Bibliography of United States military history

This is a bibliography of works on the military history of the United States.

Surveys

 * Huston, James A. The Sinews of War: Army Logistics, 1775-1953 (1966), U.S. Army; 755pp  online
 * Anderson, Fred, ed. The Oxford Companion to American Military History (2000)
 * Black, Jeremy. Fighting for America: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519-1871 (2011)
 * Boyne, Walter J. Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force, 1947–2007 (2007) excerpt and text search, popular
 * Chambers, ed. John Whiteclay. The Oxford Guide to American Military History (1999) ISBN 0-19-507198-0
 * Futrell, Robert Frank. Ideas, Concepts, Doctrine: A History of Basic Thinking in the United States Air Force (2 vol. 1979)
 * Doughty, Robert. American Military History and the Evolution of Western Warfare, (1996) ISBN 0-669-41683-5
 * Hearn, Chester G. Air Force: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Air Force from 1910 to the 21st Century (2008), popular excerpt and text search
 * Howarth, Stephen. To Shining Sea: A History of the United States Navy, 1775–1998 (1999) excerpt and text search; a standard history
 * Love, Robert W.  History of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1941 (1992) and History of the U.S. Navy, 1942–1991 (1992) vol 1 excerpt and text search; vol 2 excerpt and text search; a standard history
 * Matloff, Maurice, ed. American Military History (1996) full text online; standard textbook used in ROTC
 * Millett, Allan R., and Peter Maslowski. For the common defense: a military history of the United States of America (1984)
 * Millett, Allan R. Semper Fidelis. A History of the United States Marine Corps (1991)
 * Sweeney, Jerry K., and Kevin B. Byrne, eds. A Handbook of American Military History: From the Revolutionary War to the Present, (1997) ISBN 0-8133-2871-3
 * Weigley, Russell Frank. The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy, (1977) excerpt and text search
 * Futrell, Robert Frank. Ideas, Concepts, Doctrine: A History of Basic Thinking in the United States Air Force (2 vol. 1979)
 * Doughty, Robert. American Military History and the Evolution of Western Warfare, (1996) ISBN 0-669-41683-5
 * Hearn, Chester G. Air Force: An Illustrated History: The U.S. Air Force from 1910 to the 21st Century (2008), popular excerpt and text search
 * Howarth, Stephen. To Shining Sea: A History of the United States Navy, 1775–1998 (1999) excerpt and text search; a standard history
 * Love, Robert W.  History of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1941 (1992) and History of the U.S. Navy, 1942–1991 (1992) vol 1 excerpt and text search; vol 2 excerpt and text search; a standard history
 * Matloff, Maurice, ed. American Military History (1996) full text online; standard textbook used in ROTC
 * Millett, Allan R., and Peter Maslowski. For the common defense: a military history of the United States of America (1984)
 * Millett, Allan R. Semper Fidelis. A History of the United States Marine Corps (1991)
 * Sweeney, Jerry K., and Kevin B. Byrne, eds. A Handbook of American Military History: From the Revolutionary War to the Present, (1997) ISBN 0-8133-2871-3
 * Weigley, Russell Frank. The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy, (1977) excerpt and text search

Atlases

 * Esposito, Vincent J. West Point Atlas of American Wars. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1959.
 * Esposito, Vincent J. The West Point Atlas of American Wars: 1900-1918 (1997), covers entire war, not just US role
 * Griess, Thomas E. Atlas for the Second World War: Europe and the Mediterranean (2002)
 * Griess, Thomas E. West Point Atlas for the Second World War: Asia and the Pacific (2002)
 * Griess, Thomas E. West Point Atlas for the American Civil War (2002)
 * Griess, Thomas E. The West Point Atlas for Modern Warfare (2011)
 * Griess, Thomas E. West Point Atlas for the Great War: Strategies and Tactics of the First World War (2003)
 * Murray, Stuart. Atlas of American Military History (2005) ISBN 0-8160-5578-5
 * Murray, Stuart. Atlas of American Military History (2005) ISBN 0-8160-5578-5

Pre 1775

 * Anderson, Fred. The War That Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War (2006) excerpt and text search
 * Grenier, John. The First Way of War: American War Making on the Frontier, 1607–1814 (Cambridge University Press, 2005).
 * Grenier, John. "Recent Trends in the Historiography on Warfare in the Colonial Period (1607–1765)," History Compass April 2010 Volume 8, Issue 4, pages 358–367,
 * Hirsch, Adam J. The Collision of Military Cultures in Seventeenth-Century New England," Journal of American History, 74 (1988): 1187–1212. in JSTOR
 * Starkey, A. European and Native American Warfare, 1675–1815 (University of Oklahoma Press, 1998)
 * Steele, Ian. Warpaths: Invasions of North America (Oxford University Press, 1994).
 * Tucker, Spencer C., James Arnold, and Roberta Wiener eds. The Encyclopedia of North American Colonial Conflicts to 1775: A Political, Social, and Military History (2008) excerpt and text search

