Five Lieutenants: The Heartbreaking Story of Five Harvard Men Who Led America to Victory in WWI

George C. Marshall, writing of the young officers who arrived in France in 1917, said he had “never seen more splendid looking men,” and after the war lamented that he could not recall a single one surviving. Here, WWI historian and journalist Nelson (The Remains of Company D: A Story of the Great War) relates the heroic story of five former Harvard students who became combat leaders, inspiring the infantry “doughboys” of WWI. These five officers represented the spectrum of Harvard’s Progressive Era student body: George Haydock, the quiet and hard-working recent graduate from a Quaker family; William Morgan, a romantic and idealistic undergraduate; Richard Newhall, a historian “repelled by all things military”; George Alexander McKinlock, the wealthy football hero; and George Redwood, a Baltimore journalist fascinated by war. Based primarily on the letters of the lieutenants, Nelson describes the men’s maturation as leaders and their combat training in France. The book culminates with the battle of Cantigny in May 1918, where three of the friends became casualties. Writing with great knowledge of and sensitivity for his subject, Nelson ensures that the experiences, thoughts and aspirations of the young Harvard men of 1918 are not lost to future generations. B&w photo insert. Agent: James D. Hornfischer, Hornfischer Literary Management. (Nov.)