Only one U.S. Army regiment, the 7th Infantry, has served in every war from 1812 through the present day. In this reissuance of his classic American Courage, American Carnage: 7th Infantry Chronicles 1812 Through World War II, noted military historian and best-selling author John C McManus tells the first part of the 7th’s amazing story, from the Battle of New Orleans through the end of World War II. No American unit has earned more battle streamers and few can boast more Medal of Honor winners.

In the months leading up to the War of 1812, Congress authorized the creation of this regiment. It fought with distinction at the Battle of New Orleans, anchoring General Andrew Jackson's main defensive line, forever earning the nickname "Cottonbalers" because the soldiers of the 7th were said to have battled the British from behind large rows of cotton bales. From now on, whenever Americans went to war, the Cottonbalers would always find themselves in the center of the action, where the danger was greatest.

Between these covers is the whole story, told through the eyes of the soldiers—the realities of combat expressed in raw human terms. From the marshy grounds of the Chalmette plantation in New Orleans to the daunting heights of Chapultepec in Mexico City; from the bloody horror of the long, stone wall at Fredericksburg to the deadly crossfire of the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, from the shocking gore of Custer's massacre at Little Bighorn to the desperation of dusty frontier battles; from the foggy hills of Santiago in Cuba to the muddy, pockmarked no man's land of Belleau Wood in France; from the invasion of North Africa to Sicily, Anzio, southern France, the Vosges Mountains, the breaching of the Rhine, and the 7th's triumphant capture of Hitler's mountain home at Berchtesgaden in May, 1945, this remarkable book chronicles multiple generations of Cottonbalers who have fought and bled for their country.

American Courage, American Carnage is an inside look at the drama, tragedy, fatigue and pathos of war, from America's early nineteenth century struggles as a fledgling republic to its emergence as a superpower in the twentieth. Based on nearly a decade of archival research, battlefield visits, interviews, and intensive study, and illustrated with copious maps and photographs, this book is a moving, authoritative, tale of Americans in combat.
 

In this powerful anniversary edition of China Marine, Eugene B. Sledge—acclaimed author of the classic WWII memoir With the Old Breed—offers an unforgettable portrait of a young Marine navigating the uneasy peace that followed history’s most brutal war. Already celebrated for his visceral honesty and humanity, Sledge deepened his legacy with this rare account of the U.S. occupation of North China, a period as volatile as it was transformative.

Sledge’s memoirs remain enduringly popular because they never flinch from the truth. His reflections resonate across generations, offering readers not only a veteran’s hard-won wisdom but a moving story of survival, friendship, trauma, and the long journey back to ordinary life. His life and words have become part of American cultural memory, featured prominently in both Ken Burns’s PBS series The War and the HBO production The Pacific.

This special anniversary edition honors that legacy with two new forewords: one by his son, bestselling author John Sledge, and another by eminent military historian John McManus, who together illuminate Sledge’s continued relevance in understanding war and its aftermath.

The 7th Infantry Regiment’s motto, “Willing and Able,” speaks volumes about its past. Throughout America’s history the soldiers of this regiment have proven, by their sweat, their sacrifice, and their bloodshed, that they are willing and able to fight America’s wars. They have fought in more battles, in more places, than any other regiment in the United States Army. They boast more Medal of Honor winners than all but one other unit. At practically every crucial moment in America’s wars, the 7th has been there, shaping the future of the country and, by extension, the world.

In this in-depth history of the 7th, acclaimed combat historian John C. McManus takes readers from cold war campaigns through the global war on terror, chronicling the modern era of the regiment’s amazing history. Covering desperate fights for Korean hills, the struggle for control of steamy Vietnamese villages, and the lightning campaign of Desert Storm, the narrative culminates in the 7th’s toils in the Middle East. More than anything, McManus’s chronicle of the 7th portrays these unremarkable, ordinary individuals as the heart and soul of the United States Army. McManus gives a complete account of their struggles, anguish, fears, sacrifices, triumphs, and pride, providing a compelling glimpse not only of these soldiers’ journey through American history, but of the shaping of our nation as a whole.

Based on nearly a decade of research, from archives to battlefield visits to McManus’s personal interviews with countless 7th Infantry soldiers, and illustrated with maps and sixteen pages of photographs, this book is a definitive and moving story of Americans in combat.