{"product_id":"seeds-of-victory-james-ellman-9780811776776","title":"Seeds of Victory: Defeat, Triumph, and the American Way of War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow pivotal American defeats fueled crucial victories through resilience and strategic adaptation, shaping the nation's path from loss to triumph in warfare\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Like all armed forces, the United States military--while celebrated for its victories--has been repeatedly defeated on the battlefield throughout its long history. Unlike other nations, the United States has shown a remarkable ability to bounce back from defeat: to learn from the loss, recover, and achieve victory. In this book James Ellman, who has established a reputation for his reconsiderations of military history, takes a close look at eight such pivot points on the ground, in the air, and at sea, from the American Revolution through the Korean War: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Long Island (1776) to Trenton and Princeton (1777) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Charleston (1780) to Cowpens and Guilford Court House (1781) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Invasion of Canada (1812) to Battles of Lake Erie and the Thames (1813) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e First Bull Run (1861) to Antietam (1862) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Pearl Harbor (1941) to Midway (1942) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Luzon (1942) to Buna-Gona (1943) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Schweinfurt (1943) to the \"Big B\" (1944) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chongchon River (1950) to Operation Ripper (1951) \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e In brisk narratives, Ellman describes each battle, explaining how it was fought and lost, and then shifts gears to detail how leaders--military as well as civilian--such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Chester Nimitz, Douglas MacArthur, James Doolittle, and Matthew Ridgway assessed the factors that led to defeat, and made changes to training, tactics, and strategy, so that American forces entered the next battle wiser and able to win. \u003cbr\u003e Ellman then uses this framework to evaluate the wars waged in more recent decades in Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Surprisingly, despite the accepted consensus that these conflicts resulted in painful defeats, the American military repeatedly showed its historic ability to react and recover, and if not achieve victory, at least stabilize the situation on the battlefield. While US forces eventually pulled out of these three conflicts, the overarching Cold War and War on Terror were still concluded in America's favor. \u003cbr\u003e As this book makes clear, the history of the United States at war is, to a surprising degree, the story of tenacity in the wake of defeat, of flexibility and adaptability on the path to victory. This is essential reading for understanding how battles are lost and won. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James Ellman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0811776778\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780811776776\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Stackpole Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/15\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 336\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover","brand":"James Ellman","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":46685813014783,"sku":"9780811776776","price":29.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4ecb4fa8-6b68-45bb-97b1-8c13fe598215.jpg?v=1741726847","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/seeds-of-victory-james-ellman-9780811776776","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}