Arrogant Armies: Great Military Disasters and the Generals Behind Them - Hardcover

Perry, James M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471119768 ISBN 13: 9780471119760

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 1996

Synopsis

Nothing goes wrong quite so dramatically as a disastrous military expedition.--from the Introduction

ARROGANT ARMIES

Spanning more than two hundred years of martial adventurism, aggression, and outright blundering, Arrogant Armies chronicles the profoundly misguided and utterly calamitous military expeditions of the great empire builders and overconfident expeditionary forces. From colonial America to South Africa, from Mesopotamia to Khartoum, an extraordinary number of presumably superior armies grievously underestimated native forces.

Using contemporary newspaper accounts, military memoirs, diaries of soldiers who fought in the battles, and other firsthand letters and papers, noted journalist James Perry brings a sense of urgency and immediacy to these historic defeats. At times devastating, at times hilarious, his vast panorama of human folly is peopled by frightened soldiers, zealous native resistance, and, of course, a colorful gallery of arrogant, often inept officers. Many of them received their ultimate comeuppance in these battles: Generals Edward Braddock, Charles MacCarthy, William R. Shafter, Charles Vere Ferrers Townshend, Charles ""Chinese"" Gordon, William George Keith Elphinstone, Manuel Fernandez Silvestre, and others.

What is most remarkable about Arrogant Armies is the cumulative power of these ironic encounters. Black humor, brutality, staggering incompetence, and genuine drama come together with devastating force. In Arrogant Armies Perry casts a sharply critical eye on what he describes as the ""small wars, what Kipling called the 'savage wars of peace.'"" It is fascinating history and a compelling commentary on politics and ""the dark side of the human race . . . its deadly preoccupation with war.""

""As one of our nation's top political reporters, Jim Perry has covered his share of political disasters. Now he has turned his skills to this sad but brilliant chronicle of military disasters. In the process, he has produced a classic.""--Sander Vanocur The History Channel

""Jim Perry has long been one of America's great political reporters. This has been perfect training to write this marvelous book, Arrogant Armies. Having covered more than a few contemporary political disasters, Perry is able to brilliantly, often hilariously, capture the worst military blunders of the past several hundred years. These fiascoes span the globe from the Middle East to Southeast Asia to Haiti, and chronologically from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. There are common characteristics: commanders afflicted with drunkenness, debauchery, arrogance, and often just plain stupidity. With vitality, a sense of irony and history, Jim Perry gives you a battle-side seat at these debacles.""--Albert R. Hunt Executive Washington Editor Wall Street Journal

""Jim Perry has done, in Arrogant Armies, what he has always done. He has told us stories we haven't heard before. He has explored an unmined vein of history with enthusiasm, skill, and style. History buffs will delight in Arrogant Armies. I'm not so sure, however, about the generals.""=Roger Mudd The History Channel

About this title

From the Publisher

A compelling narrative of 12 military expeditions from 1745 to 1993 in which advanced armies suffered calamitous defeats at the hands of lesser forces. Riveting battle stories include the French and Indian War, the Fall of Khartoum, the Mesopotamian campaign in WWI and the recent debacle in Somalia. Primary source material such as diaries of soldiers, papers, and memoirs of the generals and contemporary newspaper accounts vividly bring the engagements to life.

About the Author

JAMES M. PERRY is Senior Political Writer for the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of three books about American politics: Barry Goldwater: A New Look at a Presidential Candidate; The New Politics: The Expanding Technology of Political Manipulation; and Us & Them: How the Press Covered the 1972 Election. Mr. Perry lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0471119768
• ISBN 13: 9780471119760
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 322