5 books found
"This publication is the result of a desire on the part of the members of the Twelfth Engineers to preserve in permanent form a record of the works and achievements of their regiment in its service, 1917 - 1919, as a part of the Allied Armies in the World War. It has been the endeavor of those engaged in its compilation and publication to reflect accurately the circum stances and conditions under which the unit Operated, as well as the results accomplished." --
Theodore Roosevelt was a man of wide interests, strong opinions, and intense ambition for both himself and his country. When he met Leonard Wood in 1897, he recognized a kindred spirit. Moreover, the two men shared a zeal for making the United States an imperial power that would challenge Great Britain as world leader. For the remainder of their lives, their careers would intertwine in ways that shaped the American nation. When the Spanish American War came, both men seized the opportunity to promote the goals of American empire. Roosevelt resigned as assistant secretary of the navy in William McKinley’s administration to serve as a lieutenant colonel of the Rough Riders, a newly organized volunteer cavalry. Wood, then a captain in the medical corps and physician to McKinley, was promoted to colonel and given charge of the unit. Roosevelt later took over command of the Rough Riders. In the Battle of San Juan Hill, he led it in a charge up Kettle Hill that would end in victory for the American troops and make their daring commander a household name, a war hero, and, eventually, president of the United States. At the Treaty of Paris in 1898, Spain ceded Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. The next year, Wood became military governor of Cuba. He remained in the post until 1902. By that time Roosevelt was president. One of the major accomplishments of his administration was reorganization of the War Department, which the war with Spain had proved disastrously outdated. In 1909, when William Howard Taft needed a strong army chief of staff to enforce the new rules, he appointed Leonard Wood. Both Wood and Roosevelt were strong proponents of preparedness, and when war broke out in Europe in August 1914, Wood, retired as chief of staff and backed by Roosevelt, established the “Plattsburg camps,” a system of basic training camps. When America entered the Great War, the two men’s foresight was justified, but their earlier push for mobilization had angered Woodrow Wilson, and both were denied the command positions they sought in Europe. Roosevelt died in 1919 while preparing for another presidential campaign. Wood made a run in his place but was never taken seriously as a candidate. He retired from the army and spent the last seven years of his life as civilian governor of the Philippines. It was a quiet end for two men who had been giants of their time. While their modernization of the army is widely admired, they were not without their critics. Roosevelt and Wood saw themselves as bold leaders but were regarded by some as ruthless strivers. And while their shared ambitions for the United States were tempered by a strong sense of duty, they could, in their certainty and determination, trample those who stood in their path. Teddy Roosevelt and Leonard Wood: Partners in Command is a revealing and long overdue look at the dynamic partnership of this fascinating pair and will be welcomed by scholars and military history enthusiasts alike.
An account of defining Nebraska moments, including: surviving the Oregon and Mormon trails; completing the Union Pacific Railroad; and winning national football championships, Nobel and Pulitzer prices, and presidential nominations.
This book offers a detailed timeline of the key events in the history of the U.S. Army, from the American Revolutionary War to today's ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The United States Army: A Chronology, 1775 to the Present captures the full sweep of the U.S. Army's place in our nation's history. Its series of concise, yet highly informative, entries cover all important events involving American ground troops—both successes and failures, in wartime and in peace—from the American Revolutionary War to the present. In a basic chronological format anchored to specific dates, The United States Army reports on all significant military engagements—major conflicts and isolated actions—but goes well beyond the battlefield to include significant political and administrative changes affecting the military, notable events in the careers of generals and soldiers, significant military texts, the foundation of noted schools of instruction, and military minutae such as pay scales and creation of a general staff. Coverage also extends beyond the regular army to include auxiliaries from the colonial militias, to today's National Guard, Reserves, Army Aviation, and Special Forces.