Book Review of The Face of Battle by John Keegan Essay

This book, unlike its predecessor, begins in the thick of things. There is no tearful farewell from the homeland, there is, in fact quite the opposite. While Harrison’s men head toward the harbour that will bring them away from home, McDougall’s men are heading toward a harbour that will lead to their enemy, which they will heroically engage in mortal combat. This heroism is shown exquisitely in “Private Jones’s martyrdom.” (Mason, 95).

The Confederacy persisted through another year of war as societal rules of the South became lax. Scarlett became flirtatious again, as if she was never married to Charles, as if she were not widowed. Rhett called upon her quite often and bought her affection with presents. I believe that Rhett knew to get Scarlett, he would have to sweeten the pot. She would never have taken Rhett without his money and gifts to her. The summer of 1863 came, and the Battle of Gettysburg with it. For the first time in her life, Scarlett felt sorrow for another. Almost every boy she flirted, danced, or batted her eyelashes at was dead. But that feeling of sorrow quickly disappeared when Melanie cried to Scarlett about wanting to have Ashley’s baby. Even though

From two different perspectives of the war, the author of this book showed that, depending on location and timing, everyone can be affected differently by warfare. It followed the story of two children who grew up on opposite sides of World War II. When their paths crossed, they developed feelings for one another, disregarding the fact that their historical circumstances placed them on opposing sides of the war. In the book All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr depicted how internal principles were able to overpower external pressures.

Memoirs of war often reflect the positive or negative experiences endured throughout battle. Considered by many to be one of the best memoirs of World War I, Hervey Allen’s “Toward the Flame”, recalls his own experiences of battle. His recollection of events shows that he had a negative image of war and that there was nothing glorious about it. What started out looking like a man’s greatest adventure turned into a shell-shocking reality that war is actually horrible and trying. Allen’s experiences with consistent hunger, mustard gas, and artillery shellings led to his disillusionment with war, and left him with a permanent hatred of battle.

In the aftermath of a comparatively minor misfortune, all parties concerned seem to be eager to direct the blame to someone or something else. It seems so easy to pin down one specific mistake that caused everything else to go wrong in an everyday situation. However, war is a vastly different story. War is ambiguous, an enormous and intangible event, and it cannot simply be blamed for the resulting deaths for which it is indirectly responsible. Tim O’Brien’s story, “In the Field,” illustrates whom the soldiers turn to with the massive burden of responsibility for a tragedy. The horrible circumstances of war transform all involved and tinge them with an absurd feeling of

Here Hanson is advocating a “history from below” approach to scholarship, focusing not just on the famous generals of the age, but also with the common soldiers

In “The Face of Battle,” John Keegan analyzed the experiences of the individuals involved in the battles of the Somme and Waterloo; he thoroughly examined the advancements of industrialization in warfare and battle strategy between 1815 and 1916. The industrialization of modern warfare during the battle of the Somme, while progressive, was very much still in its experimental stages. While the inventions during this time period were later evolved into much more useful products, it seems as though the organized warfare in Waterloo was much more effective; the soldier’s mediocre training for the Somme was obvious in the chaotic events that occurred. While each battle was disastrous in their own ways, industrialization certainly improved means of warfare and the experience that the soldiers had.

Henry V By: Lily Shapiro Breath by breath, step by step, arrow volley by arrow volley, the out-numbered English soldiers overlook the small muddy fields surrounded by the woods of Agincourt. The cascade of rain poured down. Their fate seemed certain as the French soldiers in heavy armor beamed with great confidence. At this moment, did Henry V look back into the past?

Beginning my love of reading an early age, I was never the type of child who was drawn to fictional stories. As an 8 year-old child in West Virginia, I was recognized by the local library for my love of biographies, autobiographies and recollections of world events. This love has continued throughout my adult life, desiring to read novels such as “We Were Soldiers Once…and Young” by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore rather than watch the major motion picture “We Were Soldiers” starring Mel Gibson. Even though the motion picture received multiple awards, when reading the recollection of Mr. Moore’s accounts, the feeling of loss, distress, anxiety and fear can be felt in each word that he has written while reliving this horrendous war.

