5 comments about Warrior: The Legend Of Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen.

1. Not your typical Capstick book, this focuses more on the military wars and campaigns in Africa from a British poit of view.
   Still very interesting.



2. This is a very bloody book, but so was Africa in the 1890-1920 timeframe - A Post-Bellum backwater - and one wonders why the British or the Germans were there.
   
   The best passsages cover Meinhertzhagen as a leader of men - his boldness and his careful calculations, as an intelligence operative and officer - his gaining entry to a Russian fort is hilarious, and his observations of Post-Bellum Africa - where the slave trade has collapsed and the Boer War is over with.
   
   In the end, all things written and done by Meinertzhagen must be judged against his role as a British Intelligence Officer - his diary entries, his "ornithology", and his whereabouts and actions. The one true constant is his devotion and loyalty to the Empire and his empathy for the downtrodden and unjustly treated.
   
   The dispatch of men with "amateur" interests is an old, old ruse that reaches as far back as Aristotle's trip to Thessaly if not further.



3. Col. Meinertzhagen was one of the greatest warriors of his day, a Richard Burton, Lord Stanley and Lawrence of Arabia all wrapped into one. He was also a fascinating individual who was a big game hunter and at the same time a man who collected one of the greatest bird collections for museum use at the time. An expert therefore on birds and a jungle fighter against Leetow-Vorbecks Germans in German East Africa(Tanzania). He led Africans in many fights of the First World War and was most well known for leading secret British septerfuge missions against the Turks in Palestine, leading to the capture of Beersheba. In the 1930s he was an admirer of fascism but hated the Nazis for their racist policies. In the 1920s he was also a great admirer of ZIonism and claimed to be an essential element in the founding of Israel, a fact overlooked today. He was a great warrior and this book tells his story full of bravado. The book concentrates also on his big game hunting exploits, but it is afanciful account.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman



4. A very disappointing book - it should be subtitled "a mini biography of Peter H Capstick." Capstick is arrogant enough to think that the reader will be just as interested in him as the they are in Meinertzhagen! It is not well written as Capstick rambles off on tangents (usually about himself) at very regular intervals. He professes to be an expert where he clearly is not eg he disputes the well known fact that anti-malarial drugs can mask the symptoms of the disease.
   
   A great pity that a potentially interesting book has been spoilt by a self interested author!



5. An almost uncritical biography of the subject, and a shamelssly uncritcal preudo-autobiography of the author. All cited sources are in Meinertzhagen's own publications. Barely worth the effort of reading.

5 comments about Chained Eagle: The Heroic Story of the First American Shot Down over North Vietnam.

1. On August 5th, 1964, Lieutenant j.g. Everett Alvarez Jr. was shot down over North Vietnam and became the first U.S. aviator to be taken captive in the Vietnam conflict. Held in confinement for eight and a half years, he would be recorded as the longest held POW second only to Army Captain Jim Thompson.

   Spending the entire Vietnam war as a POW, Alvarez was held at different times in the Hanoi Hilton, Briarpatch, and Zoo prison compounds. It would be a year until he finally had contact with other American POW's and much of that first year was in solitary confinement.

   Approaching 2 years of captivity, Alvarez and his fellow servicemen were subjected to brutal and sadistic tortures amidst inhumane living conditions for the duration of their stay. Forced to eat vermin infested food and given negligible medical care, he suffered frequently from Dysentery, Beri-Beri, Hepatitis, and other afflictions.

   Far along into captivity, Alvarez finally received mail from his family concerning events at home. Sadly, he was to learn that one of his sisters had become an anti-war activist and in what must have seemed like one of the worst examples of betrayal and cruelty, his wife divorced him and then remarried.

   During the worst of times, Alvarez never wavered in his beliefs of pride, patriotism, and self-determination to survive and continually assisted his fellow POW's as they assisted him. Upon a joyous and welcome return home, he diligently and proudly re-entered society with his honor and integrity intact culminating with his second marriage to a wonderful woman that made his life complete.

