In this Book
- Chasing Ghosts: Unconventional Warfare in American History
- Book
- 2011
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
summary
The turbulent occupation of Iraq has once again embroiled the United States military in an unconventional war. Chasing Ghosts is a study of unconventional warfare in American military history and its implications for the present and future. John J. Tierney examines America’s numerous past experiences with this type of warfare from the Revolutionary War, when American irregulars fought the British and Loyalists, through the Vietnam War, which involved the U.S. military in its largest-ever counterinsurgency campaigns. Other cases covered in the book include guerrilla fighting during the American Civil War; wars between the United States and Native Americans; the Philippine Insurrection; the campaign against Mexico’s Pancho Villa; U.S. occupations of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nicaragua; and other examples from World War II and the Cold War. Most of America’s past encounters with this type of warfare have been forgotten, requiring successive generations of military strategists and policy makers to stumble for answers and improvise strategies every time. While each war has its own unique circumstances, Tierney’s analytical history will provide the case studies necessary to reduce this continual relearning process in the future. By illuminating this extensive and largely forgotten history, Tierney aims to better inform policy makers, the military, and the public about if, when, and how the United States should fight unconventional wars.
Table of Contents
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- List of Illustrations
- pp. ix-x
- Acknowledgments
- pp. xvii-xviii
- Introduction
- pp. 1-18
- Part I: Home Frontiers: Terrorism, Guerrilla War, and the American Cause
- 3. Gray Ghosts vs. Union Bluecoats
- pp. 52-61
- Part II: Foreign Frontiers: Expansion, Insurrection, and Counterinsurgency
- Introduction to Part II: Imperialism
- pp. 99-106
- 9. Mexico: Texas Rangers to Pancho Villa
- pp. 140-160
- 12. Nicaragua: Protest and Withdrawal
- pp. 192-207
- 13. World War: Guerrilla Theaters
- pp. 208-216
- 14. Cold War: Aid and Advice
- pp. 217-230
- 16. Renewal: Vietnam to the Persian Gulf
- pp. 248-257
- Epilogue: Does History Repeat?
- pp. 258-264
- Selected Bibliography
- pp. 275-282
- About the Author
- p. 289
Additional Information
ISBN
9781597973984
Related ISBN(s)
9781597970150
MARC Record
OCLC
755612373
Pages
308
Launched on MUSE
2016-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No