Having covered the major conflicts of the United States in a series of “compact histories,” Hawthorn Books now mops up with a collection of essays on interventions, punitive actions, and other “little wars.” Like other books in the series, this one is based mostly on secondary military sources, and political, economic, and social background is kept to a minimum. Two out of the seven chapters deal with Latin America—the Mexican and Caribbean interventions of the early twentieth century. For purely military details such as those concerning Pershing’s march into Mexico and the campaign against the Haitian cacos, the book may have some value.