4 comments about Jefferson Davis: Unconquerable Heart (Shades of Blue and Gray).

1. Since becoming interested in the 19th Century, and the oasis of information concerning that time period, I'm still baffled as to why the 21st Century historian cannot understand the greatness of men like Jefferson Davis. All the modern historian can do is point out cultural problems of times past (slavery: as if the South was the only place on earth that had them). After reading the standard review from Amazon, I had to chime in on this great book. I've read William J. Cooper's Jefferson Davis as well as Jefferson Davis himself. Is it not interesting that modern day Jefferson Davis antagonists' (Just read James Mcpherson's preface in 'The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government") can only talk of slavery, as if this is the only motivating factor which drove J. Davis to become a relunctant secessionist, while ignoring our own cultural problems that are far worse and grandiose in scope. Modern day/ post-modern historians cannot grasp the larger picture of history. Their worldview does not allow for such truth gazing. F. Allen does a supurb job of showing us a Davis who was triumphant, depressed,ultimately defeated, caring for Negros, and a dedicated Episcopalian who knew who his Saviour was. Many of J. Davis' associates supported gradual emancipation (Bishop Meade of Va and Bishop Leonidas Polk) as to help assimulate the Negro into society. The Northern invasion of the South precluded any such cultural assimilation to take place. Read this book- It is partisan, but isn't every historian coming to work the task of history with his/her presuppositions? F. Allen is not ashamed of this and her logical conclusions about the man and his times is as accurate as a historian can get. Cheers for independent scholars who have not abdicated the task of passing story to fellow countrymen!



2. What Mrs. Allen succeeds so brilliantly at is showing the human side of the man. I must admit that I was no fan of Jefferson Davis in his role as the President of the CSA. However, thanks to Mrs. Allen, I was able to see him in a much different light - as an American patriot and a human being. In the passions that colour anything dealing with the War of Northern Aggression, it is sometimes difficult to remember that everyone involved had a life before that tragic conflict. I can't help but be grateful for the way in which Mrs. Allen brought that point home in her book. While I will still take issue with many of his wartime decisions, I can't help but be proud that our nation produced a man like Jefferson Davis. Thanks for the insight and the education Mrs. Allen!



3. This is a good book to read for anyone wanting to see how a good man dealt with adversity. Allen places much emphasis upon Davis' Christian faith, and how it helped him to be the sort of man who can be worthily imitated. The book also contains a goodly amount of historical information which is not commonly known. It could have used some tighter editing, as there were a few points where I was not quite sure about whom Allen was writing, and had to go back and re-read the paragraph, but, all in all, I was both informed and edified by this book. About the review by Kirkus, I can only conclude that that reviewer is an anti-Christian, anti-Southern bigot, as he obviously had already decided about the book before reading it.



4. Felicity Allen's recent biography, Jefferson Davis, Unconquerable Heart, transcends mere history. Such a sensitive and comprehensive work, therefore, may perplex the hardened historian, who is often pleased only with cold chronological facts that fit comfortably into his own predispositions. Allen's intricately documented work has the touch of a true poet who deftly and profoundly reveals not only the heart and soul of a great (and often misunderstood) American but also a way of life gone forever.

   No scholar can fail to appreciate Allen's exhaustive research,, nor any layman fail to be amazed at her mass of fact and significant detail. But if fact is the body and bone of biography, truth is its revelation. And this is the outstanding accomplishment of Felicity Allen: she has recovered the heart and soul of an honorable and courageous American patriot who thought and fought and fell with his young nation.

   Oxford Stroud

4 comments about More Generals in Gray.

1. I was uncertain about the merit of this title before I purchased, but I need not have been. Author Bruce Allardice has created a worthy supplement to Ezra Warner's "Generals in Gray."
   
   The presentation format of "More Generals in Gray" is very close to that of Warner's classic reference works, but in single column vs. two columns for Warner's books. For most of the 137 entries a photograph, sketch, painting of the person is provided, except where ones were not available. The author provides background information including birthdate, state, parents, education as well as prewar occupation. Following this is a description or relevant military career, ranks achieved, commands, postwar life and death. Allardice closes each biography with a description of what sources led to the inclusion of the particular figure as a general. Notes and sources are provided after each entry as well.
   
   One caveat is that the reader should not expect to find a large list of generals overlooked by Warner, that is not the direction of this work. Instead, Mr. Allardice has cast a wider net to include those who would be legitimately rejected by the earlier criteria. He carefully provides detailed criteria and explanation for his additions. Most names here are men who were either never really promoted/confirmed or who were generals in state service or appointed in the Trans-Mississippi by E. Kirby Smith.
   
