Since the time when ordinary citizens from New Hampshire to Georgia answered George Washington's call to arms, war has been a staple of American policy. In so doing, the objectives have been to advance the cause of freedom, protect U.S. interests, and—increasingly—to impose America's will upon other nations. In this collection, Terence Finn provides a set of narratives on the 12 major wars America has fought, explaining what happened, and why such places as Saratoga and Antietam, Manila Bay and Midway are important to an understanding of America's past and present.