The battlefield was soaked in blood. Screams of injured soldiers rang through the air. Eleven-year-old Nathaniel Knox knelt behind a rock, his gun clutched in his shaking hands. Nate had been heading to New York City to find his father. But now he was trapped in a terrible gunfight between American and British troops. -- But King George was like a snake with America gripped in his fangs - and he didn't want to let go. So now it was war - brutal, bloody war. And America was being crushed by the mighty British army. Thousands of American troops were either dead or dying in filthy British prison ships. General George Washington's army was in tatters. All Nate wanted was to find his father ... and to get out of here alive.

“Invites comparison with Crane’s Red Badge of Courage . . . Ithink this is an even better book.”—The New York Times When you read this novel about April 19, 1775, you will see the British redcoats marching in a solid column through your town. Your hands will be sweating and you will shake a little as you grip your musket because never have you shot with the aim of killing a man. But you will shoot, and shoot again and again while your shoulder aches from your musket’s kick and the tight, disciplined red column bleeds and wavers and breaks and you begin to shout at the top of your lungs because you are there, at the birth of freedom—you're a veteran of the Battle of Lexington, and you’ve helped whip the King’s best soldiers...

"Remarkable . . . The entire Vietnam experience [in] one epic narrative." The New York Times Book Review For Pete Bravado, the war begins with home and family in Brooklyn: his grandfather's broken dreams, his father's ice-hard heart, his mother's tragic affection, and his own disillusionment and delinquency. Raised against the grain of his true nature, Pete seeks escape in the army -- but instead of finding freedom, he finds a madness in himself that answers the madness of war. And when he comes home, a new struggle begins -- a struggle to see what the war has made him, so he can begin to remake himself.

Questions about the future of war are a regular feature of political debate, strategic analysis, and popular fiction. Where should we look for new dangers? What cunning plans might an aggressor have in mind? What are the best forms of defense? How might peace be preserved or conflict resolved? From the French rout at Sedan in 1870 to the relentless contemporary insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, Lawrence Freedman, a world-renowned military thinker, reveals how most claims from the military futurists are wrong. But they remain influential nonetheless. Freedman shows how those who have imagined future war have often had an idealized notion of it as confined, brief, and decisive, and have regularly taken insufficient account of the possibility of long wars--hence the stubborn persistence of the idea of a knockout blow, whether through a dashing land offensive, nuclear first strike, or cyberattack. He also notes the lack of attention paid to civil wars until the West began to intervene in them during the 1990s, and how the boundaries between peace and war, between the military, the civilian, and the criminal are becoming increasingly blurred. Freedman's account of a century and a half of warfare and the (often misconceived) thinking that precedes war is a challenge to hawks and doves alike, and puts current strategic thinking into a bracing historical perspective.

Experience the raw and untamed spirit of the Tennessee frontier in Charles Egbert Craddock's "The Story of Old Fort Loudon," a compelling work of historical fiction. Set against the backdrop of pioneer life and military engagement, this meticulously republished edition brings to life a pivotal chapter in American history. Immerse yourself in a world of rugged landscapes and the challenges faced by those who dared to carve out a life on the edge of civilization. Explore the dramatic narrative woven around Old Fort Loudon, a symbol of both hope and hardship for early settlers. This classic work offers a glimpse into the struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs that defined the era. A captivating blend of historical detail and vivid storytelling, "The Story of Old Fort Loudon" remains a testament to the enduring allure of the American West and the indomitable spirit of its pioneers. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.