   This brings us to the strength of the study: the inclusion of men acting as generals who were either appointed by Kirby Smith or who led state forces as generals in actual campaigns. Both of these are indeed generals in the true sense of the word. Those studying the Trans-Mississippi will definitely find the backgrounds provided here beneficial.
   
   The less exciting entries for the reader are those appointed very late in the war (e.g. March 1865 or later) but never confirmed and really never served in the capacity of general. In addition, there were those referred to as generals in various Confederate post-war histories, but whom the author demonstrates did not really achieve the rank. Though it is perhaps a thankless task, the author is to be commended for setting the record straight with regards to these men.
   
   As a bonus, in an appendix Mr. Allardice lists another ~135 individuals sometimes referred to as generals by less authoritative sources. In one or two sentences for each he explains the reasons for excluding them.
   
   "More Generals in Gray" is a well-written and organized supplement to Warner's work. This volume will appeal the most to a narrower group of civil war enthusiasts and particularly those studying more obscure engagements. Note that now is a good time to obtain inexpensive remaindered copies.



2. Ezra Warner's classic 1959 volume tells us the stories of the 425 Confederate General Officers about whom we can't argue as to whether they were, in fact, a General; this volume tells the stories of several about whom we CAN argue. Warner gives the criteria, and this book does, too; a man had to be nominated to General Officer rank by President Davis, AND confirmed by Congress.
   
   The reasons to be here, not in Warner's book, are several; most commonly, a man could be a General of state militia, nominated by the Governor, confirmed by the legislature, not a General of the Confederacy. [President Jefferson Davis makes this book that way]. These militia officers can be seen as the equivalent of modern National Guard Officers. In some cases, there was a disconnect between the President and Congress, in others, there is doubt as to who appointed the man, and when. Thus we have the first Hispanic General, Santos Benavides--some records have him as a Colonel, others as a late appointment to Brigadier General. [The first American Indian General is in Warner's book--no doubts about Stand Watie].
   
   A special case is that of nine officers appointed to Brigadier General by General Edmund Kirby Smith using his expanded powers as Commander of The Transmississippi Department. Communication between Richmond and the West was most difficult after the fall of Vicksburg in July, 1863; Smith was, thus, in a situation unique in American history. These nine men are but a small part of a most complicated story; Warner lists them in an appendix; here they get full honors.
   
   In these reviews, I try to differentiate between books for the general reader, and those for "people like me". This book falls, I think, somewhere in between. It is superbly done, well written, well illustrated; a most respectful account of men deserving full respect, even if they aren't a "big name". For those poor folks who are like me, this book is, indeed, essential. You know who you are....



3. I have owned and used Mr. Warner's classics Generals in Blue and Generals in Gray for over 40 years. Mr Allardice shows us the men appointed General by the various Southern States. This book proves the point the Government of the Confederacy was still having growing pains; the point being the generals from the Trans-Mississippi not being confirmed by the CSA Senate, in Richmond, Va. This is a great book for the Civil War Buff. It is a must need in your War Between the States Library.



4. A tome devoted to biographical sketches of 137 men united only by their arguable status as Confederate generals sounds like one of the ultimate Civil War "buff books". It is a pleasant surprise to open its pages and discover no dreary catalogue of minutiae. Instead, the author has condensed years of research into a series of sparkling capsule lives that reflect the wide range of characters and events in America's bitterest conflict.

   Each of the subjects has some claim to having held the rank of general in the Confederate military but not enough of one to have earned listing in Ezra J. Warner's authoritative "Generals in Gray". However solid or dubious their entitlement to the highest rank, however, they form a cross-section of important and interesting Southern officers and citizens. They came from a variety of backgrounds. Ten were born in the North, nine in Border States, nine abroad (including one veteran of Napoleon's Grande Armee, whose unit's performance in the defense of New Orleans fell short of Napoleonic standards). Not all had embraced independence eagerly. Michael Jefferson Bulger, for instance, voted "no" in the Alabama secession convention but nonetheless enlisted in the 47th Alabama Regiment. At Cedar Mountain, he suffered wounds to his arm and leg, binding the latter with corncobs and suspenders. At Gettysburg, he was captured after being left for dead. Following such mishaps, he ended up living to age 94, enjoying a placid post-war career as a farmer and occasional politician.

   In contrast to the indestructible Bulger, Edward Gantt was a fire-eating secessionist who resigned his seat in the first Confederate Congress to raise a regiment in Arkansas. After being captured with the garrison of Island No. 10, he returned home on parole but then experienced an astonishing change of heart. In late 1863, the formerly rabid states-righter slipped across the Yankee lines and spent the rest of the war urging his former countrymen to lay down their arms.

