{"product_id":"9780870208515","title":"Letters from the Boys: Wisconsin World War I Soldiers Write Home","description":"\u003cp\u003eWords from the Wisconsin boys manning the trenches.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the flood of American troops in Europe that would shift the tide of World War I in favor of the Allies, Letters from the Boys brings to life this terrible war as experienced by Wisconsinites writing home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTechnology had transformed the battlefield in alarming ways. Automatic rifles mowed down the young men who went “over the top” to attack enemy trenches; airplanes and improved artillery brought death unseen from miles away; terrifying clouds of poison gas choked and burned the European countryside; the internal combustion engine brought tanks to the battlefield for the first time and revolutionized the way troops deployed. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the thick of it were young men from Wisconsin who found themselves caught up in geopolitical events half a world away. Professor Carrie A. Meyer combed through three newspapers in Green County, Wisconsin, to collect and synthesize the letters from the boys into a narrative that is both unique and representative, telling the stories of several Green County boys and what they saw, from preparing for war, to life among French families near the front, to the terror of the battlefield. Meyer gracefully removes the veil of obscurity and anonymity hanging over soldiers who participated in a war fought so long ago by great numbers of men, reminding us that armies are made of individuals who strove to do their part and then return to their families. \u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wisconsin Historical Society","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47016058061040,"sku":"9780870208515","price":19.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780870208515_p0.jpg?v=1763848382","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780870208515","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}