   Chained Eagle is an exceptionally good book of one man's heroic struggle and endurance in the face of complete despair and hopelessness. Vividly poignant, inspirational, and heartfelt, this book is deserving of much more than five stars and is very highly recommended to everyone.




2. "Chained Eagle" is the story of Lieutenant (j.g.) Everett Alvarez. He was a pilot from the U.S.S. "Constellation", shot down over Hon Gai, North Vietnam on August 5, 1964. In fact, Alvarez was downed during the very first bombing sortie of the Indochina War. He remained imprisoned until the general release of all POWs in the Spring of 1973. This reviewer remembers President Johnson announcing the missions at the still bizarre time of 11 p.m. Eastern Time, interrupting a Mets game. (It was never completely clear if LBJ's broadcast came before the actual raids. Doing so would have given the North a free advance warning). The very strongest aspect of CE is how strongly it is written. The portrayals of prison life are more vivid than any other POW accounts this reviewer has read. There is a sharp focus on the food. It was painful to read of how POWs competed with the rats and ants for the slop left outside their cells. By the time permission to actually eat was given, "others" had sampled the stuff! One can only imagine how hungry these guys must have been and desperate for any semblance of decent chow! Alvarez' conditions were tolerable initially but quickly deteriorated as more pilots were downed and subsequently captured. Conditions improved later in the War as America -belatedly! -began to demand better treatment of the prisoners. The Son Tay raid of 1970 also was directly responsible for better conditions because it led North Vietnam to consolidate most Americans into the larger Hanoi area prisons. There was definite safety in numbers, along with a supportive command structure. Another strong aspect of CE is the interspersed reports of how the Alvarez family was faring at home! One deduces a strong effort from co-author Pitch here, since Alvarez was imprisoned 15, 000 miles away. It was not all sweetness and light back in California. CE reminds the reader sharply that the families on the home front suffered too. It is true that Alvarez' wife deserted him while he was imprisoned and that his sister was a serious demonstrator against the War. However the author very quickly pulled his life together again once repatriated, rising above those sharp adversities. This reviewer was surprised to read of two collaborators, both officers, one a Marine LTC! Also, by the end of 1972, many of the newly shot down pilots had turned lukewarm regarding the War. Some rooted for Senator George McGovern (D-SD) in the '72 Presidential Election! The bottom line for CE is that it is one more entry in that solid lineup of POW/MIA accounts. America should always remember the struggles these men endured. We should also acknowledge the 1800+ still unaccounted for in the 4 Indochina countries, plus 6 men in China. Those of us Vets who came back to the World intact should count our blessings daily.



3. Alvarez was shot down on the FIRST day of the Gulf of Tonkin airstrikes! Hero, no. Lucky, yes. Strong will to survive, yes. So are the hundreds of other POWs. What makes Alvarez unique? The first one to get shot down? Hardly a hero.



4. The story is a story that should be mandatory reading for all high school and college students. The lessons, actions, values and principles in the life of Alvarez are what heroes are made of and an inspiration and example to all.
   
   The book is well written. One feels as though he is living through the ordeal of the POW story.



5. Everett Alvarez Jr. has given us his inspirational experience as America's first military Vietnam POW. He details his early life, then gets right to his mission over North Vietnam, his plane being downed, his subsequent capture and captivity and, finally, his release and "Return With Honor". There are a number of books written by Vietnam POWs, but this one is noteworthy because he was the first (1964) and the longest held. He speaks hauntingly of his depravation and torture, but he doesn't dwell on it. This is a positive book where Alvarez shows us how he endured for so long. Of interest is his faith; how it helped him cope. Meanwhile the book often shifts back to his family here, first awaiting news of his fate and then later, when they find he is alive, his release. Well-written and inspiring... a great take.

5 comments about Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine.

1. This could have easily been a dull and difficult read, but Calvert was not a dull man. To the contrary, this story puts you right in the action. Just like the AAF's B-24 Liberator bombers, the naval subs were often just as dangerous to our soldiers as the enemy was. Especially at the beginning of their service, Calvert shares how the Jack had many problems with its engines, at one point nearly getting stranded with no operable engines. On top of that, they had to endure intense depth charging. With all of this action, it's hard to relax - even while in the comfort of an armchair.

