In the tense moments leading up to the heat of battle, fighting men and women and their leaders utter words of raw yet eloquent emotion. Spanning the globe and the centuries, Battle Cries places these speeches, war cries, dying words, poems, and marching songs in their political, military, and social context, while summarizing the lives and careers of remarkable orators and writers to give a broader understanding of their place in history. - Across the ages, a battle against a military foe or social injustice has elicited rage, heroism, cruelty, and humor from fighting men and women. - Inside you’ll find several compelling speeches made during the greatest battles in history.

Battle Cries features the famous (or infamous) fighting words of several powerful global leaders including Queen Elizabeth I, Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Adolf Hitler, Napoleon, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, and Joan of Arc.