A new biography of Gen. George Armstrong Custer that radically changes our view of the man and his turbulent times. Historian T. J. Stiles paints a portrait of Custer both deeply personal and sweeping in scope, proving how much of Custer's legacy has been ignored. He demolishes Custer's historical caricature, revealing a volatile, contradictory, intense person -- capable yet insecure, intelligent yet bigoted, passionate yet self-destructive, a romantic...

This book is a unique biography of George Washington inspired by the maps he used throughout his life--offering new insight into the historic events of his era. From his teens until his death, the maps George Washington drew and purchased were always central to his work as a surveyor, military leader, private citizen, and statesman. After his death, many of the most important maps he had acquired were bound into an atlas. The atlas remained in his...

"A major new biography of one of America's most storied military figures. General Sherman's 1864 burning of Atlanta solidified his legacy as a ruthless leader. Yet Sherman proved far more complex than his legendary military tactics reveal. James Lee McDonough offers fresh insight into a man tormented by the fear that history would pass him by, who was plagued by personal debts, and who lived much of his life separated from his family. As a soldier,...

"When General James Mattis took command of the First Division in 2000, he took for their motto a paraphrase of Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla: "No better friend, no worse enemy." In 2003, General James N. Mattis shared a "Message to All Hands," to his soldiers. He shared with them the importance of the mission, the goal to act with honor, and ended with the motto he brought to his division from a paraphrase of Roman general Lucius Cornelius...

"Draws on a rich trove of both little-known and newly uncovered letters and diaries to create a marvelously vivid and moving account of the American experience in World War I, with General John Pershing featured prominently in the foreground. Andrew Carroll's intimate portrait of General Pershing, who led all of the American troops in Europe during World War I, is a revelation. Given a military force that, on the eve of its entry into the war, was...

"From master storyteller and historian H.W. Brands, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, comes the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America's future in the aftermath of World War II. At the height of the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman committed a gaffe that sent shock waves around the world. When asked by a reporter about the possible use of atomic weapons in response to China's...

"Few in history can match the breadth and depth of the revolutionary career of the Marquis de Lafayette. Over fifty incredible years at the heart of the Age of Revolution, he fought as one with righteous revolutionaries on both sides of the Atlantic. As an idealistic and courageous teenager serving in the American Revolution, he used his considerable wealth and savvy to help the Americans defeat the British. Then he returned home, and was a principal...

The story of the greatest "team of rivals" since the days of Lincoln. In a lifetime shaped by politics, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proved himself a master manipulator. But when war in Europe and Asia threatened America's shores, FDR found himself in a world turned upside down, where his friends became his foes, his enemies his allies. To help wage democracy's first "total war," he turned to one of history's most remarkable triumvirates. Henry...

Tells the life story of Benedict Arnold, the controversial American general who went from hero to villain when he sold military secrets to the British during the Revolutionary War; and features multiple-choice review questions at the end of each chapter.

"A gripping exploration of the intense psychology and character of Benedict Arnold, arguing that he was essential to victory before he was a traitor. Benedict Arnold committed treason -- for more than two centuries, that's all that most Americans have known about him. Yet Arnold was much more than a turncoat -- his achievements during the early years of the Revolutionary War defined him as the most successful soldier of the era. GOD SAVE BENEDICT...