Rank and File: The Common Soldier at Peace and War, 1642-1914

xxiii, 424 pp. "...compiled from the original writings of private soldiers (or by men who once were private soldiers, such as Field Marshal Robertson) and deals with their lives at home and abroad; their recruitment; domestic affairs; barracks and billets; their campaigns in victory and defeat; and their ultimate destinies. Most of the soldiers are British, but Frenchmen, Germans and Americans also are included."--jacket