Publisher's Synopsis
Of all the words written about war it is surely the letter written from the battlefront to family and friends that is the most pertinent and enlightening. When a man is uncertain of his fate he is stimulated to write from the heart, expressing his love, fear and other emotions in a manner often out of normal character. This absorbing book features letters from nine wars and includes letters from the notable and the unnoticed, from Napoleon and Harry S Truman to the simple soldier wanting to tell of his plight, his dread, perhaps his bravery. It is rare to encounter a collection of such material spanning such time and geographic range and it is this that enables comparison and analysis to intrigue the historian. Many, however, will find these messages will tell them more about military life and the dangers of war than any other book. Letters are featured from the following wars: American War of Independence, the Napoleonic Wars, the Texas Revolution, the Mexican War, the American Civil War, the Apache Wars, the Spanish-American War, World War One and World War Two.;Within the text will be coverage of letter-writing styles, the topics most commonly included, the means of transporting them to their destination, and the questions of censorship and confiscation.
