The Medal of Honor is considered the ultimate sign of courage and devotion above and beyond the call of duty. This reference book (a repeat of an edition first published by McFarland in 2005) presents all 296 United States Marines (and one Coast Guardsman, 21 United States Navy corpsmen and doctors and a chaplain, who served Marines in combat) who were awarded the Medal of Honor from 1861 to May 2003. Such men as Sergeant Richard Binder, whose good command led to the planting of a flag on rebel fortifications at Fort Fisher in 1865, and Lance Corporal Kenneth L. Worley, who in 1968 sacrificed himself to save his comrades from a grenade in Vietnam are honored. A preface traces the evolution of the medal, its rewards, and its requirements. Each of the 318 entries (arranged within periods) includes biographical information, the actions that earned the award, and other relevant details. Appendices list the numbers of winners born in and accredited to each state or nation, a chronology of awards, and a breakdown of statistics showing the numbers of Marines killed earning the Medal of Honor in each war.

The art of Julian Scott (1846ndash;1901) is admired by historians and critics alike for its authenticity and for his attention to detail. His paintings and drawings came directly from his own experiences; he was a Civil War hero whose earliest recorded actions include the saving of nine soldiers and the capture of a Confederate officer, for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. He also took part in the Indian census of 1890 and witnessed firsthand the demise of the old, Native American, West. This first-ever biography of Scott focuses on how his experiences were reflected in his art, from the oil paintings of Civil War soldiers in the field to pencil sketches of Native Americans. There are almost 100 reproductions, some in color.

On a hot summer’s day in Montana, a daring frontier cavalry officer, Powhatan Henry Clarke, died at the height of his promising career. A member of the U.S. Military Academy’s Class of 1884, Clarke graduated dead last, and while short on academic application, he was long on charm and bravado. Clarke obtained a commission with the black troops of the Tenth Cavalry, earning his spurs with these “Buffalo Soldiers.” He evolved into a fearless field commander at the troop level, gaining glory and first-hand knowledge of what it took to campaign in the West. During his brief, action-packed career, Clarke saved a black trooper’s life while under Apache fire and was awarded the Medal of Honor. A chance meeting brought Clarke together with artist Frederic Remington, who brought national attention to Clarke when he illustrated the exploit for an 1886 Harper’s Weekly. The officer and artist became friends, and Clarke served as a model and consultant for future artwork by Remington. Remington’s many depictions of Clarke added greatly to the cavalryman’s luster. In turn, the artist gained fame and fortune in part from drawing on Clarke as his muse. The story of these two unlikely comrades tells much about the final stages of the Wild West and the United States’ emergence on the international scene. Along the way Geronimo, The Apache Kid, “Texas” John Slaughter, and others played their roles in Clarke’s brief, but compelling drama.

When Oscar Booze entered West Point in 1898, the older cadets decided that he did not conform to their image of what a cadet should be. After four months of constant torment, including a beating in an organized boxing match, ridicule for reading his Bible, and the forced consumption of hot sauce in the cadet mess hall, he resigned. When Oscar died a year and a half later from tuberculosis of the larynx, his family claimed that the West Point cadets had killed their son by scarring his throat and creating a fertile field for the fatal infection. This is the story of the ensuing scandal that brought West Point under fire in the press nationwide. Investigations following Oscar's death would reveal a long-standing pattern of cruelty that had become inextricably identified with the academy, related to notions of social Darwinism and initiation rituals popular at the time. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate considered closing the Academy in light of testimony by cadets in two separate investigations that revealed cruel and sadistic practices. Distilling startling accounts from trial transcripts, contemporary newspaper stories, archival records and correspondence, this book exposes a little-known chapter in the history of West Point.

As the United States prosecuted a bloody campaign to pacify its newly won Philippines territory at the turn of the nineteenth century, a secret mission of mercy went terribly wrong. The result was a prisoner-of-war crisis, the likes of which our nation had never encountered before. The epic struggle for survival that followed was not only a test of the human will to live, but a crucible for heroes. And yet, what was touted as a heroic rescue operation extended a war by almost two years and cost the lives of thousands. In April 1899, Admiral George Dewey dispatched the USS Yorktown to liberate a detachment of Spanish soldiers under siege by Filipino rebels. To reconnoiter enemy defenses, one of the Yorktown’s armed cutters—manned by a crew of fifteen sailors—was sent toward shore. And then it happened. Defying orders, Lieutenant James C. Gillmore Jr. recklessly pushed upriver into heavy jungle—and headlong into an ambush that would kill four of his men. The survivors were dragged across mountains and through dense jungle from one pestilent prison to the next along what Gillmore called “a veritable Devil’s Causeway.” Their captivity and the torturous expedition sent to recover them, recalled today as one of the greatest marches in US Army history, features a tightly hewn cast of characters—including a frail yet determined teenaged sailor and his hardened seafaring mates; battle-tested veterans of the Civil War and the Indian Wars; and a fiery revolutionary commander who gave orders to bury wounded Americans alive. A sweeping military epic drawing on international primary sources, The Devil’s Causeway tells their extraordinary story in its entirety for the first time.

The Routledge Handbook of the History of Race and the American Military provides an important overview of the main themes surrounding race in the American military establishment from the French and Indian War to the present day. By broadly incorporating the latest research on race and ethnicity into the field of military history, the book explores the major advances that have taken place in the past few decades at the intersection of these two fields. The discussion goes beyond the study of battles and generals to look at the other peoples who were involved in American military campaigns and analyzes how African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Chicanos helped shape the course of American History—both at home and on the battlefield. The book also includes coverage of American imperial ambitions and the national response to encountering other peoples in their own countries. The Routledge Handbook of the History of Race in the American Military defines how the history of race and ethnicity impacts military history, over time and comparatively, while encouraging scholarship on specific groups, periods, and places. This important collection presents a comprehensive survey of the current state of the field.

Combat Operations: Taking the Offensive chronicles the onset of offensive operations by the U.S. Army after eighteen months of building up a credible force on the ground in South Vietnam and taking the first steps toward bringing the war to the enemy. The compelling story by George L. MacGarrigle begins in October 1966, when General William C. Westmoreland believed that he had the arms and men to take the initiative from the enemy and that significant progress would be made on all fronts over the next twelve months. Aware of American intentions, North Vietnam undertook a prolonged war of attrition and stepped up the infiltration of its own troops into the South. While the insurgency in the South remained the cornerstone of Communist strategy, it was increasingly overshadowed by main-force military operations. These circumstances, according to MacGarrigle, set the stage for intensified combat. The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong units retained the advantage, fighting only when it suited their purposes and retreating with impunity into inviolate sanctuaries in Laos and Cambodia. With Westmoreland feeling hamstrung by political constraints on his ability to wage war in the vast hostile areas along the border, 1967 ended with a growing uncertainty in the struggle to secure the countryside. Relying on official American and enemy primary sources, MacGarrigle has crafted a well-balanced account of this year of intense combat. His volume is a tribute to those who sacrificed so much in a long and irresolute conflict, and Soldiers engaged in military operations that place great demands on their initiative, skill, and devotion will find its thought-provoking lessons worthy of reflection.

At large, the miracle of life on earth, or our own thought processes as we contemplate and unlock the mysteries around us. This evocative perspective on nature offers food for thought to general readers and scientists alike by illuminating the ingenious patterns that influence the course of humanity and the universe.