4 comments about Halleck: Lincoln's Chief of Staff.

1. This biography of Henry W. Halleck provides great insights into
   the life & career of one of the Civil War's most vilified figures. Stephen Ambrose provides a balanced overview and keen
   analysis of Halleck and his contributions to the Union war effort. Studying the full story of Halleck's numerous and very
   valuable contributions will be an eye-opening experience for many students of the Civil War. Though he may not have been a "great captain," he was an extremely effective organizer and judge of military talent, The "George C. Marshall" of the Civil War! Buy and read this book - you'll thank yourself!



2. Henry Halleck, that is the name that would rise a storm of scorn or derision among most Civil War readers. General Halleck have not been well regarded by most Civil War historians since the Civil War. This short biography (90% of 212 pages of text are on his Civil War years) by Stephen Ambrose tries to take a revisionist tack to Hallack's accomplishments, talents and his contribution to the Union cause. Ambrose's effort was to show that Halleck was bit more then just a paper general but an effective organizer and coordinator of the Union war effort. While admitting that Hallack was no battlefield general, his massive intellect on military matter was more suited for support roles to the armies at front, a classical bookworm general.

   The book was originally published back in 1962 so the writing may not be as good as Ambrose's later efforts. But its still nicely readable and provides some very insightful views on Halleck's role in the Civil War. Whether you agree with Ambrose or not, is up to you.




3. I'll not repeat the comments made by the other reviewers since I agree with their sentiments. This is a very informative book about "Old Brains," a man without whom neither Lincoln nor Grant could have suceeded.
   
   The most important fact about this book is its importance for the author. Ambrose is without a doubt one of my favorite historians. This was, I believe, his first published work, the result of his PhD research. Soon after it was published, General Eisenhower read the book. He liked it so much, he invited the young author to meet with him to begin writing an official biography. The rest is history, so to speak. Because of this book, we have other great works of history, great because they relate so much of importance and they relate it to the common man.
   
   Thanks to this little book, we all can read D-Day, Citizen Soldier, and outstanding biographies of Nixon and Eisenhower.
   
   Doug



4. Henry Wager Halleck has gone down in history as the man General Grant replaced, the man who did little to advance the Union cause for the first four years of the Civil War. Perhaps this reputation is deserved, but what is undeserved is the fact that this major player has gone so long without a biography that does him some justice. Master historian Stephen Ambrose sheds light on this interesting individual.
   
   Halleck was born in 1815 and graduated West Point in 1839 in the corps of engineers, a sin quo non for advancement at the time. During the Mexican-American war he was sent to California and subsequently was influential in writing the state's constitution and bringing it into the union. In 1861 Halleck was given command of the Western theatre for the Union and it was here that he first gained recognition for his organizational abilities as well as his problematic love for headquarters. He was the opposite of his most successful commander, Ulysses S. Grant. In 1862 Halleck was brought, by Lincoln, to Washington to run command the entire Union effort. But he proved incapable of dealing with the field commanders, such as Burnside and McClellan and from this point his reputation soured. Eventually he would be replaced by his former subordinate, Grant, and he became Chief of Staff. After a posting in California he was transferred the army command of the 'Division of the South', dying while at work in 1872, a career military man.
   
   This short biography sheds some light on his career and on his successes, especially in terms of logistics, that he brought to the war effort.
   
   Seth J. Frantzman

No comments about Custer and the Little Bighorn.

5 comments about Oswald's Tale: An American Mystery.

1. Norman Mailer's book does not resolve the question of the existence of a conspiracy in JFK's assassination (for that see The Man Who Knew Too Much by Dick Russell), but it does provide critical pieces of information about Oswald's psyche that help us assess the liklihood that Oswald was involved in the assassination. For that reason I highly recommend this book.
   
   Mailer provides interesting and frequently relevant detail about Oswald's life with Marina in Russia and their lives back in the US after they moved from Russia. The portrait that emerges of Oswald is one that is crucial to understanding what happened to JFK. Mailer provides convincing evidence that Oswald's activities were largely, if not completely, based on his own agenda and psychological makeup. It is highly unlikely that he was anyone's agent while living in Russia.
   
