Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45 is a work of history written by Barbara W. Tuchman and published in 1971 by Macmillan Publishers. It won the 1972 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction. The book was republished in 2001 by Grove Press It was also published under the title Sand Against the Wind: Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45 by Macmillan Publishers in 1970.

Using the life of Joseph Stilwell, the military attache to China from 1935 to 1939 and commander of United States forces and allied chief of staff to Chiang Kai-shek from 1942 to 1944, this book explores the history of China from the Revolution of 1911 to the turmoil of World War II, when China's Nationalist government faced attack from both Japanese invaders and Communist insurgents.

Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45

Summary

Prologue: The Crisis

During the Second World War, the United States Government requested that Lieutenant General Joseph W. Stilwell be placed in command of China's armed forces. Tuchman notes that an American's overseeing an ally's forces was an "unprecedented" arrangement. General Chiang Kai Shek, who was the leader of the Republic of China at the time, expressed his frustration at the request as it was not palatable to have a foreigner in command of his forces. The Chinese were said to be in a "desperate" situation in their struggles against the Japanese Forces, and President Roosevelt, in his message to Chiang, said that he knew of "no other man who has the ability, the force and the determination to offset the disaster that now threatens China." Chiang ultimately accepted the request with the remark, according to General Patrick Hurley, that Stilwell had more power in China than he had. Tuchman narrates that the American's initiative to aid the Chinese sought to prevent the Japanese from "ravaging" China and the nearby countries, hoping to maintain a foundation of stability in Asia.

Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45

Foundations of an Officer

Joseph Warren Stilwell, son of Benjamin Stilwell and descendant of Nicholas Stilwell, was a model student and athlete at the public high school of Yonkers who was set for postgraduate study at Yale. However, during the senior dance in his final year, Stilwell assaulted the refreshment table volunteer with tubs of ice cream and trays of cake, which would later be known as the "Great Ice Cream Raid". Stilwell was then punished and not allowed to graduate. This led to discipline from his father which would eventually divert Warren Stilwell to enter the West Point Military Academy and begin his military career. Stilwell would eventually meet his wife, Winifred A. Smith, during a campaign in Mexico 1908. The chapter ends with Stilwell's departure for China following the unfolding events of its Revolution in the news.

Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911–45

Visitor To Revolution: China

This segment of the book begins with Stilwell's arrival in China and his evaluation of China as a spiritual country. Stilwell remarks that China believes itself to be the center of civilization, warding off any evil spirits and barbarians that live beyond its border through "Feng Shui". Tuchman provides an account of China's political history, introducing the First Opium War that led to the Treaty of Nanjing, opening up China to foreign countries. Efforts of revolution then began to surface in 1911 as an attempt by several Chinese parties to restore China's independence and equality among the nations. The section ends with Stilwell leaving China with the Revolution still in its early stages.