The Long March — William Styron

In the blaze of a Carolina summer, among the poison ivy and loblolly pines, eight Marines are killed almost casually by misfired mortar shells. Deciding that his batallion has been "doping off," Colonel Templeton calls for a 36-mile forced march to inculcate discipline. THE LONG MARCH is a searing account of this ferocious ordeal--and of the two officers who resist.

First published in 1953, this remarkable short novel established the author as a major new American writer.