In this collection of accounts of famous battles, the whole changing nature of recorded warfare is explored, from Thermopylae, in Ancient Greece, to Operation Desert Storm. Here are the words of those who fought in history's greatest battles - some accounts come from those who were in command, and give an overview of the whole arena of war; others are from the footsoldiers or low-ranking officers, whose concerns are the field of events directly alongside them. To give a firm foundation to these accounts the book includes 50 maps, which show the location of the battlefields and strategic development of the campaigns. The sections are arranged chronologically, and start with the Classical World. It then progresses to the Medieval World, to the time of the Crusades and the Hundred Years War. Horse and Musket covers the period from the English Civil War to the American Civil War, taking in the American War of Independence, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the War of 1812-15 and the Crimea. The modern era encompasses World War I and II, Vietnam, the Falklands and the Gulf War...