Down the centuries, war has exerted a unique fascination on the human mind. Partly this fascination consists of admiration at the heroism and self-sacrifice which war has produced, partly in horror at its brutality and waste: but, simply as human drama, war cannot be surpassed. Until the present age of nuclear conflict, war has been a contest of individuals pitting their skills and courage against each other. This book concerns those who have shaped the course of war. It will provide 'a biography' of war, presenting the most interesting and important figures in military history from 1453 to the 1980s.\n\nThe text concentrates on Europe and the Americas, the areas which have produced most of the significant contributions of war, and on those periods about which the reader is most likely to want information: the eighteenth century wars in Europe, the American Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars and the major conflicts of the nineteenth century. There is also a full coverage of the First and Second World Wars and the many smaller post-war struggles. \n\nBoth John Keegan and Andrew Wheatcroft are practising military historians, and this book is product of their own need for a wide-ranging Who's Who in the world of military history. The book is illustrated throughout with a comprehensive selection of portraits, paintings and photographs, and a series of maps shows the main theatres of war.