   Many more such tales are told here. The author has a keen eye for incisive facts and quotations, and his writing wastes few words. For the serious student of the Civil War, this work is a valuable reference. For everyone else, it offers hours of fascinating browsing.

3 comments about Packs On!: Memoirs of the 10th Mountain Division in World War II (Stackpole Military History Series).

1. very good service I received the book within 5 days of ordering it very informative book. This book was about my fathers army war days in Italy and the training in colorado, so many of the stories in the book I had heard form my father. Good history!



2. Author A. B. Feur skillfully puts a collection of personal combat stories together into his book "Packs On! Memoirs of the Mountain Division in WWII". The author is one of the more prolific chroniclers of WWII history and this book may be his best to date. The Foreword is written by Senator Bob Dole and adds a real touch of class to the telling of this unit.
   
   Feur takes us through the unit's campaigns after a well written introduction that gives us insights on the way the unit was put together and how they trained. He then takes us to Alaska and the Kiska Campaign. That campaign turned out to be a fight for an island that the Japanese had already abandoned and left. There were causalities and deaths due to "friendly fire" in the fog and the confusion of the battle that had no opposing forces.
   
   We follow the unit onward to Italy and Europe and into the mountains and snow. The author allows us to see each battle area through the eyes of the different veterans who wrote their memories of the events. This enhances the story telling format and enriches the final over-all story of the unit. The many different and diverse voices make the book entertaining as well as educational. It feels more personal then any straight telling of historic events would have. Feur expertly weaves all these individual stories together and connects them with facts, data, maps and old photos to make this whole book a first class reading experience.
   
   This is book captures the essence of what this unit was all about. The author realizes that strength of this story was to allow the men who were there to tell it--and he does that well! The Military Writer's Society of America gives this book its highest rating of
   FIVE STARS!



3. In the style of Ernie Pyle, the author relates the experiences of members of the 10th Mountain Division who fought the veteran fighters of the German Army in the mountains of northern Italy during World War II.

5 comments about With God on Our Side: One Man's War Against an Evangelical Coup in America's Military.

1. Weinsteins documented how a particular Christian sect with a disturbing "end times" agenda has worked itself into every level of the U.S. military! ...gee GW..thanks!
   
   He talks about flyers at the academy...for 'LAST TEMPTATION' and is sharp enough to note that mels flavor is different...mels is catholic and gothic...while the 'endtimers' is protestant evangelical!!!!Still the academy pushes Mels movie!



2. Superbly written, with tight prose, this is a dynamic page-turner that will grab and hold your attention. At a time when the Administration of President Bush is filled with "yes men", Mikey Weinstein, graduate of the Air Force Academy, former JAG, counselor to President Reagan and attorney for Ross Perot, does not shrink from speaking truth to power. The events and truths he exposes are both deeply troubling and liberating.
   
   "With God on Our Side" reveals the transformation of Mikey Weinstein from a prominent attorney into a world-class civil rights activist - the Founder and President of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Within its pages Mikey's heart is exposed, along with his passion, his deep devotion to both his family and his Country. His love and commitment to the United States of America, its Constitution and its citizens are unsurpassed. From the moment he entered the Air Force Academy many years ago until now he has never wavered from honoring his pledge to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.
   
   Having experienced first hand the tyrannical legacy of the Bush Administration's legacy of dismantling the Constitutionally-guaranteed wall of separation between Church and State, I know all too well that what Mikey exposes in the prescient volume is but the tip of the iceberg. Like Mikey's own sons, I too have experienced predatory proselyzing and blatant religious discrimination; whereas Mikey and his sons have experienced it at the Air Force Academy, my experience has been within the Department of Veterans Affairs and its medical facilities. Since Mikey founded the Military Religious Freedom Foundation he has advocated not only for active duty and reserve military personnel, but also veterans. His efforts have directly and positively impacted my own life.
   
   There is not a book I would recommend more than Mikey Weinstein's "With God on Our Side." Buy the book, read it, and see for yourself the terrible consequences of the destruction of the First Amendment's guaranteed protection of religious liberty.



3. A fast paced, quick read, Weinstein's account of the troubles at the Academy raises many disturbing questions. Unfortunately, the military routinely invades privacy and stories of antisemitism are hardly new. Therein lies the problem with anecdotal evidence and the way the issue has been framed here. The separation of church and state, indeed civilian control of the military, has never been all that secure, resting, in part, on vague notions of privacy. Because Weinstein assumes the military is subject to clear, established Supreme Court principles, we are led to believe his is a reaction to an insubordinate, insurgent military. His stance does not allow us to ask whether the Court's principles are sufficient to protect everyone, including agnostics, and if it is a trustworthy agency to resist the attacks of evangelicals, particularly on those lacking religious affiliation.



