The inescapable irony of war is its ability to inspire the finest and most poignant literature. This book gathers together vivid and eloquent rose and poetry from those who, throughout history, have witnessed the intensity of war at first hand. Voices from the Front Line is an anthology of powerful and evocative writings about human conflict, including not only literary giants and charismatic leaders but also civilian journalists and the diaries, letters and songs of ordinary private soldiers.

* Lieutenant Kincaid on the violent final moments of Waterloo

* General Grant on the Civil War's end at Appomattox

* Wilfred Owen on the pity of war

* Winston Churchill prepares Britain for World War Two

* George Orwell on the shock of being hit by a fascist bullet in the Spanish Civil War

* Lieutenant-Colonel Tim Collins rouses his troops with a stirring address in the Kuwaiti desert in 2003