From his researches in the communication of the trenches of military history, Max Hastings has assembled a fascinating collection of anecdotes which illuminate the condition of the soldier through the ages in barracks and on the battlefield. The selection embraces both the tragic and the comic, finding room for eccentrics as well as heroes, rankers, and generals. Extending from biblical times to conflicts of the twentieth century, it presents an absorbing record of the glories and tribulations of military life.