Feature and Follow - Favorite War Book

I was away at a baseball tournament (THE American game) so please pardon the delay in the post.

Nonfiction my favorite book about war has to be Battle: the Story of the Bulge by John Toland (World War II). I first read an abridged version (for young readers) when I was in 7th grade. I found the full version in 10th grade at the public library. It is one of the few books I have read more than twice. It is that rare book that captures both the strategic picture and the view from the ground of both the individual soldier and the low-level officers.

A few others, from different wars:

Lee's Lieutenants by Douglas Southall Freeman (American Civil War). This was the book that launched the "Lost Cause" theory of the Civil War. It was and still is an influential tome in the study of military strategy and tactics, being required reading for cadets across the world.

Climax at Buena Vista by David Lavender (Mexican-American War). This is a small book about an obscure period in US history. That does not detract from its exceptional quality. It documents the northern campaign in the war which won for Zachary Taylor the Presidency.

The Campaigns of Napoleon by David G. Chandler (Napoleonic Wars). The quintessential military history of Napoleon and his campaigns. Chandler was a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst. The volume is comprehensive, insightful and balanced.

Chickenhawk by Robert Mason (Vietnam War). One of the earlier books written about the Vietnam War by a veteran, this book attained critical success. Mason, a helicopter pilot, is critical of the way the US ran the war and the preparation given to soldiers to prepare them. Like the others above it is well-written, insightful, and comprehensive.

A few fictional accounts that I have also really enjoyed:

The Berserker Wars by Fred Saberhagen (science fiction). Saberhagen wrote a series of novels and short stories all revolving around war between intelligent robots (the Berserkers) and organic life. Highly recommended.

The Hornblower series by C. S. Forester and the Bolitho series by Alexander Kent. Both are multi-volume sets tracing the career of a Royal Navy officer, primarily through the Napoleonic period. Forester was first and set the standard for naval fiction. Both series capture the period and the complex lives of the seamen, and the officers on a wooden warship. They are also superb at following the development and the psyche of the man in charge.

Finally, two classics: My Brother Sam is Dead by Christopher Collier (American Revolution) and The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (American Civil War). Both take the perspective of a single individual as they learn the horrors associated even with a "good" war.

What did I miss?

Feature and Follow - Most Emotional Scene

Welllll, I don't rightly know.

There is the entire story of To Build a Fire by Jack London. I hung on every word, knowing the intensity of the environment and the direness of the predicament painted by London.

I remember crying, at about the age of 10, when I read The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, though I no longer remember the details of the story. I was a tough kid, didn't cry much but that story got to me.

Then there is the description by John Toland in Battle: the Story of the Bulge of the Malmedy Massacre. That just brings home the baseness that men can sink to during war.

Finally, there is the part of Dickens' Oliver Twist where Oliver finally learns of his heritage. For me, as one of the first adult-type fairy tale happy endings I read, it sticks in my mind with that warm fuzzy feeling one often hears about but too infrequently actually experiences.

What do you think?