Mounted Warriors: From Alexander the Great and Cromwell to Stuart, Sheridan, and Custer Hardback - 2009

The terrifying thunder of iron-shod hooves pounding the naked earth; the blinding gleam of sabers raised high in the sun; the swift sweep of mounted bowmen releasing a deadly cloud of arrows and darting off; the awesome clash of lance upon shield, steel against steel, flesh against mortal flesh--though men on horseback are no longer the dominant military figures that they once were, these images and others like them still exert a powerful force on the imagination.

In "Mounted Warriors," celebrated author Gene Smith takes you on a wild ride at full gallop through the brilliant, gallant, and bloody history of warfare in the saddle.

Focusing on dashing and memorable personalities as well as some of the most dramatic cavalry clashes of all time, this eloquent and elegant account puts the reins in your hands as you charge across southern Asia with Alexander the Great, join forces with Attila as his all-cavalry horde lays waste to an empire, and speed with Cromwell's horsemen as they sweep like a scythe into the enemy's flank. You'll also rattle some British teeth as you attack columns of redcoats on the march, along with Revolutionary War hero Light-Horse Harry Lee.

The American Civil War was the last great conflict in which cavalry played a major role. Smith offers colorful and thrilling profiles of the war's two greatest cavalry heroes: the flamboyant and dashing Confederate general Jeb Stuart, whose exploits, by his death in May 1864, were already legendary, and a brash young fireplug of a man known as Little Phil- Union General Phillip Sheridan. Smith also offers a moving account of Stuart's death at the hands of troops led by another legendary cavalryman, George Armstrong Custer.

Not all the heroes in this rousing history are men or even people. Smith traces the evolution of the horse, from the fox-size, rabbity-looking creature that first appeared in swamps and bogs not long after the disappearance of the dinosaurs to gallant steeds such as Alexander's Bucephalus, Stuart's General, and Sheridan's Rienzi.

Complete with a surprising account of the U.S. Army's final cavalry charge, against Japanese troops on a beach in the Philippines in 1941, "Mounted Warriors" is an exciting and compelling read for anyone who loves military history, horses, or the combination of the two.