How America Goes to War

Frank E. Vandiver was Distinguished University Professor, President Emeritus of Texas A&M University, and Director of the Mosher Institute for Defense Studies. He was Professor of History and Provost of Rice University. He has been Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford University and has taught at the United States Military Academy. His books include Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing (National Book Awards Finalist), Mighty Stonewall: Shadows of Vietnam: Lyndon Johnson's War, and Their Tattered Flags: The Epic of the Confederacy.

• Preface The Whiskey Rebellion Mr. Madison's War The War With Mexico The Civil War The Spanish-American War The Great War The Second World War Korea Vietnam The Cold War New War, Old Cost The Fifth Horseman Afterword Further Reading

"In a little more than 150 pages, Vandiver traces the history of US wars since the nation's founding. Author of numerous well-regarded works ranging from biographies of John J. Pershing and Stonewall Jackson to several studies of the Civil War and the Vietnam War (Shadows of Vietnam, CH, Oct'97, 35-1118), Vandiver was one of the nation's most prominent military historians. In this, his last book, he provides a sprightly account of how the US--ostensibly, a peaceful nation--has repeatedly gotten itself into numerous wars, both big and little. Vandiver believes that over the years, Congress has steadily given away its constitutional war-making powers to the executive branch, which Vandiver considers a great mistake for a democratic nation. The tension between the legislative and executive branches over how far the military arm should extend has repeated itself on numerous occasions since the days of James K. Polk and the Mexican War. Vandiver's slim volume makes no pretense at superseding Russell Weigley's magisterial The American Way of War (1973), but he is blunt with his concerns about the current president and US involvement in Iraq, and the Orwellian scrutiny that Americans now receive from their government. Recommended. All levels/libraries." - Choice