On the shores of the Chesapeake, two hard-fought Army–Navy games left a lasting mark on football and the service academies.

On two cool late fall Saturday afternoons, separated by forty-nine years, the spectacle of Army–Navy football unfolded at Annapolis, Maryland, on the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. This pair of rivalry games were played in 1893 and 1942, on the edge of brackish tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay and before crowds among the smallest ever to witness the game. While often treated as sidebars in the epic Army–Navy football narrative, these two games had an outsized impact on the series, on the institutions represented on the field, and even on the sport of football. In a series that continues to be defined by toughness and resilience, these were also among the hardest-fought and roughest games ever played.

Battles at Annapolis presents the context of the two most recent Army–Navy football games played at Annapolis: how the games came to be scheduled and the impact of each contest on the participating institutions, the sport of football, and the broader community. Author David Gendell also showcases the unique personalities who represented the service academies on the field, on the sidelines, and in the stands. Many of the players would soon represent the United States in combat. But before they went to war, they played football.

Rear Admiral Thomas C. Lynch, USN (Ret.), a former Navy football captain and 54th Superintendent of the Naval Academy, contributes the book’s Foreword.