4. Because a person believes in God and is a member of the Military, therefore, that individual, motivated by their belief in God, conspires to overthrow the government of the United States. Now you know what it's about, save your money for something worthwhile.



5. More than two years ago the author of this book started the Military Religious Freedom Foundation as a watchdog to make the military obey the laws of separation of Church and State. His concern started with a specific evil at his alma mater, the Air Force Academy, the chronic harassment and intimidation by evangelicals to pressure Catholics, liberal Christians, Jews, and others to assent to a right wing, primitive faith. Weinstein explains how the military has been taken over by a fundamentalist agenda. What these chaplains are doing is a blatant violation of the famous wall between Church and State.
   
   Various chaplaincy codes flatly prohibit the "proselytizing of any religion, faith or practice."(p. 74) In the command structure of superior and inferior of the military this may put government in the person of an officer in the position of commanding a soldier or cadet to convert or else. This prohibition of evangelizing the fundies reject as curtailing their freedom of religion, claiming that making converts is enjoined as an integral part of their religion. Anything less, they claim, is anti-Christian bigotry, a bias against the majority, and discrimination against their belief. Remember, in most circumstances when fundies speak of Christianity it does not include Roman Catholics and liberal or mainline denominations.
   
   Mikey Weinstein has qualification to take on this struggle few can match. A family tradition of father, son, and grandchildren graduating from the Air Force Academy, law degrees and experience of service in the White House, and a network of political allies. The book is a narrative of events at the Air Force Academy and the military in general which lead Weinstein to found the organization. The book is a quick and easy read. It seems part of a push back on the inroads made by "born again" religious fascists on the administration of the country. In the long run I do think the believers in fascist Christian authority will lose.

5 comments about A Rifleman Went To War.

1. Mr. McBride has written a book that nearly perfectly talks about what can be expected from a modern infantry man. He talks about sniping, putting in a properly sighted machine gun, raids, and patrols. Honestly, this book is so good that most Army ROTC and Marine Infantry instruction may want to have their future officers and NCO candidates read this book.
   
   I will give you a story that really stuck me as being ahead of its time. Now, this book was written in the mid-1930s. However, Mr. McBride knows the problems of lugging ammunition. A soldier with .303 British (about equal to modern NATO 7.62 ammo) could only carry about 200 to 300 rounds. So, Mr. McBride thinks the armies should carry ammunition of about .27 caliber. That is almost exactly 6.8 mm. This is exactly the same solution the US Army discovered after 5 years in Iraq.
   
   I liked this book. Mr. McBride thinks both the British and Canadian Armies did much better with their training time than the US military. Indeed, he thinks the US Army and military is overly tied up with paperwork. And that observation was made in 1918.
   
   This is a five star book by a soldier who knows his field craft. Pay attention to his anti-sniper traps. They are still useful today. Also, the book is great for telling about how the Germans would leave abandoned grenades after an attack. Some were rigged to go off if picked up.
   
   As written before, this book is five star. Mr. McBride writes a book about the birth of the modern infantry man. Indeed, their is little difference between a Tommy of WWI with a Lewis gun and a Grunt in Vietnam carrying an M-60 machinegun. In 50 years little had changed.
   
   The modern professional soldier can learn a lot from this book. Some university military history departments may want this book for an individual study of a hard infantry man.



2. A thoughroughly enjoyable, mesmerizing, collection of a soldier's WWI remembrances. Somehow manages to be more than the sum of its plainly told, shy, politically incorrect, wars is hell but you get used to it parts. It ends up assembling and describing bit by bit the remarkable character of the author.
   
   Also notable to me for how it reaches across 70 years to contrast how we've changed as a people. For example, I don't think this book would be published as written today. The editor would have probably added more polish, removed some of the namecalling and stereotyping and would have thus diminished the book.



3. Having read a lot of WWI books and books on sniping this one takes the cake. It's written in the autobiographical tradition of Teddy Roosevelt and will impress the old and young alike with its vivid imagery and colorful prose. Great read.



4. As a rifle shooter with a historical interest i bought this book. If your looking for an overly dramatic or gruesome account of life in the first world war trenches dont by this book. From what i can tell it is a written collection of memories by the author. These memories are written in a matter of fact, straight talking way which does not hide the authors zealous approach to his task of being a soldier.
   
   Although at times slightly rambling i found this an interesting read and at times amuzing. A good reference if you are interested in rifle shooting or battle history.



5. It might not be written in perfect English, and it's not always politically correct, but it's definitely always enjoyable.
   
