Yours to Reason Why. Decision in Battle.

London: Sidgwick & Jacksen Ltd. Very Good/Very Good. 1982. First Edition. Hard Cloth Cover. Lge 8vo 028398788X Dust jacket complete, UNCLIPPED. Yellow cloth with bright gilt titling on spine. No ownership inscription. 338 pages clean and tight. In this highly original book, every reader can experience the problems facing generals in battle. William Seymour provides an analysis of ten major battles or campaigns, ranging from the Battle of Hastings in October 1066, when William and his Norman knights faced Harold's English army on Senlac Hill, to January 1944 when the Allied armies fought to retain the beachhead at Anzio. Each battle is set in its historical background, with details of the field of battle and the forces involved. The author then looks carefully at the commanders confronting each other, at their-personal qualities of leadership, and their weaknesses. The commanders described include many of the finest generals in history: Henry V, who enjoyed the supreme gift of conveying by example and never by precept; Oliver Cromwell, the great captain; Wellington and Blucher with their will to win; Robert E. Lee, who could snatch victory against all odds; and General Allenby, with his boldness and breadth of vision. Finally he describes the development of the battles, pausing at decisive stages to provide the options that might reasonably have been open to each commander. The reader, helped by clear maps and plans, can study each option and then decide for himself what course of action he might have chosen. .