The Laws of Land Warfare

Although it is generally assumed that there have always been limits to what soldiers are permitted to do in war it was not until 1863 in the heat of the Civil War that the United States issued its first Army manual. Subsequently manuals of land warfare were issued in 1914 1934 1940 1944 1956 and 1976 by the American military this volume Wells provides a systematic examination of the evolution of American rules of warfare. In addition to providing the texts of key elements of the manuals and analyzing them Wells relates the manuals to international attempts to set limits on war practices. This book will be invaluable to those concerned with military law here and abroad to students of international law and to military policy makers.