My Year Of The Great War

My year of the great war offers a first-hand reflection on the emotional and strategic landscape shaped by the outbreak of war. Rather than presenting war as spectacle or simplified confrontation, the narrative invites attention to the lived experience of movement through uncertainty, fear, and purpose. Tension is not only found in military advance but in the hesitation and resolve of individuals responding to crisis. The work emphasizes how conflict reshapes daily life, not only on the battlefield but among civilians whose routines dissolve under threat. Observations are filtered through the lens of a witness drawn into a space where borders collapse, and clarity of mission must contend with the chaos of unfolding events. In the face of destruction, resilience and duty emerge not as abstractions but as practiced, sometimes improvised, acts. The presence of national identity, shifting alliances, and the looming specter of violence coalesce into a portrait of war that is immediate and human. The book does not chase heroism but captures the sobering weight of endurance, shaped not by victory alone but by persistence and presence under fire.

Frederick Palmer was born on January 29, 1873, in Pleasantville, Pennsylvania, to Amos F. Palmer. He studied at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and in 1896, he married Elsie M. Wither. His journalism career began when the New York Press appointed him as their correspondent in London in 1895, setting the stage for decades of international reporting. Palmer became a war correspondent in 1897, covering the Greco-Turkish War, and soon reported from major global events including the Klondike gold rush and the Philippine American War. He was sent to China during the Boxer Rebellion and to South Africa for the Boer War. Later, he reported on the Russo-Japanese War from Manchuria and the Balkan War of 1912. While covering the Tampico Affair in 1914, he was arrested in Mexico City. During World War I, General John Pershing selected Palmer to oversee press credentials for the American Expeditionary Force, a role in which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal. Palmer wrote over thirty books between the wars, including Our Greatest Battle. His work blended firsthand observation with narrative skill, leaving a lasting record of military and political conflicts. He died on September 2, 1958.