encyclopedia or a general history book. Fields of Battle is very specific, and Keegan expects the reader to have a decent amount of pre-existing knowledge about the history of American warfare. This book is not for someone looking for the entertainment value found in “Hollywood war.” It is not totally or intentionally boring, but that is the way it seems sometimes. You must really have a genuine interest in the subject matter to fully enjoy and reap the benefits of Fields of Battle.It is truly mind-boggling to think about all of the information contained in Fields of Battle. John Keegan found out some very remote details about battles that occurred over two hundred years ago. It is very surprising that information such as the time of day that some remote thing in the battle happened or how many men were lost on a certain day or the mindset of a general before a battle. Stuff like that is amazing. Keegan deserves an extraordinary amount of credit for researching things like that – many must have been very hard to find – and then intricately piecing them together to form the chronological outline of a battle. Also, for almost all of the battles described in Fields of Battle, Keegan analyzes the battle and tells what went wrong in a general’s plan, or what they should have done in order to prove successful. Taking the time to meticulously scrutinize battles that took place so long ago requires a true passion for warfare. Keegan certainly has that passion. Most history books are not even nearly as detailed as Fields of Battle, and several people write them. Keegan wrote this book on his own. He also took the battles, and brought them down to a personal level. Because the book is so descriptive and analytical, the reader can actually have a vivid picture of what the battle looked like. Keegan says that he tries to visit every battlefield he can. He does a fine job of transmitting his picture through the book. I...
