Of battles long ago

"The Great War of Europe took place over sixty years ago. During that war a young American volunteer ambulance driver began a diary. He kept that diary faithfully, from the day his ship sailed out of New York Harbor, bound for Paris, to the day he returned, headed for home at last. By its very nature, therefore, this memoir has a vitality that involves the reader thoroughly--not only in the carnage of war, but also in the friendships of men thrown together by circumstances, the details of the life spent in trenches carved out of the earth itself, and the humor that is a well-documented facet of life under stress. It is a fine line that Mr. Cutler forces us to follow. For, while we are being beguiled by his delightful stories, we are never allowed to forget that a brutal war is their backdrop. One hundred and thirty-two photographs, positioned throughout the book, bear silent witness to beauty destroyed--and death triumphant. Eventually the American Field Service's ambulance sections were absorbed into the American Expeditionary Force. The volunteers were forced to make a decision--go home and be drafted, or enlist for the duration. Mr. Cutler chose the latter course of action. Once again in the middle of the fight, he was wounded and awarded the croix de guerre. The author takes us to the several hospitals where he was a patient, to the front during three major battles, to periods of rest and recreation, and on many ambulance runs under fire--when the whistling of incoming shells alone was enough to cause visions of horror. More than a diary, more than a photo album, Of Battles Long Ago is the total record of a man who lived through the events most of us have just read about."--Book jacket.