The Echo of Battle

“This is a well-researched book, full of insight and good sense.”—Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs

“I expect this book to stir considerable controversy and healthy debate. Younger officers may well come to view it as a Bible of sorts. I expect it to sell very well at the Army’s educational institutions where I have been recommending it since reading the first chapter. It has the potential to transform professional thinking in the most positive way. This book demonstrates Linn’s mastery of the language of the profession in readable English, something all too rarely seen.”—Douglas V. Johnson II, Journal of Military History

“Few books could be more timely than Brian Linn’s The Echo of Battle: The Army’s Way of War. Linn has written a serious and comprehensive intellectual history of the U.S. Army. He traces Army thought from the American Revolution to the war on terrorism. It is hard to imagine a scholar more suited to take on the task… Linn’s overview of the Army’s efforts to deal with the new world disorder is unparalleled.”—James Jay Carafano, Army

“[A] remarkable new history of how the army anticipated future wars and analyzed past ones… Linn’s assessment of army thought in the post–Cold War era is especially enlightening. This is an exceedingly well-crafted book that belongs on all shelves supporting the history of the U.S. military tradition.”—E. A. Goedeken, Choice

“An unsettling but stimulating review of American military planning.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Brilliant, original, and very entertaining. The Echo of Battle is an extraordinary lens that brings today’s U.S. Army into sharp focus by looking into our past. Brian Linn has written a masterful book.”—Rick Atkinson, author of An Army at Dawn

“The Echo of Battle is a masterpiece. With its appearance, Brian Linn establishes himself as the preeminent military historian of his generation.”—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War

“Brian Linn’s account of the Army’s long internal debate over its mission and fighting concepts is timely and provocative. His interpretation renders a tough judgment of the service’s past efforts to adapt to change. The Echo of Battle should make today’s discussions of how the armed forces will visualize and prepare for future conflict better informed and more self-aware.”—Lieutenant General L.D. Holder, U.S. Army (Ret.)

“Brian Linn’s The Echo of Battle is one of the most significant books ever written on the American military experience. It places him on the top rung of military historians.”—Allan R. Millett, University of New Orleans