1775–1800

 * Alden, John R. A History of the American Revolution (1989), general survey; strong on military (ISBN 0-306-80366-6)
 * Black, Jeremy. America as a Military Power: From the American Revolution to the Civil War (2002) online edition
 * Carp, E. Wayne. "Early American Military History: A Review of Recent Work", Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 94 (1986), pp. 259–84.
 * Fremont-Barnes, Gregory, and Richard A. Ryerson, eds. The Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War: A Political, Social, and Military History (ABC-CLIO, 2006) 5 volume paper and online editions; 1000 entries by 150 experts, covering all topics
 * Higginbotham, Don. The War of American Independence: Military Attitudes, Policies, and Practice, 1763–1789 (1971, 1983). an analytical history of the war online via ACLS Humanities E-Book.
 * Lancaster, Bruce. The American Revolution (American Heritage Library) (ISBN 0-8281-0281-3) (1985), heavily illustrated
 * Middlekauff, Robert. The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763–1789 (2nd ed 2007) online edition

1800–1860

 * Bauer K. Jack. The Mexican War, 1846–1848. (1974), good on military action.
 * Black, Jeremy. America as a Military Power: From the American Revolution to the Civil War (2002) online edition
 * Crawford, Mark et al. eds. Encyclopedia of the Mexican War (1999) (ISBN 1-57607-059-X)
 * Frazier, Donald S. ed. The U.S. and Mexico at War, (1998), 584; an encyclopedia with 600 articles by 200 scholars
 * Heidler, Donald & Jeanne T. Heidler (eds) Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 (2nd ed 2004) 636pp; most comprehensive guide to this war; 500 entries by 70 scholars from several countries
 * Heidler, David S. and Heidler, Jeanne T. The War of 1812. (2002). 217 pp.  short survey
 * Heidler, David S. and Heidler, Jeanne T. The Mexican War. (2005). 225 pp.  basic survey, with some key primary sources
 * Hickey, Donald R. Don't Give Up the Ship! Myths of the War of 1812. (2006)
 * Hickey, Donald R. The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict. (1990), standard scholarly history
 * Johnson, Timothy D. Winfield Scott: The Quest for Military Glory (1998)
 * McCaffrey, James M. Army of Manifest Destiny: The American Soldier in the Mexican War, 1846–1848 (1994)excerpt and text search
 * Quimby, Robert S., The US Army in the War of 1812: an operational and command study (1997) online version
 * Roosevelt, Theodore. The Naval War of 1812 (1882) full text online, by the future president
 * Smith, Justin H. The War with Mexico 2 vol  (1919); Pulitzer Prize; 2:233-52; online vol 1; online vol 2 Pulitzer Prize winner.
 * Winders, Richard Price. Mr. Polk's Army (1997) excerpt and text search, focus on the soldiers

Civil War

 * Beringer, Richard E., Archer Jones, and Herman Hattaway. The Elements of Confederate Defeat: Nationalism, War Aims, and Religion (1988)
 * Carter, Alice E. and Richard Jensen. The Civil War on the Web: A Guide to the Very Best Sites (2nd ed. 2003) excerpt and text search
 * Catton, Bruce. Centennial History of the Civil War (3 vols. 1961–65); Catton has many very well written books on the war
 * Current, Richard N., et al. eds. Encyclopedia of the Confederacy (1993) (4 Volume set; also 1 vol abridged version)
 * Donald, David et al. The Civil War and Reconstruction (2001); 700 pages
 * Faust, Patricia L., ed. Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War (1986) (ISBN 0-06-181261-7) 2000 short entries
 * Fellman, Michael et al. This Terrible War: The Civil War and its Aftermath (2nd ed. 2007), 544 pages
 * Heidler, David Stephen, ed. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History (2002), 1600 entries in 2700 pages in 5 vol or 1-vol editions
 * McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (1988), 900 pages; excerpt and text search; also complete online edition, Pulitzer Prize; comprehensive history
 * Nevins, Allan. Ordeal of the Union, an 8-volume set (1947–1971). the most detailed political, economic and military narrative; by Pulitzer Prize winner
 * vol 1. Fruits of Manifest Destiny, 1847–1852; 2. A House Dividing, 1852–1857; 3. Douglas, Buchanan, and Party Chaos, 1857–1859; 4. Prologue to Civil War, 1859–1861; 5. The Improvised War, 1861–1862; 6. War Becomes Revolution, 1862–1863; 7. The Organized War, 1863–1864; 8. The Organized War to Victory, 1864–1865 
 * Rhodes, James Ford. ''History of the Civil War, 1861–1865 (1918), old, accurate survey; won Pulitzer prize
 * Shannon, Fred. The Organization and Administration of the Union Army 1861–1865 (2 vol 1928) vol 1 excerpt and text search; vol 2 excerpt and text search
 * Symonds, Craig L. and William J. Clipson. A Battlefield Atlas of the Civil War (1993) schematic maps that are easy to understand