   You get the whole WWI experience from the author's point of view, including enough "war stories" to satisfy any reader.
   
   McBride includes technical details, anecdotes, and just good old story telling, in this tale of a machine gunner / rifleman in the Great War.

3 comments about Fuck The Navy....Fuck The System: The Unpleasant Truth About A Lot Of Things.

1. I expected a few errors in this book after reading the other customer reviews but nothing could've prepared me for the vast amount of problems I found. First of all, the author completely missed his target audience. He says he's writing to inform the general public of some of the problems with the Navy, however, he uses so much "Navy jargon" that if you hadn't served yourself you wouldn't know what he was talking about 2/3 of the time. Also, the general writing is easily on an 8th grade level if not 7th. I was turning in papers in the 5th grade with less sentence fragments, misspelled words, and out of context remarks than THIS guy! Oh, and I couldn't get over the fact that he used the word "like" so many times in the read. For instance, "The RDC let me sleep until LIKE 7am that day" or "This guy LIKE completely should have proofread his work." Also, missing words? COME ON! You can't write a sentence and leave the NOUN out!
   Some of this guys' subjects and topics were amusing. I think he would be a pretty good person to have a conversation with but definitely should leave the writing to people who have a basic understanding of the English language. Also, it's only 110 pages. It's 12 dollars. NOT worth that amount. You could easily pick up a paperback edition of a best seller and be a hundred times happier with your purchase. So I say, for the humor in the book I'll give this one 2 stars. That's all, no more.



2. This book really needed to have been proof read before it was published. Having said that the story was good, if you can understand what the author was trying to say. I am retired from the navy and I understand the "shop talk". While this guy "Mark Moremoney", obviously not his real name, sounds like a really disgruntled/disaffected navy "nuke" I can tell you that it is mostly a true story. If he embellished at all he did not need to embellish very much. They really treat people in the navy that bad, sometimes worse. The hours that he was made to work are absolutly truthful! Anyone who plans on going into the Navy's nuclear power program better be ready to do it without any sleep.



3. As someone who's spent time in the US Navy, I completely sympathize with Mark's bootcamp experience, and empathize with his other military experiences. Unfortunately, it has also been my experience as well that the stupidest, most unqualified people tend to be the ones put in charge. It has nothing to do with ability or talent, but rather how many years you've put into the rediculous system and your ability to adjust and embrace stupidity, that gets you ahead in the military.
   
   The problem with this book is that it *desperately* needs to be edited. You will notice right off the bat spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as missing words. You can understand what Mark was trying to say, but it's rather unprofessional. It sounds as though he wrote it all in an angry rush, and sent it to the publisher without reading back over it.
   
   So read it and realize how desperately the military needs to be flushed of the trash that fills its management. I guess nothing happens quickly, especially not in a governmental organization, but it would be nice if it could.

5 comments about The Nelson Touch: The Life and Legend of Horatio Nelson.

1. Novelist and historian Terry Coleman's "The Nelson Touch" may be regarded as the first of the three great biographies of Admiral Nelson published in the first decade of the 21st Century. However, in stark contrast to John Sugden's monumental two volume work (The second volume is in preparation, covering the period from 1797 to 1805, when Nelson had his greatest triumphs and defeats.) and Roger Knight's biography published last year, Coleman's extensively researched tome reads more like a negative "Cliff Notes" review of the admiral's life, focusing on Nelson's career in the 1790s and 1800s, devoting as much time to the great British admiral's flaws as well as his successes. Indeed, I suspect that the title "The Nelson Touch" is a bit misleading, since Coleman doesn't dwell much on those facets of Nelson's personality which made him into an inspirational naval commander well respected - if not loved - by his celebrated "band of brothers" such as Captains Berry, Hallowell, Hardy and Hoste, and Admirals Collingwood and Hood. Speaking of which, to my utter amazement, there is not much for the reader to discern regarding Nelson's strong ties to fellow officers such as Captains Berry and Hardy and especially, Admiral Collingwood. Only Rear Admiral Troubridge is discussed at any length, and it is more from the perspective of Nelson's perceived rivalry with Troubridge dating from the latter's appointment to the Admiralty in 1801, than the close comradeship which had developed while serving together in the Mediterranean Sea during the 1790s.
   