   More than just a military tale, however; Silent Running has a real human side. Calvert takes the reader deep into his personality, allowing us to share in his fear and his courage. It is also a story of love and a sailor's struggle to stay faithful to his wife while facing death in a cruel war far from home. As he prevails over all, we are shown the tremendous character and tenacity of the men and women that fought and won the "Greatest War".

   If you like this book, you must rent/buy/watch Das Boot (The Boat) directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Although, it is told from the perspective of the German submarine crew, it is a great aid to visualizing the experience of 1930-40's submarine warfare conditions and technology. It is, also, considered one of the greatest WWII movies made to date.




2. This memoir is particularly well-written. It accomplishes the expected by displaying day-to-day life on a US submarine in WWII, but it does more by really capturing the voice of an innocent young man who still has a lot to learn about the world.
   
   Calvert went on to quite a distinguished career in the Navy, but this book never hints at that, instead it paints a portrait of a very specific period of time in the author's life and doesn't bog the reader down with too much 20/20 hindsight and reflections, instead relaying the feeling of being in your early 20s and being involved in one of the highest-stakes contests ever fought in human history.
   
   If you like memoirs, history, or WWII, this is a very well-told story that will appeal to you.



3. Great read.
   
   As the only prior reviewer who failed to give it five stars noted , it is written in a very straightforward style. Most of the discussions regarding emotions are off the boat. It is not Tom Clancey but rather an account of real heros, fighting an extremely dangerous war, 8,000 miles from home and often hundreds of miles from any friendly ship.
   
   I found the book captivating but it does require the reader to put himself into the account rather than having the book reach out to the reader with pages of descriptions of fear soaked sweat dripping from frightened sailors.
   
   It is a book about the true meaning of being a warrior at sea, combat leadership, life aboard one of the best attack submarines, wartime love and the emotional conflicts and the technology of the era.
   
   The book is also about the endurance of the men who sailed on the submarines. Although the author does not dwell on the issue, due to the importance of their effort the subs were only allowed to remain in port for the few weeks it took to attend to the most critical reparis and replenishment. Then they returned to a very dangerous mission which began almost as they left port.
   
   It's also a reminder of how much the strategy of submarine warfare has changed as our WW2 subs had very limited range and speed while submerged.
   
   The author's story of their premature entry into Tokyo was great.
   
   He only devotes a few words in the afterword to cover the balance of his distinguished military career which had seemed doomed by their prank trip to Tokyo.



4. I'll echo much of what has already been written. This book is an excellent account of one man's experience with WW2 submarine operations. The author made it to the level of executive officer on a sub by the end of the war (and went on to even more interesting events as told in his other book "Surface at the Pole").
   
   The author writes clearly, interestingly, and honestly. The author covers most of his patrols (of nine if I remember correctly) in detail and even some of his personal events while on shore. He covers everything from the horror of being depth charged to the boredom and tedium of patrol.
   
   Overall the author provides an interesting and enlightening account of US Submarine operations and what it was like to serve on a US submarine in WW2.



5. This book is a real page turner. I couldn't put it down. Calvert really pulls you into the action. I picked up this book after reading "The Terrible hours" and found that I enjoyed reading about submarines. I've also just started playing "Silent Hunter III" and wanted to delve into the WWII submarine environment. This books definitely puts right along-side Calvert. I really enjoyed the growth that the book follows as Calvert graduates from the Naval Academy, gets assigned to a new submarine as it is being contructed. His writing style that takes you from a young green officer to an experienced submarine warrior is a very nice touch. This really portrays the building of his character. After reading about Swede Momsen and James Calvert, I am ready to start building a WWII submarine library.

5 comments about Napoleon III: A Life.

1. The influence of Napoleon III on nineteenth-century French history and culture is inestimable: his unlikely rise to power after the 1848 Paris revolutions cemented twenty years' worth of extravagance and folly, resulting in the splendors of the Haussmann re-development of the capital city and the horrors of the Mexican debacle and the Franco-Prussian War. There was probably never a less-likely "man of destiny" than this emperor, who managed to come to power (and hold on to it) mostly through dumb luck, and if this biography by Fenton Bresler focuses too strongly on the private life of the Second Empire's court it may be suitable for a man who seemed much more interested in managing his mistresses than his empire.

