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This volume covers leaders "in the shadows" during the four major conflicts the United States engaged in from the end of the 19th century to the middle years of the 20th: the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, World War I, and World War II. It tells the stories of more than 20 individuals and chronicles their activities through conflagrations spanning five decades. To enable readers to put these exploits into proper context, each chapter traces the roots of the conflict covered and discusses the paths that led to America's involvement.

Throughout the book, examples are also noted of leaders whose major renown is associated with a specific war--John J. Pershing, America's towering military figure during World War I, for example--who also rendered exemplary though largely forgotten service during a different conflict (in Pershing's case, the Philippine Insurrection). Of special interest to many audiences may be the commentaries regarding the World War I services of officers such as Eisenhower, Marshall, Patton, and Bradley--an aspect of their long military careers overshadowed by their World War II renown and too often minimized in consequence.

The book also features brief biographies of officers whose contributions, while less consequential on the world stage than those of colleagues chronicled elsewhere in these pages, are nonetheless deserving of far more recognition than has thus far been accorded them.