William Manchester, author of “The Bloodiest Battle”, utilizes personal war-stories throughout the essay to portray not only the challenging hardships of war but the vivid descriptions of human-to-human annihilation, and how that affected him emotionally. Manchester’s purpose was to show the audience that two countries (America and Japan) could make peace, but the individuals who fought it still struggle, including himself. He portrays the idea that there is more behind the victory of the war.

Since the beginning of time, humans have sought after power and control. It is human instinct to desire to be the undisputed champion, but when does it become a problem? Warfare has been practiced throughout civilization as a way to justify power. Though the orders come directly from one man, thousands of men and women pay the ultimate sacrifice. In Randall Jerrell’s “The Death of a Ball Turret Gunner”, Jarrell is commenting on the brutality of warfare. Not only does Jarrell address the tragedies of war, he also blames politics, war leaders, and the soldier’s acknowledgement of his duties. (Hill 6) With only five lines of text, his poems allows the reader to understand what a soldier can go through. With the use of Jerrell’s poem, The Vietnam War, and Brian Turner’s “Ameriki Jundee”, the truth of combat will be revealed.

In this essay, I will discuss how Tim O’Brien’s works “The Things They Carried” and “If I Die in a Combat Zone” reveal the individual human stories that are lost in war. In “The Things They Carried” O’Brien reveals the war stories of Alpha Company and shows how human each soldier is. In “If I Die in a Combat Zone” O’Brien tells his story with clarity, little of the dreamlike quality of “Things They Carried” is in this earlier work, which uses more blunt language that doesn’t hold back. In “If I Die” O’Brien reveals his own personal journey through war and what he experienced. O’Brien’s works prove a point that men, humans fight wars, not ideas. Phil Klay’s novel “Redeployment” is another novel that attempts to humanize soldiers in war. “Redeployment” is an anthology series, each chapter attempts to let us in the head of a new character – set in Afghanistan or in the United States – that is struggling with the current troubles of war. With the help of Phil Klay’s novel I will show how O’Brien’s works illustrate and highlight each story that make a war.

A few years later, Henry V landed in France with ten thousand men and besieged Harfleur, a port town along the French coast. The siege lasted for a month, and Henry marched into the town, victorious, with very few men, because most of them died from disease. He then set course for Calais, but was stopped by French forces in Agincourt. Henry had only about six thousand men and the French force had twenty thousand. Henry used the woodland to give his forces a better chance. The French, on the other hand, set up three lines with knights in front. The knights were easily taken down by English longbowmen, the second line was slowed down by muddy swampland, and the third line retreated. This was a decisive victory for Henry and his outnumbered army. Henry continued advancing to Calais. Next, Scottish and French armies join forces and raid English holdings in Normandy. The English forces were decimated by the combined forces of France and Scotland. Soon after that battle, The French and Scottish tried once more to remove English control of Normandy, but their forces were easily cut down by longbowmen. Scotland stopped aiding France in the war, and England kept their hold in Normandy. The English started to take control of most of France again, started winning more battles. “The balance of power changed in 1429, with the appearance of Joan of Arc,

The way battle were fought over the past centuries have changed, from rocks and fists to tanks and gasses. Battles are caused by many things, back in time they would be caused for the want of a strip of land to even something as simple as one country not paying back what they own/promise such as their alliances. Battles need tactics and intense planning, which could be needed in order to attack opponents. During World War I, there were many surprises and especially many casualties. The main event would be perceived as The Battle of Ypres; more specifically being The Second Battle of Ypres. The Second Battle of Ypres had many introductions to battle changing how war is fought to this day. This paper will trace the course of the Second Battle of Ypres; from its background, events that occurred during the war, and the outcome.

John Keegan describes his book, The Face of Battle, as "a personal attempt to catch a glimpse of the face of battle." This personal aspect that Keegan mentions is essential to his book and is excellently articulated, driving home his point. Keegan, who taught at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst for over 25 years, begins by acknowledging his uneasiness with the fact that even though he taught British cadets military history, "I have not been in a battle; not near one, nor heard one from afar, nor seen the aftermath . . . And I grow increasingly convinced that I have very little idea of what a battle can be like." Keegan is clear to state his proposition that almost all military history has functioned simply as a “battle piece” description in which one can see all the larger moving aspects followed by the outcome. However, this sort of recounting fails to acknowledge the personal side of war, the experience of battle. What really ensues when a cavalry unit meets an infantry unit? What are the vital features in determining whether soldiers stand and fight or turn and run?