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 Profound and Still Unheeded April 27, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Russell Weigley concludes this grand overview of American military strategy with the observation that the time of usable combat may be ending. The unlimited nature of nuclear warfare, and the trend since the 19th century for conventional war to produce less than decisive results, were the ground for his conclusion.
He wrote this in the midst of the Vietnam War. What has happened since argues for his conclusion. Limited counterinsurgency conflicts in Central America aimed at keeping leftist elements from power only delayed the process. They're part of and leading governments now. The first Iraq War left an indecisive conclusion that nagged at the neocons until they had a chance for a decisive victory, or so they thought. Now there is a grueling conflict that is the essence of the indecisive result. Afghanistan is much the same. Slow bleeding of American military, political and economic power is the consequence of not heeding the lesson Weigley drew. Finally, the best use of military power is to prevent its use, and once the sword is drawn, policy has failed.
Weigley's reach is stunning, from Washington to Westmoreland, deeply imbued with the changing strategic context of war generated by changing technologies, from rifled weapons to nuclear missiles. It is this very growth of technology that has made war increasingly unable to yield satisfactory conclusions. This can only become more true, indicating that usable combat is indeed coming to an end, and only the difficult but necessary processes of negotiation and diplomacy will bring solutions to global challenges that are only becoming more pressing, from climate change and energy security to poverty, disease and indeed, the spread of increasingly deadly weapons.
One interesting biographical note - Weigley came from Reading, Pa., where I grew up. From this I know that one character in this book, Gen. Carl Spaatz of the Army Air Force who directed the bombing of Japan, also came from Reading. The airport there is named after Spaatz. I can no longer get a commercial flight into that airport though. They halted a few years ago. Apparently post 9-11 security needs made it uneconomical to operate commercial flights in there anymore. Ironic, indeed, and perhaps another indirect confirmation of Weigley's final conclusion, when the most powerful military in the world cannot assure domestic security.
 Thought Provoking Study November 27, 2004
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The material on Washington's strategy during the Revolution was excellent and showed that he actually pursued a brilliant strategy. Likewise, the analysis of the Civil War convincingly contradicted what I had learned about Grant and Lee's strategic abilities during college. Weigley also wrote the first really good analysis of the strategy of World War II that I have read. He discusses Jomini, Mahan, and others who influenced American military strategy.
The only gripe I have about the book is that the discussion of American strategy in a nuclear world got into too much detail of budgets and bureaucracy. Also, the discussion of Vietnam is weak, but that can be excused since he did not have the advantage of highsight (the book being published in 1973).
Overall an excellent and thought-provoking study of the evolution of American military strategy.
What in the Name of George S. Patton? June 28, 2004
6 out of 29 found this review helpful
Well I just received my copy of The American Way of War by R. F. Weigley today, and full well admitting the fact up front that I have not yet read the book, I already have a problem with it. The cover is BRIGHT PINK!!! Now I don't mean to be either crass, unimaginative or unappreciative, but what was the publisher thinking? I mean BRIGHT PINK? Maybe for a book on cooking utensils okay, but for a book on America's war fighting methods? I would have expected perhaps blood red (as the depiction on the website looks) or maybe O.D. Green, or better yet woodland camouflage scheme. Does the pink cover contain some secret meaning? Perhaps alluding to the DoD's rather recent fangled "Dont-ask-Dont-tell" policy? We shall see I guess. Now I know you're not suppose to judge a book by its cover, but I think I will break out the tape and scissors, some OD green paper and put things right...JPW
The evolution of the American military December 12, 2003
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This book is essentially an exploration of the way America has conducted war, from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. Weigley attempts to show the development of American military thought, from hit-and-run tactics of the Revolution to global policing and the containment of communism in the mid twentieth-century. Throughout it all Weigley focuses on key figures--Washington, Grant, a couple of Marshalls and a couple of Mahans, among others--who played important roles in the way the military thought and acted.
Overall, this is a very fascinating study. Weigley's knowledge of the subject is commendable. It is a bit unfortunate that about 2/3 of the book is devoted to the twentieth-century, and that there is only a very sparse chapter on the Indian Wars, but it is understandable considering the tremendous expansion of the military in the 1900s. Sometimes Weigley's writing style is a bit difficult to follow--I found myself rereading sentences quite often--but overall the book is well enough written. This is a great book not just for military history buffs but for anyone who enjoys history in general.
Well-written and surprising June 3, 2003
9 out of 9 found this review helpful
If you were assigned this text as part of a college course, you are in luck - it might be the best thing you read all semester. Weigley has a sharp prose style, and he delves into areas of American military history that others either ignore or neglect. I found his take on the war of annihilation against the American Indians especially important, mostly because it is free of political sentimentality and simultaneously captures the human tragedy of the event. His account of the airwar against Germany and Japan is riveting and revealing. Weigley has a gift for making statistics come alive. A great and grand narrative.
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