   Yet Coleman's negative appraisal of Nelson's life and career is important for two major reasons. First it demonstrates convincingly how disastrous Nelson's conduct was at Naples in 1799, condoning acts which would be charitably described as running counter to the spirit, if not the actual letter, of dignified conduct against the enemy; in other words, Nelson acted as a war criminal. How, you might ask? He abrogated a treaty signed by one of his subordinates and representatives of Naples's Republican government and misled defending Neapolitan and French troops holding out in impregnable forts near the city who had been guaranteed safe conduct to Toulon, but instead, found themselves sent via safe conduct only to the gallows. He also arranges for the summary execution of the Neapolitan naval officer in charge of the city's defense, who had become a close colleague and friend of Nelson's, before switching his loyalty to the Republican government. Coleman also delves deeply into Nelson's relationship with Emma Hamilton, demonstrating how it evolved slowly into a passionate love affair, beginning innocently enough via Emma's diplomatic work on behalf of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies's Bourbon royal family. At any rate, Coleman's fine scholarship puts to rest any notion that theirs was love at first sight. Despite my own misgivings regarding Coleman's coverage, I still strongly recommend this book as an excellent biography of Admiral Nelson, especially in its coverage of Nelson's actions at Naples and his love affair with Emma Hamilton.



2. I admire _The Nelson Touch_ in the way that, Nelson-like, author Terry Coleman ties up alongside and lets the broadsides rip at his subject from the get-go:
   
   "Nelson was a paramount naval genius and natural born predator, and those who look to find a saint besides will miss the man. The strength of mind is everywhere obvious. He knew he was right, and in action was daring and direct. His originality asserts itself again and again, and so does his quixotic generosity. But in private life, as in war, he was ruthless whenever he had to be, and he could be pitiless. He was a fanatic for duty, at times beyond all sense, and a royalist so infatuated with the divine right of kings that he began to see himself, in revolutionary times, as the instrument of God. This made him a good hater. He hated the American rebels of the thirteen colonies, and the harmless liberal rebels against the Bourbon king of Naples, as unforgivingly as he hated the revolutionary French and then Napoleon."
   
   That's the first paragraph from page one, and in excellent journalistic style, Coleman, having layed out his thesis, succintly expands upon it in the next 343 pages (a very small number of pages relative to most modern biographies.) Coleman does not discuss Nelson's military strategy to a great extent. Nor does he fill in the many gaps in the historical record with generalized discussions of the social milieu of the time; for example, little is known about Nelson's boyhood, and Coleman does not have any sections that choose to draw in sources about what it might have been like from contemporary accounts of other persons of the same period. The author does not bother filling in the vast background story of the sociopolitical upheavals of the time, and approaches Nelson's life with a certain expectation of familiarity on the part of the reader of its general outline. Far from detracting from its subject matter, the relative tautness and focus of this approach make it one of the most readable biographies I've encountered in recent years.
   
   What Coleman does rather superbly is go back to truly original source material on Nelson, and more or less reconstruct a portrait of the man he was. The surviving primary material, in the form of Nelson's letters and those few letters to Nelson which survive, are meticulously examined. Any contradictions and inconsistencies are investigated, the factual basis often being compared to subsequent distortions. This book might be labeled 'revisionist' because of Coleman's insistence on unraveling the origins of the many myths and distortions that have developed over the centuries concerning Nelson; however, my impression is more that Coleman simply tries to get at the truth of the matter under the layers of hogwash without any agenda per se. If that results in a revision in the general public understanding of Nelson, that's where the chips have fallen.
   
   A constant theme of the book is deconstructing the myth, the legend, the hagiography that's been built up around Nelson since his death. Indeed, Coleman manages to convey that it was Nelson's very nature that started building up the legend in the first place. It remains dubious about the extent to which Nelson's military acumen was or was not responsible for victories at St. Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar, but there's no doubt that Nelson thought that Nelson was responsible almost wholly for those victories. (Nelson was quite fond of referring to himself in the third person.) And the tenor of the times was ripe for mythologizing a hero, particularly in a Britain that was in such dire straits in its continental struggle and in fear of popular uprisings.
   
   Nelson's strange sojourn as a sort of minister of war cum loose-cannon warlord supporting the King of Naples is given a great deal of attention. It's a sorry episode where Nelson's reactionary political leanings, love of royalty, desire for self-aggrandizement, and failure to obey his superiors combined in a rather nasty and bloody counter-revolution. The current controversy about whether Nelson's unilateral abrogation of a treaty, which resulted in the execution of several hundred prisoners who had been promised safe conduct by the British, is discussed in significantly greater detail than Nelson's fleet exploits. I came at this book without any sense of national pride (or disgust, as some contemporary Italian scholars have because of the incident, to the point of calling Nelson a war criminal) in the Nelson legend, but with considerable familiarity with his military record, and as such I found this material very interesting.
   
