Introduction
Part I: The Nineteenth Century
The Napoleonic Wars and their Aftermath
Fyodor Glinka, Letters of a Russian Officer (excerpts)
Nikolai Gnedich, Introduction to his translation of the Iliad, and from his notebook (excerpts)
Denis Davydov
Meeting with Field Marshall Count Kamensky (excerpts)
The Field of Borodino
To Count P. A. Stroganov. For the chekmen' he gave me during the 1810 war in Turkey
Soldier Turned Officer: Ivan Nikitich Skobelev
A Gift to My Comrades, or The Correspondence of Russian Soldiers in 1812, Published by a Russian Veteran, Ivan Skobelev
Pamfilii Nazarov. Memoirs of The Soldier Pamfil Nazarov
The Historical Novel: Preface to Zagoskin's Roslavlev, or Russians in 1812
The Caucasus
A. S. Griboedov, Predators on the Chegem
A. A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, “The Story of an Officer in Captivity among the Mountaineers” (excerpts)
Rebellious Officer N. A. Mombelli, On the corporal punishment of a soldier (excerpts from Mombelli's diary)
The Crimean War
D. Stolypin, “A Night Raid in Sevastopol”
Theorist D. A. Miliutin on Suvorov
The Russo-Turkish War
V. M. Garshin
At the First Exhibition of Vereshchagin's Paintings
Letters to his Mother
Further Reading
Notes
Part II: The Russo-Japanese War
A Chronicle of the War with Japan (excerpts)
F. I. Shikuts, Memoir on land war (excerpts)
V. S. Kravchenko, Memoirs: The End of the Borodino; Epilogue (excerpts)
Further Reading
Notes
Part III: World War I
Anna Akhmatova, “July 1914”
N. S. Gumilyov, “The Offensive”
M. A. Voloshin, anti-war poem
Shtukaturov, Diary (excerpts)
V. S. Babadzhan, poem (excerpt)
Fyodor Stepun, memoirs and letters (excerpts)
K. V. Anan'ev, diary (excerpts)
Further Reading
Notes
Part IV: Revolution and Civil War
1905
P. Ia. Iakubovich, “Red Snow”
1917
Aleksandr Blok, “The Twelve”
The Civil War
V. V. Mayakovsky, “Vladimir Ilich!”
A. A. Ianysheva, My Past
Demian Bednyi, “The Red Army Soldier Ivanov” (excerpt)
N. N. Turoverov, “Crimea”
M. I. Tsvetaeva, “The Demesne of Swans”
Further Reading
Notes
Part V: World War II
N. N. Nikulin, Memoirs (excerpts)
L. N. Rabichev, Memoirs (excerpts)
A. Platonov, “Young Rosa”
V. Grossman, “The Soul of a Red Army Man”
Further Reading
Notes
Part VI: The Soviet-Afghan War, 1979–1989
E. Evtushenko, “An Afghan Ant”
L. L. Molchanov, response to “An Afghan Ant”
I. Morozov poem, “Farewell, Mountains”
A. Liakhovskii, The Tragedy and the Glory of Afghanistan (excerpts)
Further Reading
Notes
Part VII: The Chechen Wars, 1994–1996, 1999–2009
G. N. Troshev, My War (excerpt)
Interview with a Chechen who experienced both wars
Further Reading
Notes