Drawing on little-used manuscripts and other primary records Kennett tells the whole story of the vital French expedition that helped win the Revolution.

Lee Kennett provides a vivid portrait of the American soldier, or G.I., in World War II, from his registration in the draft, training in boot camp, combat in Europe and the Pacific, and to his final role as conqueror and occupier. It is all here: the "greetings" from Uncle Sam; endless lines in induction centers across the country; the unfamiliar and demanding world of the training camp, with its concomitant jokes, pranks, traditions, and taboos; and the comparative largess with which the Army was outfitted and supplied. Here we witness the G.I. facing combat: the courage, the heroism, the fear, and perhaps above all, the camaraderie - the bonds of those who survived the tragic sense of loss when a comrade died. Finally, when the war was over, the G.I.'s frequently experienced clumsy, hilarious, and explosive interactions with their civilian allies and with the former enemies whose countries they now occupied. Lee Kennett is Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Georgia. Among his many books are For the Duration . . .: The United States Goes to War, Pearl Harbor-1942, A History of Strategic Bombing, and, most recently, Marching through Georgia: The Story of Soldiers and Civilians during Sherman's Campaign.

"The Russian Campaign, 1812" chronicles the events of Napoleon's Russian campaign through the journal of the Duke of Fezensac. A professional soldier and officer, Fezensac kept his journal for family and close friends. It was first published in France in 1849 and won the high praise of literary critic Sainte-Beuve who said, "The impression that it leaves on the mind is ineffaceable."

Fezensac was familiar with both the inner circle of men under Napoleon's direct command as well as the common soldier in the field. Rather than writing a sweeping account of the massive campaign, Fezensac concentrated on telling a very personal account of what it was like to be part of the long retreat from Moscow. Lee B. Kennett's idiomatic and careful translation embodies the freshness and immediacy of the original.