In his first book, the renowned statesman and historian chronicles an 1897 British military campaign on the Northwest Frontier, in the vicinity of modern Pakistan and Afghanistan. Churchill served as a correspondent and cavalry officer in the conflict, and his incisive reportage reflects the energy and vision that re-emerged in his leadership during World War II.
At the time of the clash, Churchill was serving as a subaltern in the 4th Hussars. Weary of regimental life, the young soldier drew upon family connections to find a place among the brigades headed for the frontier. There he participated in his first combat in the Mamund Valley, where British troops suppressed a revolt among the region's Pathan tribes. Churchill's series of letters to the London "Daily Telegraph "formed the basis for this book, which he declared "the most noteworthy act of my life," reflecting "the chances of my possible success in the world." A century later, the towering historical figure's account of military action in this still-volatile region remains powerfully relevant.