History of the British Army is an exhaustive military study which gives a comprehensive coverage of the English military situation from the beginning until the late 18th century and the formation of the New Model Army. Starting from the 11th century and the Battle of Hastings the author comprises six centuries of British history endeavoring to point out occurrences and incident that were essential to a coherent sketch of the growth of the British military system. One of the goals of the work was to correct the injustice of numerous political histories which have the Army, Navy, and the whole question of National Defense left out of account.

Sir John William Fortescue (1859-1933) was a British military historian. He was a historian of the British Army and served as Royal Librarian and Archivist at Windsor Castle from 1905 until 1926. Fortescue is best known for his major work on the history of the British Army, which he wrote between 1899 and 1930