This unprecedented compilation of eyewitness accounts records the thoughts and emotions of American soldiers spanning nearly 250 years of national history, from the American Revolution to the Afghanistan War.

Understanding primary sources is essential to understanding warfare. This outstanding collection provides a diverse set of eyewitness accounts of Americans in combat throughout U.S. history. Offering riveting true stories, it includes accounts from participants in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Indian Wars, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, the Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, The Persian Gulf War, the Afghanistan War, and the Iraq War.

Most eyewitness accounts of war currently available to the public are those of writers who enjoy higher military rank. Americans at War addresses this imbalance between officers’ accounts and enlisted men’s accounts by invoking oral history archives. Contextual essays and timelines allow the reader to place the accounts in time and place, while the entries themselves allow the reader to experience the thoughts and emotions of Americans who engaged in combat.

Offers invaluable access to the war experiences of U.S. forces throughout history through more than 300 eyewitness accounts

Provides a balanced portrait of eyewitness accounts from both officers and enlisted men

Allows the reader to place the eyewitness accounts in their proper context via contextual essays and timelines

Describes in detail the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor via ten captivating accounts from December 7, 1941

Spans nearly 250 years of national history, from the American Revolution to the Afghanistan War