressive collection of sources, including some previously not readily available to English language readers, Barnes has created an invaluable resource for scholars of this conflict. Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies provide concise, annotated bibliographies to the major areas and events in American military history. With the inclusion of brief critical annotations after each entry, the student and researcher can easily assess the utility of each bibliographic source and evaluate the abundance of resources available with ease and efficiency. Comprehensive, concise, and current—Routledge Research Guides to American Military Studies are an essential research tool for any historian.