   Bresler's account is immesely readable and clear, which should be the first requirement of all popular biographies, and you do emerge from it with a strong sense of the personalities of the major figures in Napoleon's life: his amazingly resourceful (and lucky) mother, Queen Hortense of Holland; his sybaritic grandmother Josephine; his fascinating and iron-willed wife the Empress Eugenie; and his manipulative and adoring ministers and cronies. It is true that the lack of political and historical synthesis sometimes seriously mars this work: what may be worse is that Bresler's desire to say at least something that the emperor's other biographers haven't uncovered leads him to point out his newer discoveries (such as that the imperial couple had likely already prepared an escape route to Chislehurst years before the Franco-Prussian War) at overextreme length. Also his reliance on Napoleon's and Eugenie's near-contemporary biographers--whom later historians have dismissed as too fawning and inaccurate--seems a real mistake.




2. Lifelessness is a defect of far too many biographies - and works of historical fiction. Fenton Bresler's "Napoleon III" succeeds admirably in avoiding it.

   Before Napoleon III there was Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, and he is a vivid, living presence on every page of this work. Less a political biography than a personal one, the book cuts through the gilded pomp of the Second Empire to give us Louis, the man. Hotblooded, stubborn, flirtatious, fickle... More than half the book is devoted to his life before he became Emperor. Yet the book is also good in analyzing Louis as an ideologue. It has been conveniently forgotten that prior to becoming emperor, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte wrote a number of books laying down the basis for the new ideology which Karl Marx, in attacking, baptized as Bonapartism. An accomplished schemer, Louis was blessed with talents better suited to the coming age of politics than to the warrior times of his uncle. In the end, though, his lack of military skill became the Achilles Heel responsible for his downfall. He would have been better suited for the age of the sound bite than that of the sword.

   De Morny and Persigny, Lizzie Howard and La Castiglione... the men and women of Bonapartist Paris are skillfully introduced to us on every page. Eugenie fans will not be pleased with the more critical assessment of her in this book: she is portrayed as a meddling political spouse to a degree that makes Hillary Clinton seem apolitical. A boring marriage to a wife who hated sex may havbe hastened Louis' ultimate detachment from the court he'd created.

   Many a competent professional is overshadowed by an ancestral predecessor; from young doctors to aspiring actors, many a young person finds that over time the example which inspired them ultimately becomes their bitterest rival. This has been the fate of Napoleon III, forever remembered as the "other" Napoleon. Bresler's biography introduces us to a talented and clever man who could have excelled in many different callings, yet chose for himself the Herculean task of equalling the most successful leader of the preceding five hundred years. Measured by any yardstick other than the Napoleonic one which he himself chose, the accomplishments of his career would be impressive. In an almost conversational style which shares the data without letting it dominate the narrative, Bresler reminds us why Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was popular enough to become Napoleon III in the first place.




3. It is interesting to read a biography of the Napoleon III after one on the First for the tales are really the same tale of prempted republics and celebrity families with their predations of revolutionary changes, as the ghost of hybrid reactionaries stalks the legacy of the new bourgeoisie. The result here is a sort of hors d'oeuvre for Marx's classic Eighteen Brumaire, "Hegel observes somewhere that all great incidents, and individuals of history occur, as it were, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce". Napoleon Louis' takeover of the republican hopes of 1848 was, however, a species of sly cleverness that shows no dunce even as the outcome, as the second Empire, is barren of result (although a kind of rancid liberalism and never fulfilled sympathy with the goals of revolution is characteristic of all the Napoleons, if only as a celebrity mystique). A strange sort of daydream, the disguised persistence of the ancient regime in Mayr's phrase of his book by that name, one that simples wakes up to reality in a matter of weeks, as the Franco-Prussian War sweeps the fantasy into the dustbin.



