Warriors Seven: Seven American Commanders, Seven Wars, and the Irony of Battle

by Barney Sneiderman

Warriors Seven offers a fascinating collection of American commander "profiles" written in a lively and graphic style. The unique aspect of Dr. Sneiderman's approach is that each essay sketches the ironic twists of fate that befell these men at or near the peak of their careers.

The subjects of this study include: Benedict Arnold, Andrew Jackson, Winfield Scott, Robert E. Lee, George Dewey, Billy Mitchell, and George Patton. These courageous...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932714286
• ISBN13: 9781932714289
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Savas Beatie
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A Novel Way to Introduce the Reader to Military History

Dr, Sneiderman has chosen a unique way to present a military history of the United States. He focuses on seven generals in seven battles in seven wars, from the Revolution through World War II. Rather than plodding through the entire history of the US at arms, he has chosen representative battles and soldiers. By choosing soldiers who had each fought in the war highlighted in the previous chapter, he provides continuity to his project. Dr. Sneiderman writes well and there are good maps included. He is particularly good at describing the operational details of the battles he covers. He is also scrupulously fair with his subjects and provides an excellent reading list for those who want to learn more. Although this is primarily a book for newcomers to the field, there is plenty here for those who have read a fair amount of military history. For instance, I may not be an expert, but I have read widely on the subject and I learned a lot about Andrew Jackson's battles with American Indians, Winfield Scott's War of 1812 battles, the World War I air campaign at St. Mihiel, among other things. As a law school professor, Dr. Sneiderman's description of Billy Mitchell's court martial was very enlightening. The entire chapter on Robert E. Lee was an eye opener for me, revealing the flaws in that great general's leadership style. Neither General Lee nor the Army of Northern Virgina won the Seven Days' Battle and the Army of the Potomac didn't lose it. Only General McClellan lost it and he would have lost to anyone. General Lee's (and Stonewall Jackson's) blunders in that battle stole the best chance the South had of defeating the North. There are some flaws. I would have preferred that the author spend more time with Brian Linn than with Leon Wolff in his discussion of the Phillipine insurrection, since Linn is more accurate, analytical and fair, but Dr. Sneiderman provides the balance that Wolff does not. And the "ironic" portions of the chapter - a reminder that a victory in battle can have all sorts of ramifications not considered at the time - could have been more developed, but that is just my personal preference. The editing also leaves something to be desired. A Hessian general suddenly becomes a colonel two paragraphs later and I lost track of how many times we were told that P.G.T. Beauregard commanded the South's artillery when it bombarded Fort Sumter, but one can blame neither the author nor the publisher. In a moving preface, the publisher describes a race against death rivaling Ulysses Grant's as Dr. Sneiderman, stricken with terminal cancer, rushed to complete the book (and his publisher hurried to get the proof in his hands) before he died. A fitting tribute to the heroism of an author worthy of his subject.

An insightful perspective of American history

I seldom read history (military or otherwise), but this book caught my attention. By following the lives of seven accomplished, yet sometimes controversial, miliary leaders, the reader can explore whether "history makes the person" or "the person makes history". The book seemed more like a series of interesting short biographies of these commanders, with a focus upon important events in their careers, not necessarily the most significant in their lives. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on Benedict Arnold (about whom I knew little but hearsay), Winfield Scott (about whom I knew nothing) and Robert E. Lee (about whom I read much when I was a youth). Those of more contemporary figures (Billy Mitchell and George Patton) had less depth, but served as a good review. The included maps were important in understanding some of the tactical explanations that are provided, and a nice addition. I recommend this book to those interested in military history, American history, and biography. Sneiderman writes with an informed, yet light, style, often with tongue in cheek, which kept my interest throughout. The bibliography reflects the detailed research that was required to develop this book, and the extensive index makes it easy to locate items of particular attention.