Lynn Montross
Encyclopedia
Lynn Montross was born in Battle Creek, Nebraska
in 1895, and lived in Denver, Colorado
, before moving to Washington, D.C.
He studied at the University of Nebraska before serving three years in an American Expeditionary Force
(AEF) regiment
in World War I
, and afterward became a free-lance writer
for the Chicago Daily News
. He died in 1961, barely a year after the publication of the third edition his most important book, War Through the Ages.
Lynn Montress is one of the foremost post-World War II
Western military historians. From 1950 to 1961 he was a historical writer for the United States Marine Corps
and lived in the Washington, D.C.
area. Though he only published seven books during his life, his insightful monumental lifetime work, War Through the Ages (1960), stands as one of the important works of military history
in the 20th century. It has been used as a text book by various military academies.
It is clear from Mr. Montross' notes that the work was inspired by Gibbon's famous work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1787), and Lynn Montross successfully translates the style and grandueur of Gibbon's work to a telling narrative and analysis of military history
from 490 B.C. to the Korean War
. Lynn Montross' version of military history is more about diplomacy
, politics
, culture
, and economics
, and the continuity and great movements of history than about specific battles, the names of general
s, and mundane operational details, though he also fits lot of those into his narrative, imparting upon the reader his unusual sense of military history in the process.
A fair reading of Trevor N. Dupuy
and R. Ernest Dupuy's great work, The Encyclopedia of Military History, shows Lynn Montross' continuing influence on his contemporaries and succeeding generations of military history writers. Not only does the Encyclopedia of Military History use the same illustrations as those found in War Through the Ages, but also, interspersed with the chronologies of battles and generals, the Encyclopedia has Montross-like narrative sections describing specific periods of history, or particular battles.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
in 1895, and lived in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, before moving to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He studied at the University of Nebraska before serving three years in an American Expeditionary Force
American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces or AEF were the United States Armed Forces sent to Europe in World War I. During the United States campaigns in World War I the AEF fought in France alongside British and French allied forces in the last year of the war, against Imperial German forces...
(AEF) regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and afterward became a free-lance writer
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
for the Chicago Daily News
Chicago Daily News
The Chicago Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published between 1876 and 1978 in Chicago, Illinois.-History:The Daily News was founded by Melville E. Stone, Percy Meggy, and William Dougherty in 1875 and began publishing early the next year...
. He died in 1961, barely a year after the publication of the third edition his most important book, War Through the Ages.
Lynn Montress is one of the foremost post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Western military historians. From 1950 to 1961 he was a historical writer for the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and lived in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area. Though he only published seven books during his life, his insightful monumental lifetime work, War Through the Ages (1960), stands as one of the important works of military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
in the 20th century. It has been used as a text book by various military academies.
It is clear from Mr. Montross' notes that the work was inspired by Gibbon's famous work, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1787), and Lynn Montross successfully translates the style and grandueur of Gibbon's work to a telling narrative and analysis of military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
from 490 B.C. to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. Lynn Montross' version of military history is more about diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
, culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, and the continuity and great movements of history than about specific battles, the names of general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s, and mundane operational details, though he also fits lot of those into his narrative, imparting upon the reader his unusual sense of military history in the process.
A fair reading of Trevor N. Dupuy
Trevor N. Dupuy
Trevor Nevitt Dupuy was a Colonel, United States Army, retired, soldier and noted military historian.-Biography:Born in New York, the son of noted military historian, R. Ernest Dupuy, Trevor followed in his father's footsteps. Trevor Dupuy attended West Point, graduating in the class of 1938....
and R. Ernest Dupuy's great work, The Encyclopedia of Military History, shows Lynn Montross' continuing influence on his contemporaries and succeeding generations of military history writers. Not only does the Encyclopedia of Military History use the same illustrations as those found in War Through the Ages, but also, interspersed with the chronologies of battles and generals, the Encyclopedia has Montross-like narrative sections describing specific periods of history, or particular battles.