American infantrymen served their country in the fury of battle with muskets, rifles, bayonets, and bare hands. Gregory J.W. Urwin narrates the history of these men from their colonial origins through the War of 1812, the Mexican War, Civil War, the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, and finally to their painful coming of age in 1918, as a world-class combat force on the fields of France in World War I. He describes their strategic and tactical challenges and documents how military leaders responded to changes and implemented new policies. Thirty-two color plates by illustrator Darby Erd accurately depict uniforms, arms, and accoutrements. Eight maps of campaigns and more than one hundred black-and-white illustrations accompany the narrative.