   Most important is the information about Oswald's desire to live in Cuba after his return to the US from Russia--this was his personal agenda in mid-1963. Mailer takes us that far. Dick Russell's The Man Who Knew Too Much fills in the missing pieces. Russell's book shows that this agenda of Oswald made him vulnerable to a ploy to enlist him in the conspiracy.
   
   Mailer's book on the psychological makeup of Oswald combined with Russell's book on how that makeup was manipulated solves the case.



2. Although an earlier reviewer gave OSWALD'S TALE a withering assessment, I couldn't possibly be quite that uncivil myself, as aggravated as I am. For, the book does serve history by providing much new background information on Lee Harvey Oswald. But I must agree with that reviewer in principal. I have not seen a book that more personifies the classic "2 plus 2 equals 7" logic warp. OSWALD'S TALE seems to set forth most of the facts, repeatedly flirt with and caress the truth, then suddenly to disregard it in favor of twaddle. A good example is Mr. Mailer's omission of the dictation belt discovered in the 1970s in Dallas. The belt contained a sound recording of the assassination recorded over the air as a result of a jammed "transmit" button on a police motorcycle radio. Analysis of the recording by the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1978-9 revealed that two shots were fired almost simultaneously. An obvious impossibility with a bolt action rifle, this shattered forever the fairytale of a lone assassin. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle coined a phrase many years ago, "profound and ineffable twaddle", which well sums up the illogic of OSWALD'S TALE. Brimming with massive and impressive information, but arriving at conclusions that are an utter nonsequitor, OSWALD'S TALE is very reminiscent of the original Warren Commission Report. Unfortunately for Mr. Mailer, the Warren Commission's thesis has long been discredited and relegated to the category of claptrap. Amazingly, so many reviewers have been overwhelmed by the quantity of information in OSWALD'S TALE, but are oblivious to the book's total failure to make anything of the information. It looks very much as if Mr. Mailer is either daft or has quixotically written yet another book to try to prop up the long-collapsed thesis of the Warren Commission, and in the process comes across as having compromised himself totally. Such a book seems particularly strange coming from someone who used to seem like such a radical and champion of the truth in the 60s. Mr. Mailer remarked in the book that "Jack Ruby buggers reasonable comprehension". However in the end, OSWALD'S TALE itself buggers the truth...



3. Long as it was I regretted reaching the end of this book. Oswald's Tale purports to be a work of fiction. In fact, it impossible not to appreciate the wealth of research and analysis that informs the pages of this dense text. It becomes increasingly clear that Oswald very likely acted alone. Indeed, this is only a question because of the tributaries of zealots that seemed to work on the fringes of formal organizations, including the FBI and the MAFIA and so on. Yet, Oswald very likely acted independently; it would have been practically impossible for any one organization to control him. The novel Libra had it very nearly correct with its assessment that, had Oswald be chosen, it would very likely have been because he could have been depended upon to miss his target, or otherwise bungle the job. No one but Oswald propeled himself onto to the stage of Cold War history. In Oswald's world, his sense of destiny was confirmed by the chance occurrence of being employed in the Texas Book Depository in Dallas, stationed along the very route that President Kennedy's motorcade took that day in November. In addition to the quality of the writing and analysis, the book is to be commended for focusing so intently on Oswald's marriage to Marina, and the relationship he had with his mother, Margueritte. Like so many tragedies, one is all too easily reminded of Shakespeare's Richard, "my kingdom for a horse." Had Cuba provided Oswad a visa enabling him, ultimately to return to the Soviet Union he had already abandoned, history might well have taken a different course. Instead, Oswald's dyslexia, his sense of greatness, his determination and his lack of abilities in so many areas coupled with his gifts in others: all conspired, with chance playing its part, to place Oswald in the book depository from which he assasinated President Kennedy and subsequently murdered Dallas PD Officer Tippit.



4. At almost 800 pages, Tale is weighed down with endless detail. Still much of the detail is fascinating in itself, such as the KGB's procedure in following Oswald in Russia. Mailer actually got the reports of KGB agents following Oswald. Mailer put incredible effort into retracing Oswald's travels in Russia, New Orleans, Mexico and Texas and speaking to dozens of people who had contact with him. Mailer quotes numerous other writers. Only the last hundred pages got down to the action. His account of whodunit and why is necessarily speculative, but I don't know of a more credible one.



