Product Description

• Did America win its independence because British generals were too busy canoodling with their mistresses?

• Should America have annexed Mexico—all of it—and Cuba too?

• Did 1776 justify Southern secession in the nineteenth century?

• Should Patton have been promoted over Eisenhower?

• Did the U.S. military win—and Congress lose—the Vietnam War?

• Was it right to depose Saddam Hussein—and is it wrong to worry about a possible Iraqi civil war?

The answer to these questions is a resounding yes, says author H. W. Crocker III in this stirring and contrarian new book.

In Don’t Tread on Me, Crocker unfolds four hundred years of American military history, revealing how Americans were born Indian fighters whose military prowess carved out first a continental and then a global empire—a Pax Americana that has been a benefit to the world.

From the seventeenth century on, he argues, Americans have shown a jealous regard for their freedom—and have backed it up with an unheralded skill in small-unit combat operations, a tradition that includes Rogers’ Rangers, Merrill’s Marauders, and today’s Special Forces.

He shows that Americans were born to the foam too, with a mastery of naval gunnery and tactics that allowed America’s Navy, even in its infancy, to defeat French and British warships and expand American commerce on the seas.

Most of all, Crocker highlights the courage of the dogface infantry, the fighting leathernecks, and the daring sailors and airmen who have turned the tide of battle again and again.

In Don’t Tread on Me, still forests are suddenly pierced by the Rebel Yell and a surge of grey. Teddy Roosevelt’s spectacles flash in the sunlight as he leads his Rough Riders charging up San Juan Hill. American doughboys rip into close-quarters combat against the Germans. Marines drive the Japanese out of their island fortresses using flamethrowers, grenades, and guts. GIs slug their way into Hitler’s Germany. The long twilight struggle against communism is fought in the snows of Korea and the steaming jungles of Vietnam. And today, U.S. Navy SEALs and U.S. Army Rangers battle Islamist terrorists in the bleak mountains of Afghanistan, just as their forebears fought Barbary pirates two hundred years ago.

Fast-paced and riveting, Don’t Tread on Me is a bold look at the history of America at war.


Also available as an eBook

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #436009 in Books
• Published on: 2006-09-05
• Released on: 2006-09-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 464 pages

From Booklist
There is something in this iconoclastic book to offend just about everyone. Crocker, a journalist and former political speechwriter, seems to delight in poking fun at a wide variety of targets in his survey of U.S. military conflicts from the colonial period to the present: Native Americans were savage, merciless barbarians; in the War of Independence, British generals were timid playboys, and many American patriots fought to protect their right to smuggle; Eisenhower was a cautious, political general who should have pushed American forces further east to limit Soviet domination. The one constant object of Crocker's admiration is the prowess of the ordinary American fighting man, portrayed by Crocker as tough, disciplined, and able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances on the battlefield. This isn't a scholarly work, and specialists could cringe at Crocker's sweeping generalizations and hyperbole. But laymen who wish to gain a general acquaintance with America's military history might appreciate Crocker's breezy narrative and irreverant style. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“Talk about politically incorrect! Don’t Tread on Me is the best, most entertaining account of the American warrior I’ve ever read. Crocker gets it! So will you.” —Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), former military aide to the president, bestselling author of Dereliction of Duty and War Crimes

“Robust and provocative, Don’t Tread on Me is a unique addition to any library of American history—and it might try to annex your neighboring volumes.” —Tony Blankley, McLaughlin Group panelist, bestselling author of The West’s Last Chance

“In Don’t Tread on Me, Crocker writes manfully of our nation’s proud martial spirit that is assailed on so many sides today. I was ready to head to the nearest armed forces recruiting office after reading it.” —Steven F. Hayward, author of Churchill on Leadership and The Age of Reagan, 1964–1980

“The central thrust of Harry Crocker’s sparkling book is that a nation’s very essence is reflected in the character of its military, that its history is written in the blood and courage of its fighting men. In prose as unblinking as it is fast-moving, he tells the story of the creation of the ‘American Empire.’ This book is a true one-of-a-kind; its power flows from Crocker’s focus on the dauntless warriors who forged and safeguarded the United States of America.” —Lt. Gen. Dave R. Palmer, U.S. Army (Ret.), former superintendent of West Point, author of George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots

“Don’t Tread on Me is that rare but admirable thing—a book written from a Tory, Imperialist, Southern Gentleman’s perspective. Winston Churchill and Andrew Jackson would both be proud. A rousing read through the rattling good tales of Am...