4. Napoleon III has always been an enigma, both during his own time and remaining so today. This book refreshingly spares us the ho-hum political, military, and economic details of Nap III's reign and concentrates instead on the man and how events and people influenced him and made him what he was -- a rather tragic, confused, and vain little man trying to fill the shoes and name of an illustrious predecessor. The author for the most part is sympathetic to his subject and uses a variety of published material and private research to support his observations of Nap III and why he reacted to circumstances and events as he did. The author writes with a very readable style and presents a complete yet not dull life of his subject. Of particular interest are the many affairs that Nap III carried on before and after marriage and his relationship with his wife and Empress Eugenie. I would highly recommend this book as a fine overview of Nap III's life and conduct.



5. Say what you will about this strange little man, but he had taste and he remade Paris into what it is today. His accention to the throne of France is nothing short of incredible, but this man had amazing chuzpa and he willed it so. He had nothing in common with his illustrious, some say infamous uncle Napoleon, except a name. I liked how he loved pomp and he could really get his cult of peronality out there. He was a despot yes, but fairly enlightened, I mean compare him to the dour idiot Victoria and he was not all bad, granted England did much better under her ministers..(not her, she was shut up at Balmoral or the Isle of Wight, mourning her German stud, Albert)..ask someone what a prince albert is and you get idea of his..uh devotion to a nice pant line), but France under Napoleon III had style and it was he who ushered it in..certainly not the fool Louis Phillip who preceded him. This is good book, with a nice history lesson, that's not too painful.

5 comments about In Love and War.

1. I read this in '91 and still recall it on a frequent basis. A true hero, Stockdale portrays captivity objectively and with fine introspection. More than a view of being a POW during Vietnam, Stockdale's conveyed inner strength reinforced my beliefs and provides encouragement. As a gross understatement, the Stockdale's will remind many what's most important in life. The movie was shallow, as are most debates - and as such, Mr. Stockdale should reconsider his performance for '92 VP under Perot as another "badge of honor". To wit, unable to become superficial with PC pancake. This is a real book by real people



2. This book conveys the honor, courage and commitment one family had to their god, each other and their country during a very trying time.



3. I have read this book twice, the original edition and the revised and updated edition (which includes his life following his homecoming). A true American hero, whose only blunder was the Vice Presidential debate, wherein he came across poorly (in my opinion, because he was out of his element). Admiral Stockdale relates his experiences as a Naval Aviator who was shot down, captured and tortured in the Hoa Lo prison. His wife, Sybil, relates in every other chapter what was going on in her life, and her involvement with her husband as a POW. She, too, deserves tremendous credit for her activities. I contrast this book with Admiral Jeremiah Dentons's book, "When Hell was in Session", which I feel is remarkably self serving.



4. This book should be mandatory reading for history classes. Beautifully written from both perspectives of a POW and the family at home. A true American hero.



5. Without a doubt the Stockdale's should be considered a national treasure becuase of the lives they lived under arduous circumstances and horrific conditions. None of us will every fully know or much less comprehend the extent of the mutual sacrifice from both Admiral and Sybil Stockdale in service to one another, other POW/MIA families, and their country. If you want inspiration, then read their book. If you want to learn to rise above your circumstances, then read their book. If you want to move from self absorption, then read their book. If you want to understand and see commitment, sacrifice, loyalty, perseverance, tenacity of spirit, and an ability to rise above the chaos of life, then read their book. If you want a rich philosophy and ethic for life, then read their book. If after reading it you don't come away with a different outlook on life, then read it again . . . you must have been distracted. The book is a journey through their history, skewed governmental policies, personal endurance, and the value of having a personal philosophy of life.

5 comments about The Green Dragoon.

1. This is an exceedingly poor rendition of the most horrific British officer to serve in the field during America's rebellion.

   Tarleton was evil incarnate from the American point of view. He managed to amass a record of war crimes that put even the British to shame. However, to spend almost 500 pages on this sop's truly useless life is such a complete waste of the reader's time that one has to feel sorry for the author. There is nothing to be gained from reading this book, unless, of course, you identify with people who are failures in every facet of their lives.




