Patterns of War Since the Eighteenth Century

As the title indicates, the Army's Command & General Staff College requires students to read Patterns of War in the core history class. Professors can make best use of this book as a supplement to a more thorough analysis into military history. Addington surveys the history of warfare from the evolution of national warfare in France and the U.S. in the late 1700's to operations in Desert Storm. This book will not provide a lot of depth or analysis, simply the basic facts and a good list of sources from which to perform further research. If a student or enthusiast of history, use Patterns of War to gain a cursory understanding of many of the conflicts in the last two centuries. Or, use it as a basis to launch into further study and learning. Addington provides a respectable review of the development of 200 years of war.

An outstanding work that can be turned to time and time again. Addington does a great job of consolidating a lengthy period of time into an easy read. I have used the book for research sources for several papers and studies. I studied under him as an under-grad at The Citadel and took his class. The book is well though out and well researched, a great reference.