   What I do find somewhat missing in Coleman's account is an explanation of 'The Nelson Touch' that so inspired his contemporaries (at least the ones who didn't hate his guts). Nelson cheerfully explains it about himself in laying out his battle plans for Trafalgar, but as Coleman notes, there are zero accounts from his captains about the same meeting at which Nelson describes himself so glowingly. Was the 'Touch' an invention? If it was real, what was it about Nelson's personal qualities that made him an inspirational leader? This subject is not addressed, leading one to the conclusion that it perhaps might have been a contemporary invention of the glory-seeking Nelson and his acolytes. I don't know this to be so, but this is not the book that explores those issues. And, as noted, there is little in the way of revisionism in looking at the claims of Nelson's military genius, which are certainly overstated in many other sources and which is taken as a given by Coleman.
   
   One item of particular note: Coleman does a superb job of looking at the visual record of Nelson in terms of the contemporary portraits done of him during his lifetime. Often in biographies the illustrations are unremarked upon by the author, almost afterthoughts. Coleman treats these, too, as primary sources, and this greatly enlivens the text.
   
   Regardless of how one approaches Nelson as man or legend prior to reading this book, this is an excellent modern biography that rehumanizes him, and well recommended.



3. I don't feel outraged that Coleman's treatment of Nelson is harsh. Why make Nelson something he wasn't: a saint.



4. I notice that Joel Hayward's new book also points out Nelson's flaws as a warrior and as a captain and as an officer. Maybe Hayward wrote it all in a more balance way, and with more context, but he still said similar things to Mr Coleman. Yet Coleman seems to have been singled out for criticism for merely showing that Nelson was human and used his legal disciplinary rights more often than we assumed. Big deal. He was a great admiral but just a man.



5. Coleman has written a highly negative biography of Nelson that stresses Nelson's faults while ignoring his accomplishments. Coleman believes that Nelson was engaged in war crimes at Naples since he decieved the rebels with a truce and than slaughtered them. Also Nelson bluffed his way to victory at Coopenhagen by overstating his strength to the Danish king in order to achieve a truce. Finally Coleman is critical of the way that Nelson treated his first wife with his affair with Emma Hamilton. Even though this is a highly negative biography of Nelson it is highly readable.

No comments about Ambroise Pare and His Times 1510 to 1590.

5 comments about Of Spies and Lies: A CIA Lie Detector Remembers Vietnam.

1. As an ex-CIA polygraph examiner who served for four years in Vietnam, John Sullivan traveled throughout much of Indochina while performing lie detector tests in support of the US war effort. Over a quarter of a century later, Sullivan's memoirs tell the story of a man who, trained by a spy agency to unearth deceit, embarks upon a mission to a Cold War hotspot where he discovers deception and incompetence to be as perennial as the grass in the Vietnamese countryside.
   
   While Sullivan makes it clear from the beginning that he did serve with a number of good men in Vietnam, he expresses astonishment at the degree of operational ineffectiveness (or just plain irresponsibility) on the part of many CIA personnel in Saigon Station and outer lying regions, which strangely enough became a backwater for 'problem' officers despite the country's exceptional strategic importance to US policy makers.
   
   In reference to the author's tradecraft, Sullivan makes three worthwhile points about polygraph testing:
   
   1) "Polygraph is about 92 percent art and 8 percent science."
   2) "The fact that intangibles cannot be quantified or scientifically measured challenges the claim that polygraph is a science. I do not believe that it is possible to put a percentage on the reliability of polygraph testing, but under optimal conditions, it is very reliable."
   3) Even if a subject registers as being deceptive on a polygraph, "unless an admission is obtained, the final determination is frequently what we refer to as a scientific wild-ass guess (SWAG)."
   
   Although I would have enjoyed hearing more detailed discussions of Sullivan's expertise, I understand that there are limits as to how much can be openly discussed regarding his specialty. Nonetheless, this book scores a high mark in that it enables readers to walk away with a better understanding of both the Vietnam War as well as polygraph testing.



2. The book starts out one story at a time and some times the thought is "why tell me about a broken desk cover" but at the end you know more about what it was really like in Laos and Vietnam. John was known as the man who would tell the truth to those in power. Now he shares it with the rest of us.

   As we see the formulation of a new "homeland security agency" it is a reminder to us that the best way to get good results is pay attention to every step of the process. Our Vietnam operation had great support and many poor operations with the information results (even the good information) seeming to get lost on the way to those who needed it. The lesson I see is that all of the details are important. Bottle necks can kill.




3. Many of the stories in the book are very light accounts of annoying conversations: personality conflicts. The author is apparently a real straight arrow and he has endless accounts of turns of phrase and trivial happenstances that annoyed him. Like the guy who switched his cracked desk glass for John's good one. Who cares, I mean literally? There is very little insight given to the interrogation process proper, which I was expecting because that is, after all, the author's specialty. In the end you have a sense that Vietnam was fill of corrupt, drunk spooks, and one lone shiny penny -- the author.