2. Clearly one of the best books written on Banastre Tarleton. Clear, clean prose on a most complex man. A highly intellectual biography, perhaps over some heads in many ways--but well worth the effort. The book makes clear that it is important to remember that there was another side to our revolution.



3. Banastre Tarleton was, in many ways, something of an ideal young man, measured by the standards of English eighteenth century culture. Highly literate, well-educated, and brilliant as a cavalryman. As a cavalry colonel for the British side in the American Revolution, he participated in several key victories, particularly in the Carolinas, before being defeated at Cowpens and, again, at Yorktown. Tarleton was (and remains) reviled by American partisans as the cruellest of the English warriors, and though Bass relates several unsavory episodes in unsparing detail, he was not quite the unregenerate scumbag that is so often featured in popular histories. Having said that, his later career in English politics was an unmitigated disaster: constantly up to his eyeballs in gambling schemes, he flitted from party to party and had an unerring knack of finding the wrong issue on which to campaign.

   Mary Robinson, his long-suffering mistress, was an entirely different kettle of fish. Something of an underrated star of English literature, she was also one of the great actresses of her day. Her story in many respects resembles that of her contemporary, Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire (who makes several appearances in these pages), especially given her dalliances with Whig politics. In other respects she reminds one of other great female intellectuals of this era such as Gertrude de Stael or (a little earlier) Madame du Chatelet.

   An engaging joint biography of two strong, if star-crossed individuals.




4. This book is an excellent read on Banistre Tarleton. One of the best commanders of horse-mounted troops in history of the world.
   
   This shows the human side of Tarleton and shows how his reputation as a wild eyed killer is underserved propaganda, like most anti-loyalist and anti-british statements are.
   
   We need more books like this detailing the forgotten heroes of the struggle ad less books based on propoganda and subjective rhetoric.



5. This is the only bio of BT, so there are not many options besides this book if you want to learn more @ the dragoon. More than half the book is his career and love life AFTER the American Rev. Dated prose.

No comments about Jesse James: The Best Writings on the Notorious Outlaw and His Gang.

5 comments about Stonewall of the West: Patrick Cleburne and the Civil War (Modern War Studies).

1. For many years the officers and men who made up the Army of Tennessee have played second fiddle to Lee's eastern army. The very title of this book clearly illustrates this point for one never hears a general in Lee's army referred to as the Cleburne of the east. Finally though, thanks in large part to the efforts of historians like Thomas L. Connelly and Shelby Foote and the diaries of Sam Watkins, the brave men of the Army of Tennessee are being given due credit.

   Craig Symonds has added his name to the above list with this excellent study of General Patrick Cleburne. No study of the Army of Tennessee would be complete without a study of one of its best generals, and therefore this biography is a very important addition to any Civil War library. Best of all, the author writes in a flowing style that helps make this book a joy to read.

   Unfortunately, much of Cleburne's personal correspondence has not survived but Symonds has done an excellent job of digging up what does exist. Fortunately, the Irish general was very precise with his battle reports and the correspondence of many of his close associates does still exist. Working with these sources the author weaves together a fascinating story. He doesn't dwell on the logistics of various battles, which tends to make for dry reading but instead describes very concisely the part Cleburne played in the battle

   Symonds also deals in some detail with Cleburne's personal life, from his early life in Ireland to his engagement. There is also a good deal of attention given to Cleburne's close friendships, both before and during the war, and his political beliefs and activities. Of course, Cleburne's proposal to arm and free the slaves is also dealt with in detail. From his own formulation of the plan, to the icy reception it received, to the possibility that his proposal may have been partially responsible for his lack of further promotion, the plan and its ramifications and insights into Cleburne's personality are closely examined.

   For any student of the war this would be a worthwhile read, but for anyone with a particular interest in the Army of Tennessee it is an indispensable read.




2. This biography of Patrick Cleburne proves to be very readable and insightful. The book appears to be well researched and its obviously that the author favored his subject.

   Cleburne appears to be a very controversial even while he was alive. Perhaps because of his foreign birth, he was more sympathic about the conditions of the blacks and made proposals that didn't go well with his fellow southerners. The book revealed that he was a superb leader and intelligent commander. His superiors definitely didn't aid their cause by keeping him just as a divison commander when he could have been an excellent corps commander - in an army where corps commanders were not well regraded.

