Books in the War and Society in North America series

In the decades since the Vietnam War, veteran memoirs have influenced Americans' understanding of the conflict. Yet few historians or literary scholars have scrutinized how the genre has shaped the nation's collective memory of the war and its aftermath.

Protecting the Empire's Frontier tells stories of the roughly eighty officers who served in the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot, which served British interests in America during the crucial period from 1767 through 1776.

Jacob Dolson Cox, a former divinity student with no formal military training, was among those who rose to the challenge. In a conflict in which "political generals" often proved less than competent, Cox, the consummate citizen general, emerged as one of the best commanders in the Union army.