With a sharp eye and a dry wit, Chris Bray gives us a page-turning tour of court-martial cases that reveal the fundamental questions, values, and debates that have shaped American history. A fantastic book.
Lorien L. Foote, author of The Gentlemen and the Roughs In his first book, a former infantry sergeant-turned-historian surveys more than 200 years of the administration of American military justice. . . . A thoroughly impressive debut. An absorbing chronicle of American justice, short of legalese, that will provide grist for discussion in both civilian and military contexts. [Chris] Bray, a former sergeant turned military historian, helps put the lie to the idea that law is a recent arrival on the battlefield. He rightly sees law as a weapon that has powerfully shaped the way America has fought its wars, from the Revolution to the present day.
John Fabian Witt Bray, a historian and former U.S. Army infantry sergeant, explores a neglected aspect of American legal and social history . . . in this persuasive study of the relationship of military courts-martial to broader social questions. Chris Bray has written a fascinating book about the role of military justice in American history. Drawing on his experience as a soldier and his training as a historian, Bray offers a lively and compelling account of how military decisions have shaped American law and life from the Founding Era to the War on Terror. This is a story that every American should know and understand.
Jonathan W. White, author of Emancipation, the Union Army, and the Reelection of Abraham Lincoln