   The author painted a vivid and complete picture of this general whose reputation have grown considerably since the Civil War among all Civil War readers.




3. This is a very good book. Patrick Cleburne is my favorite civil war general, and this volume gives a very even-handed discussion of his life, from Ireland to Franklin, Tenn. In particular, it gives considerable space to his growth as a leader. The discussions of Shiloh and Franklin are very good, and understandable. The book gives attention to the General's private life, especially his tragic engagement to Miss Tarleton. In depth but not dry or overwhelming, STONEWALL OF THE WESTis a great introduction to this Commander of the often overlooked western theater!



4. Had Patrick Cleburne fought in the Army of Northern Virginia instead of the Army of Tennessee, we surely would be overwhelmed with biographies of his greatness as a general. Because he was a general officer in the Army of Tennessee - the army most Southern writers have traditionally ignored and treated as the red headed step child of the Confederacy, there are far fewer books on him than his accomplishments would seem to warrant. Fortunately, Mr. Symonds has written an excellent biography of the general which puts his impressive accomplishments into perspective and begins to give this extraordinary fighting general his due.
   The main focus of Symonds' work is on Cleburne the general, but he gives enough background of his youth in Ireland and his migration to and adoption of America as his new home to sketch what shaped his character and what motivated him to fight in the Southern cause. Cleburne emerges as an immigrant eager to assimilate and make the customs and mores of his new home his own; a man grateful for the opportunities and acceptance he received in Arkansas, and genuinely, if uncritically, committed to fighting for the cause of his adopted home.
   Symonds also addresses Cleburne's role within the morass of intrigue that plagued the command structure of the Army of Tennessee. He shows Cleburne to have been one of the anti Bragg cartel, not as a primary mover, but because of his loyalty to his friend and mentor General Hardee (a principle Bragg opponent), and perhaps even more so because of his habit of candor that showed little regard for political expediency. This was damaging to his career, and perhaps among the principle reasons why he was never promoted above division commander, despite the fact that he was the brightest shining star in the army. He likewise touches on Cleburne's remarkable plan to enlist slaves in the Confederate army - offering freedom to any man and his family who would fight for the South. While Cleburne's reasoning showed clarity and logic, his judgment in presenting the plan to his fellow Southern officers showed amazing naiveté and foolhardiness, and further damaged his hopes for promotion.
   But the reason there is a biography of Cleburne is the battles. Symonds traces them from his first minor engagements, through Shiloh, his first major battle, all the way to the final tragic, futile charge at Franklin. He shows how Cleburne's skills as a general developed; from simply a brave and bold leader without any great military skill at Shiloh, to an outstanding commander of men who creatively defended against overwhelming odds at Chattanooga, and became the armies designated rearguard, repeatedly saving it from destruction..
   Symonds biography of Cleburne is well written and engaging. It makes a good beginning in putting General Patrick Cleburne back into his rightful place in the pantheon of Southern heroes. If you are a serious student of the Civil War, you should not consider your library complete without a copy. I highly recommend it.
   
   Theo Logos



5. 
   Craig Symonds has written an excellent, full biography of Confederate general Patrick Cleburne. He opens the biography with a very dramatic account of Cleburne's last engagement, at the battle of Franklin in November 1864, where he was killed. This really sets the mood for lively chronicle that follows.
   
   Cleburne was born in Ireland in 1828 and came to the US in 1849. Although he had failed the apothecary course at Trinity College, Dublin, he began working as a druggist's clerk in Helena, AR. He also studied for the law. Appointed brigadier general after seizing the Little Rock Arsenal with his self-formed unit, the Yell Rifles, he saw action at Shiloh, Richmond, KY (where he was wounded), and Perryville. Promoted to major general, his military abilities and leadership qualities received high notice: for his brilliant and dogged defense of Ringgold Gap at Chattanooga against persistent Union attack he was formally thanked by the Confederate Congress. It was after this that he committed what is probably the most controversial act of his life: signing a petition (with 13 other officers) expressing the belief that blacks should be used as fighting men in the Southern army. Symonds discusses this incident at length, of course, and whether it was an act of bravery and foresight or one of naivete, it hurt Cleburne's reputation (he never got another promotion). Fighting under Hood, he was killed at Franklin.
   
