Battles That Changed American History: 100 of the Greatest Victories and Defeats

(Hardback)

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A fascinating and informative analysis by a distinguished military historian of the 100 most influential battles in American history, presented in an accessible, ready-reference format. The Battle of Okinawa (AprilJune 1945) resulted in more U.S. Navy casualties than all of the navy's previous wars combined; these heavy casualties influenced the decision to employ the atomic bomb against Japan that August. This is just one of many instances in American military history when the outcome of a battle helped to establish the course of historythe focus of this latest encyclopedia from esteemed historian Spencer C. Tucker. The 100 battles spotlighted in this workwhich include defeats as well as victoriesare deemed to have had the greatest impact on American history. Spanning more than 500 years of military events, the book begins its coverage with the Battle of Mabila in 1540 during the Age of Discovery and ends with the Second Battle of Falluja during the Iraq War/Insurgency in 2004. Expertly written, informative, and thoughtful, this analysis will be insightful and interesting for all high school, undergraduate, and general readers.

Reviews

Clear and concise one- to two-page entries begin with a box that includes the date, locations, opponents, commanders, forces, and a brief statement of significance. . . . Recommended. * Choice *
Venerated military historian Tucker, a retired professor and former U.S. Army colonel, has authored or edited nearly 50 works on military topics, and this is another good one. Overall, this is an accessible quick reference guide useful mainly as a starting point or only for brief overviews of the major battles in American history. Although suitable for any researcher on the topic, the volume will be most useful to high school students or the general user. * Booklist *
This reasonably priced single-volume reference is highly recommended for libraries that have not already invested in the titles that comprise ABC-CLIO's ongoing encyclopedia series on the military history of the United States. Libraries that do own the multivolume sets may want to strongly consider adding a copy of this title to their circulating collection. * ARBA *

Author Bio

Spencer C. Tucker, PhD, is the senior fellow in military history at ABC-CLIO and the author or editor of more than 40 books and encyclopedias, many of which have won prestigious awards.