5. I stopped reading Norman Mailer's Oswald's Tale after 150 pages. Frankly, I was bored. Mailer opens his examination of Lee Harvey Oswald with an exhaustive, numbing biography of his wife Marina's ancestors and Oswald's adolescence in Russia. I did not care to know so much about Marina's cousins or Oswald's Russian girlfriends. Furthermore, Mailer writes these chapters in a simple, almost oral way, so they do not benefit from his wry, spirited voice and style. It is possible that the book improves once Mailer digs into the meat of the assassination and Oswald's potential motives, however I will never know for sure. Maybe Mailer should have started the novel at that point instead--then I might have read until the end. After reading and enjoying The Naked and the Dead, The Fight, and especially Harlot's Ghost, I found Oswald's Tale to be a disappointment.

5 comments about The Man Who Warned America: The Life and Death of John O'Neill, the FBI's Embattled Counterterror Warrior.

1. This is an interesting book on an unusual subject. People like John O'Neill are not usually the subjects of biographies. He wasn't anywhere near prominent enough, and that usually means that someone like O'Neill winds up being a footnote in a book about someone else. Instead, O'Neill was the FBI agent in charge of International security in New York City, and spent much of the 90s as the guy in the FBI who was the most interested in and focused on capturing Osama bin Laden. Ironically, he retired in mid-2001, and took a job as head of security at the World Trade Center. He went back into the South Tower on 9/11 and was killed when it collapsed.
   
   O'Neill, according to the author, was a complex, driven man, a visionary who was one of the first US officials to decide that Osama bin Ladin was worth watching and perhaps capturing. While his FBI career was, in terms of his job performance, impeccable, he had two major weaknesses. First, he was occasionally forgetful, and violated various FBI rules and protocols. In the mid-90s, when Louis Freeh was running the FBI, any violations were punishable, and almost certainly would have a detrimental affect on a person's career. O'Neill was once caught letting a girlfriend onto an FBI secure facility, and giving her a ride in his car. On another occasion, he lost a briefcase full of classified material that shouldn't have been out of the office. Both of these incidents impacted his career and chances for promotion. Second, he had a penchant for chasing multiple women at the same time, concealing each liason from all of his other girlfriends. When he died, each of the women was surprised to find out that there were other women in his life.
   
   Much of the book is devoted to O'Neill's pursuit of bin Ladin, especially the investigation of the bombings at the African Embassies in 1998 and the Cole bombing in 2000. While O'Neill wasn't involved directly in the Embassy bombing investigations, he was in charge of the Cole bombing investigation. However, for whatever reason he ran afoul of the local US ambassador, a woman named Barbara Bodine, who started out asserting her control of the investigation and insisting that the Yemenis were offended by O'Neill, and that only she could smoothe things over. This was before O'Neill had met any of the Yemenis yet, but she insisted it was the case. By the time the investigation concluded, Bodine was so sure that withdrawing the FBI investigators was provocative that she ordered Marine guards to keep the FBI agents in the embassy, and had to be told by her superiors at the State Department to let the agents go. After she'd been transferred back to the States and 9/11 happened, the Yemenis became more helpful, and eventually began cooperating extensively with the US. Ambassador Bodine stuck to her guns, however, and even badmouthed O'Neill in an interview after his death.
   
   You have to wonder about this part of the book. Author Weiss was a friend of O'Neill's, and he clearly sides with him against Bodine. It's difficult to see how she could justify what she did (even if O'Neill was despicable, letting her opinion of him subvert this sort of FBI investigation is inexcusable). I expect that somehow she saw through his private life in some fashion. Weiss says that she had been introduced to O'Neill in New York before she became ambassador to Yemen. Perhaps she saw him at a restaurant with a woman other than the one who was escorting him the night they were introduced to each other.
   
   Regardless, this is an interesting book, even if the author, a journalist, occasionally makes a mistake around the periphery of his story. The one I noticed was the author saying that USS The Sullivans was named for some brothers killed on a "carrier" during World War II. The Sullivan brothers were killed on USS Juneau, an Atlanta-class Light Cruiser. Other reviewers have noted mistakes on the edges of the story, but they don't (in my mind, anyway) detract from the main message of his story.