   Symonds is an excellent writer and presents his subject with verve and great narrative skill. It's a scholarly biography, but written with the general (though interested and informed) public in mind, and not just other scholars. Worth a spot on anyone's Civil War shelf. Highly recommended.

No comments about Ernst Rohm: Hitler's SA Chief of Staff.

5 comments about Tempered Steel: The Three Wars of Triple Air Force Cross Winner Jim Kasler.

1. TEMPERED STEEL is a portrait of a time, an inside look at a culture of speed and machines, but most of all it's the life of a man who endured what few ever have. That Jim Kasler survived his time of trial through fire is a testament to his courage and toughness. His biographers, Byler and Luckett, have with meticulous research recreated the life of an authentic American hero.



2. This is not your usual run of the mill biography. This is the story of a warrior.
   There are many types in the military, diplomats, politicians, sycophants, citizen soldiers, patriots, war lovers, otherwise unemmployable, etc. They are all needed, and, with good leadership, most perform well under stress. But, surprising as it may seem, the warriors are marked by their rarity, Jim Kasler is a WARRIOR.
   Having been a POW with Jim and being an aviator (Navy) I can verify that this account is reliable, factual and even handed. It doesn't try to tell any one else's story but Jim's own. It is not a revisionist history. It pulls no punches. It tells it like it is (was). It makes you proud to be an American.
   Thank God Jim Kasler was on our side.



3. Perry Luckett and Charles Byler have opened a new generation's eye's to a period of time that many would rather like to forget. After all the political embarressment and face-saving, it's time to honor the actions of the honorable. The legacy that the pilots left through their deeds is one worth telling. Men such as Col. James Kasler have paid their dues in full by standing to be counted for what they firmly beleive in even when that meant torment and punishment.
   Luckett and Byler have compiled a great account of a very honorable man!



4. An excellent book outlining the life and military career of James Kasler. His patriotism to his country was vividly displayed in the chapters dealing with his prisoner of war years during the Viet Nam war. He endured more pain and torture than most men could bear. Every American should read this book.



5. I was lucky enough to have seen Kasler speak along with his two biographers.
   
   Kasler was also at the same place my late father was during WWII. The book relates how, at Las Cruces on July 16, 1945, Kasler was at the mess hall and saw the atomic blast at the Trinity Site. Since my father was an NCO pilot, he was at the same mess hall at 5:30am as Kasler. I told Kasler how my father was smoking a cigarette outside with a friend when the dark sky lit up. They both thought a B29 had exploded. Whereas that was it for my father, Kasler was a tail-gunner and his job was to fly behing the Enola Gay and take photos of the bomb damage.
   
   During the Korean War Kasler was a jet pilot and would become an ace. What is not in the book as the fact that he may have shot down Mao's son. His two biographers believe that is the case, but did not have enough evidence at the time of book publishing.
   
   Kasler time in Vietnam would be his worst time. He was shot down and taken prisoner. He believes that the one thing that saved him was the fact that a magazine article had just come out with him dewcribed as a "one man air force." He believes that made him a high value target to the North Vietnamese. One thing that all POWs remember is the time a man known as Fidel. When he started to talk about him, Kasler just looked out the window and his voice trailed off. He slowly remarked how that was the worst time in his life. He also explained that he felt he had a high pain tolerance, which meant he could take more than regular people. He stated, though, that with torture you will say whatever they want you to.
   
   Kasler left the military not long after release. He had been badly injured when he bailed out and, with the poor treatment in Vietnam, he is almost crippled in one leg. He was able to fly again, though, but once he got out he never flew again. He had toyed with getting an "experimental," but after his wife found out about the high death rate of these pilots he thought otherwise.
   
   Kasler now spends his time sitting on a bank board as well as running and designing golf courses. This book is well worth the price and quite an interesting read.