This work, which is an evergreen classic, covers the history of the British Army from the Norman Conquest down to the Cardwell reforms of 1870, when commission by purchase was finally abolished. The very last chapter of the work looks at the British Army up to 1914.The Naval and Military Press have reprinted this valuable and timeless work in its entirety, faithful to the originals in all respects. The contents of the individual volumes are as follows: Vol. XIII - 1852-1870. This volume includes the Crimean War, the War in Persia and the Indian Mutiny and the campaign in China. It then goes on to look at the Ambela and Abyssinian campaigns, and the Wars in New Zealand. Finally, Fortescue looks at affairs in Great Britain and the position of the East India Company. He then turns his attention to the new army from 1870 to 1914 and includes the territorial system, the new social engineering going on for men’s welfare in the army. The series ends, however, with an important look at the end of the era of purchase, and what the army was going to do next.