James A. Moss’s Manual of Military Training is a sweeping early-twentieth-century guide to the practical craft of soldiering. Compiled by a US Army officer, it gathers in one volume the regulations, drill, marksmanship, field sanitation, camp routine, and minor tactics that a recruit or junior leader of the period was expected to master. The book reflects the doctrine and discipline of an army on the eve of America’s entry into the First World War.
More than a dry rulebook, the manual offers a window into how soldiers were taught to march, shoot, dig, and fight a century ago. Its detailed instructions on guard duty, signaling, and field engineering make it a valuable primary source for historians, reenactors, and anyone curious about the everyday realities of military life in the era of the Great War.