Without the advantage of birth or social connections, Horatio Herbert Kitchener rose rapidly in the Army, from obscure subaltern to the most acclaimed soldier in Britain. In August 1914, in the hour of his country's greatest need, he dutifully responded to the call to serve as secretary for war. George Cassar's study focuses on Kitchener's role in recognizing and framing the larger issues of the war facing his countrymen and the Allies. From...