The Military Legacy of the Civil War: The European Inheritance

This pioneering study focuses on the experiences and writings of the surprisingly large number of Prussian, British, and French military observers who witnessed the Civil War firsthand. Luvaas's fascinating account reveals why they came, what they wrote, what their armies learned (or failed to learn) from their reports, and how their writings influenced later European military theorists.

For this edition, Luvaas has added a thoughtful introduction that analyzes why some "military lessons" are learned and others ignored and examines the extent to which such lessons can be applied to subsequent conflicts.

Jay Luvaas is professor of military history at the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, and is the author or editor of numerous books, including The Education of an Army: British Military Thought, 1815-1940.