4. John Sullivan's "Of Spies and Lies" is a fascinating account of wartime CIA intelligence operations in Vietnam that should be required reading not only for students of the Vietnam War, but also for anyone interested in the current war on terror. John's discussions of the difficulties an intelligence agency faces in recruiting penetrations of a difficult and dangerous enemy organization and his descriptions of problems caused by the shortage of officers with the requisite language and area knowledge bear disturbing similarities to headlines we see in the press every day. It is another illustration of the old saw that "those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
   John's book provides a unique window into life in the CIA's Saigon Station. His description of Agency operations in Vietnam ranges from the controversy surrounding our best penetration of the Viet Cong leadership to the polygraphing of local employees over the disappearance of a few slices of ham at a party (an incident I remember quite well). John also gives unprecedented insights into the important role the Agency's requirement for polygraph vetting plays in keeping case officers, who work daily in the murky waters of spies, fabricators, and con-men, on the straight and narrow road of the pursuit of the truth. CIA polygraphers like John helped lead the way in the development of a systematic vetting process for use in the conduct of clandestine intelligence collection operations. The book illustrates how that process works and how, when the process is ignored or distorted, the entire system can quickly break down.
   I served with John in Saigon Station and know his reputation as one of the Agency's best. As a former Saigon Station officer, some of his criticisms of personnel and procedures in Southeast Asia are painful, but their accuracy is incontrovertible. I highly recommend this book.



5. As a history major who took courses on the Cold War in college, I can say with certainty that this book would be invaluable and highly instructive to anyone who reads it.

   As an Intelligence Analyst I have come to appreciate the work case officers like John Sullivan have done in service of their country. This book should be required reading for all polygraphers and case officers.

   As an officer in the military, I have come to realize that many of the lessons learned from Vietnam have been applied in today's armed services. The book points out low-points in the CIA that can be used to improve (if not already) current operations.

   His style of writing makes it easy to follow, and allows the reader to get a good glimpse of CIA operations in Vietnam through the eyes of an honest, hard working, dutiful man.

   Anyone who has any interest in Vietnam, whether for school, occupation, or hobby, must read this book to get the full picture.

5 comments about General Ike: A Personal Reminiscence.

1. absolutely great reading. his point of observation is unique but balanced as well as wholly honest. while the author's observations are a great contribution to the historical record, it also serves as a great tribute to a truly great man, a great soldier, a great American.



2. This book is especially important to anyone interested in the history of World War II or just history in general. John Eisenhower doesn't just paraphrase the works of other historians who were born years after the war - he writes first hand descriptions of the great military and political laeders of the war - all of them he met personally during war. Of course, his sections on his own father (possibly the greatest of them all) is an essential read.



3. First rate! Could not put the book down, lots of new and fresh insights into DeGaulle, Churchill, Patton, and Montgomery (what a piece of work...) I read a great deal of WWII history, and it is a joy to read new information for a change! In addition the reader will gain knowledge of the great and rather-more-complicated man than we might think, President Eisenhower. Written in a clear and understandable way for the non-military, John Eisenhower is a gifted historian. In summary, I am making it a priority to purchase his other books, as this is the first of his works I have had the pleasure to read.



4. All in all, this book does a really nice job laying out a biography of Eisenhower, and does so in an interesting fashion. Ike is explained in chapters that could largely standalone and are demarcated by the people he's working with. There's a chapter on Eisenhower and Pershing, then one on MacArthur, Patton, DeGaulle, Montgomery, and Churchill. Needless to say, the chapters on Patton, MacArthur, Montgomery, and Churchill were very interesting. I dozed off on the DeGaulle piece, while was riveted by the Patton chapter. Those who are familiar with the Patton story will appreciate Eisenhower's behavior toward his early (and ranking) comrade.
   Some of the other interesting takeaways from the book come from Ike's early days. Those of us familiar with the nature of the political army can appreciate how Ike nearly ended his career by advocating the tank in independent operations. An early mentor saved Ike's career by having him transfered to the Adjutant General's Corps.
   I haven't read the Ike autobiography but I would estimate that this book would complement that work. The author seeks to avoid restating the same data over and over, and instead offers the unique view I described above, plus adds his own fly-on-the-wall viewpoint that he enjoyed being Ike's son. His own anecdotes, while interesting, wouldn't stand on their own as a booke but are very well-used here.



5. This book is written by DDE's son, John. The book covers many people that Ike dealt with during his army career and as President. It is well written, well researched, and very enjoyable. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history, WW2, world politics. One of the best biographical books I have read.