1865–1917

 * Abrahamson, James L. America Arms for a New Century: The Making of a Great Military Power (1981), examines reformers and modernizers
 * Coffman, Edward M. The Old Army: A Portrait of the American Army in Peacetime, 1784–1898 (1986).
 * Cosmas, Graham A. An Army for Empire: The United States Army and the Spanish–American War (1971), looks at organization, not combat
 * Holmes, James R. Theodore Roosevelt and World Order: Police Power in International Relations. (2006).
 * Trask, David F. The War with Spain in 1898 (1996), 654pp excerpt and text search, the most detailed scholarly coverage
 * Utley, Robert M. Frontier Regulars; the United States Army and the Indian, 1866–1891 (1973)

World War I

 * Chambers, John W., II. To Raise an Army: The Draft Comes to Modern America (1987)
 * Coffman, Edward M. The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I (1998), a standard history
 * Freidel, Frank. Over There (1964), well illustrated history by scholar
 * Hurley, Alfred F. Billy Mitchell, Crusader for Air Power (1975)
 * Kennedy, David M. Over Here: The First World War and American Society (1982)
 * Koistinen, Paul. Mobilizing for Modern War: The Political Economy of American Warfare, 1865–1919 (2004)
 * Venzon, Anne ed. The United States in the First World War: An Encyclopedia (1995)

Interwar

 * Coffman, Edward M. The Regulars: The American Army, 1898–1941 (2007) excerpt and text search
 * Koistinen, Paul A. C. Planning War, Pursuing Peace: The Political Economy of American Warfare, 1920–1939 (1998) excerpt and text search

World War II

 * Ambrose, Stephen. The Supreme Commander: The War Years of Dwight D. Eisenhower (1999) excerpt and text search
 * James, D. Clayton. The Years of Macarthur 1941–1945 (1975), vol 2. of standard scholarly biography
 * Koistinen, Paul A. C. Arsenal of World War II: the political economy of American warfare, 1940–1945? (2004)
 * Larrabee, Eric. Commander in Chief: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, His Lieutenants, and Their War (2004), chapters on all the key American war leaders excerpt and text search
 * Morison, Two-Ocean War: A Short History of the United States Navy in the Second World War (2007)
 * Perret, Geoffrey. There's a War to Be Won: The United States Army in World War II (1997)
 * Perret, Geoffrey. Winged Victory: The Army Air Forces in World War II (1997)
 * Pogue, Forrest. George C. Marshall: Ordeal and Hope, 1939–1942 (1999); George C. Marshall: Organizer of Victory, 1943–1945 (1999); standard scholarly biography
 * Potter, E. B. Nimitz.  (1976).
 * Sherrod, Robert Lee. History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II (1987)
 * Spector, Ronald. Eagle Against the Sun: The American War With Japan (1985)
 * Weigley, Russell. Eisenhower's Lieutenants: The Campaigns of France and Germany, 1944–45 (1990)
 * Weinberg, Gerhard L. A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II (1994). Global history of the war; strong on diplomacy of FDR and other main leaders

Cold War

 * Atkins, Stephen E. Historical Encyclopedia of Atomic Energy. (2000). 491 pp.
 * Bacevich, Andrew J., ed. The Long War: A New History of U.S. National Security Policy Since World War II (2007) excerpt and text search
 * Bundy, McGeorge. Danger and Survival: Choices About the Bomb in the First Fifty Years (1988).
 * Friedman, Norman. The Fifty Year War: Conflict and Strategy in the Cold War. (2000) excerpt and text search
 * Gaddis, John Lewis. Strategies of Containment: A Critical Appraisal of Postwar American National Security Policy (1982) online edition; also excerpt and text search
 * Goldfischer, David. The Best Defense: Policy Alternatives for U.S. Nuclear Security from the 1950s to the 1990s. (1993). 283 pp.
 * Isenberg, Michael T. Shield of the Republic: The United States Navy in an Era of Cold War and Violent Peace 1945–1962 (1993)
 * Lewis, Adrian R. The American Culture of War: The History of U.S. Military Force from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom (2006) excerpt and text search
 * Williamson, Samuel R., Jr. and Reardon, Steven L. The Origins of U.S. Nuclear Strategy, 1945–1953. (1993). 224 pp.

Korea and Vietnam

 * Brune, Lester H. ed. The Korean War: Handbook of the Literature and Research (1996) online edition
 * Anderson, David L. Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War (2004).
 * Herring, George C. America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975 (4th ed 2001), most widely used short history.
 * Kutler, Stanley ed. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War (1996). essays by experts
 * Lewy, Guenter. America in Vietnam (1978), defends U.S. actions.
 * Schulzinger, Robert D. Time for War: The United States and Vietnam, 1941–1975. (1997) online edition
 * Tucker, Spencer. ed. Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War (1998) 3 vol. reference set; also one-volume abridgement (2001).
 * Tucker, Spencer. Vietnam. (1999) 226pp. online edition
 * Tucker, Spencer, ed. Encyclopedia of the Korean War (2002)
 * The Pentagon Papers (Gravel ed. 5 vol 1971); combination of narrative and secret documents compiled by Pentagon. excerpts