Review
“Talk about politically incorrect! Don’t Tread on Me is the best, most entertaining account of the American warrior I’ve ever read. Crocker gets it! So will you.” —Lt. Col. Robert “Buzz” Patterson, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), former military aide to the president, bestselling author of Dereliction of Duty and War Crimes

“Robust and provocative, Don’t Tread on Me is a unique addition to any library of American history—and it might try to annex your neighboring volumes.” —Tony Blankley, McLaughlin Group panelist, bestselling author of The West’s Last Chance

“In Don’t Tread on Me, Crocker writes manfully of our nation’s proud martial spirit that is assailed on so many sides today. I was ready to head to the nearest armed forces recruiting office after reading it.” —Steven F. Hayward, author of Churchill on Leadership and The Age of Reagan, 1964–1980

“The central thrust of Harry Crocker’s sparkling book is that a nation’s very essence is reflected in the character of its military, that its history is written in the blood and courage of its fighting men. In prose as unblinking as it is fast-moving, he tells the story of the creation of the ‘American Empire.’ This book is a true one-of-a-kind; its power flows from Crocker’s focus on the dauntless warriors who forged and safeguarded the United States of America.” —Lt. Gen. Dave R. Palmer, U.S. Army (Ret.), former superintendent of West Point, author of George Washington and Benedict Arnold: A Tale of Two Patriots

“Don’t Tread on Me is that rare but admirable thing—a book written from a Tory, Imperialist, Southern Gentleman’s perspective. Winston Churchill and Andrew Jackson would both be proud. A rousing read through the rattling good tales of American history.” —John O’Sullivan, editor-at-large for National Review

“A book as dashing, formidable, and triumphant as the American fighting man it describes.” —Bernard Cornwell, author of Sharpe’s Fury and the bestselling Richard Sharpe series

Customer Reviews

Military History at Mach Speed
If more historians covered their subject matter the way Harry Crocker does, perhaps today's younger generation wouldn't suffer from the historical "amnesia" that afflicts it. Fast-paced, stirring, and thoroughly researched, "Don't Tread on Me" is at once moving and action-packed. Painting a 400-year panoramic picture of the broad sweep of military history is difficult, but Crocker does it with bold and detailed strokes. This is a must-read.

A great read, despite retired rants:
I presume H.W. Crocker III wrote his crackerjack book for many reasons, one of which must be to set the record -- and the ranters and ravers -- straight. While one is tempted to ignore the shocking errors of some off-the-mark critics, here are the facts, as Crocker lays out in detail:

(1) "Desert Storm" was not incorrectly labeled "Desert Saber." The fact is the book rightly says that "Desert Saber" was the land component of "Desert Storm."

(2) Chief Joseph was, in fact, bested by General Nelson Miles rather than General Oliver Howard. After all, Chief Joseph surrendered to Nelson Miles, and no one else.

Everyone is entitled to disagree with Crocker's POV, which is, after all, boldly challenging much conventional wisdom. But critics ought not resort to glaring errors in an attempt to point out purported mistakes. This book should be an important part of an open -- and honest -- conversation about our nation's historic legacy and America's place in the world.

Thought provoking
Freedom isn't free, and whether it was at Valley Forge or Pearl Harbor, the United States has had to fight for the right to remain an exceptional nation. H.W. Crocker's story is a great tribute to the men and women who have served in uniform and defended our borders. Needless to say, in these uncertain times, "Don't Tread on Me" is an important reminder that we Americans cannot take our freedoms for granted.