Paludan has written a very interesting and readable volume on guerrilla warfare and how it affects the combatants in the regular forces who have to do battle with them. Using an incident that occurred in 1863 in the Appalachians, he illustrates that the frustration of fighting someone who does not fight "fairly" can lead to soldiers taking out their anger by committing atrocities. Some of his research included Vietnam and could have been applied to Iraq.
He does a complete background on the main individuals as well a history of the settlement of the Appalachian mountains and how the culture of the area developed. That part was worth the price of the book.
War is hell and this book is another proof of that. ( )