Fallen in Battle: American General Officer Combat Fatalities From 1775

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Few figures in American history are accorded greater honor than the military commander at the head of his troops. This study identifies and recounts the careers of those men who have given their lives while serving as general officers from the beginnings of our nation's military history to the present day. In addition to offering profiles of American military heroes, the study also provides a basis for consideration of some of the ways in which military leadership techniques have changed over the years. Biographical information for each general officer includes year of birth, branch of service, and state from which the officer entered the service, a brief synopsis of preservice and service achievements, and an account of the cause and circumstances of death. The highest rank held with date of commission and specific date and place of death are given for every officer, and each entry closes with a list of sources.

Reviews

. . . Libraries with strong user interest in military history will benefit from this work.-American Reference Books Annual
. . . There's a lot more neat stuff in Brown's compendium . . . such as the answer to this trivia question: what American war had the highest ration of general officer combat fatalities to total battle deaths Nope, not the Civil War. Check it out in Fallen in Battle--a fun read, and a great resource!-Grave Matters
Drawing upon 15 years of research, Brown (a retired U.S. Army officer) profiles the careers of 221 American generals and admirals who were combat fatalities from the American Revolution to the Vietnamese conflict or whose deaths occurred within approximately two years of their wounds. The well-documented introduction critically reviews selected official and unofficial studies on American military history. Perhaps the most startling of Brown's assertions therein is that only since 1941 have the various military departments maintained sufficient data to help the serious student of this subject. Unpublished documents, published registers, and press releases, says Brown, are available for the knowledgeable researcher. Each biographical entry includes the following: full name, year and place of birth and death, state from which the biographee entered service, branch of service, brief synopsis of preservice and service career, details of the cause and circumstances of death, highest rank held with date of commission, and a short-title list of sources, which are fully identified in the bibliography. Then follow seven appendixes. . . . The bibliography precisely identifies a wide variety of current and retrospective general reference, titles e.g., Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, Boatner's Civil War Dictionary and Encyclopedia of the American Revolution), and military histories (Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants, Spiller's Dictionary of American Military Biography, unit histories, state military histories, etc.). Appended to the bibliography are lists of periodicals and newspapers and of archives and manuscript collections. Because Fallen in Battle has been carefully researched andincludes a most useful bibliography, it will be confidently consulted in special, academic, and public libraries by students of American history and by military buffs.-Wilson Library Bulletin
." . . Libraries with strong user interest in military history will benefit from this work."-American Reference Books Annual
." . . There's a lot more neat stuff in Brown's compendium . . . such as the answer to this trivia question: what American war had the highest ration of general officer combat fatalities to total battle deaths Nope, not the Civil War. Check it out in Fallen in Battle--a fun read, and a great resource!"-Grave Matters
"Drawing upon 15 years of research, Brown (a retired U.S. Army officer) profiles the careers of 221 American generals and admirals who were combat fatalities from the American Revolution to the Vietnamese conflict or whose deaths occurred within approximately two years of their wounds. The well-documented introduction critically reviews selected official and unofficial studies on American military history. Perhaps the most startling of Brown's assertions therein is that only since 1941 have the various military departments maintained sufficient data to help the serious student of this subject. Unpublished documents, published registers, and press releases, says Brown, are available for the knowledgeable researcher. Each biographical entry includes the following: full name, year and place of birth and death, state from which the biographee entered service, branch of service, brief synopsis of preservice and service career, details of the cause and circumstances of death, highest rank held with date of commission, and a short-title list of sources, which are fully identified in the bibliography. Then follow seven appendixes. . . . The bibliography precisely identifies a wide variety of current and retrospective general reference, titles e.g., Appleton's Cyclopedia of American Biography, Boatner's Civil War Dictionary and Encyclopedia of the American Revolution), and military histories (Freeman's Lee's Lieutenants, Spiller's Dictionary of American Military Biography, unit histories, state military histories, etc.). Appended to the bibliography are lists of periodicals and newspapers and of archives and manuscript collections. Because Fallen in Battle has been carefully researched andincludes a most useful bibliography, it will be confidently consulted in special, academic, and public libraries by students of American history and by military buffs."-Wilson Library Bulletin

Author Bio

RUSSELL K. BROWN is a retired U.S. Army officer who is now employed by the Georgia Power Company. His published articles have appeared in a variety of military and historical journals. Dr. Brown also teaches history part time as an avocation.