2. John O'Neill was the most dedicated member of the FBI who committed his life to fighting crime and, ultimately, terrorism. His efforts were discouraged by bureaucracy, ignorance, and the Clinton administration. Read firsthand in this book how he was so close to saving much anguish, sorrow and death in the United States but was stopped in his tracks by others too inept to acknowledge the vision he had for stopping the unfortunate acts of terrorism in New York and Yemen. The cruelest irony is that he died in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in charge of security after he retired from the FBI due to frustration.



3. John O'Neill grew up in Atlantic City, NJ watching the FBI on TV on Sunday nights. All he ever wanted to do was be an FBI agent and serve his country. The son of working class folks who ran a taxi cab business he dedicated himself to be the finest and fulfilled his childhood dreams. Jonh went to my high-school and lived 5 minutes from where I grew up, I never knew him but after reading this fine Murray Weiss biography I feel I know him as a brother. This book will infuriate you as John O'Neill tries to warn everyone in the government of an impending doom with Bin Laden, who he studied and profiled, much to his chagrin no one listened. How ironic that after so much frustration with the FBI bureacracy and a Clinton Administration consumed by the presidents personal travails that John O'Neill resigns to take over security operations at the World Trade Center one week before 9/11. He perished in the collapse of the towers after he was safely out. He ran back in to try to save people. This book will move you, John O'Neill's story will stay with you. Did he have his own style and personal troubles, sure, but his life is what you will remember, his dedication to his job and the fact that maybe if a few more higher ups had listened to him this tragedy could have been averted. With men like this, you'll believe our country is in good hands as far as the war with terrorism is concerned. It's upper management we should be worried about.



4. John O'Neill was a problem. A bull in the china shop. He was a womanizer and he was an exceptionally poor fit at the FBI, but if we had listened to him 3000 people, including him, would not have died at the World Trade Center, the pentagon and on three airline carriers. There seems to be less and less room in America for the mavericks. This book is no white wash. It paints the man in full warts and all. But at the end of it we realize that it was this wildman who was right and all the politicians, hypocrites, sanctamonious twits and stuffed shirt beaureaucrats who drove him from the FBI,or didn't pay attention to him were wrong. The execrable Barbara Bodine who single handedly ruined his mission to Yemen comes in for special criticism. She probably still doesn't think she did anything wrong. We are becoming a silly nation. We've become obsessed with beauratic rules, political correctness on the left, phony piety on the right, and we can't get anything done anymore. Don't read this book merely as a tragedy but look it as a wake up call



5. The book is not news to anyone who reads any New York newspapers. It is a cut and paste job from ON's drinking buddy. Better reporting done by author Peter Lance. Of course, nothing written by me detracts from the dedication and true grit of John O'Neil.

2 comments about Inventing America: The Life of Benjamin Franklin.

1. I love this item! I purchased it 2 years ago, for personal enrichment.It was such an enlightening read!I wish I had this in High School, perhaps I would have enjoyed American History more! My sister is a school teacher, and I gave her a copy as a gift last week, and she just loves it as well, and is looking forward to using it as a supplement in class, during "history week"!!! Nice investment for you, or for the teacher in your life!!!



2. The removable sketches, letters and historical documents add a wonderful touch to a delightful book. We have over a 100 history books in our personal library for the kids and this one is at the top of good ones.

1 comments about McClellan, Sherman, and Grant.

1. This short book is really three separate essays about three of the North's most controversial generals. They seem to be arranged in the author's estimation of them, with McClellan being the poorest general and Grant the best. The essays are insightful, and Williams argues some interesting points that differ from what most historians believe, especially in the case of Sherman and McClellan. Throughout it all, he seems to remain, for the most part, fair, neither condemning nor fully praising any of the three. I don't personally agree with his argument that the primary objective in war should be destroying the enemy's army, and thus would rank Sherman higher than Grant, but I do think he makes an interesting point. If this book was documented (that is, if Williams showed where he got his information), it would be a lot better, and a lot more scholarly, but as it stands it is nevertheless an interesting argument on three of the North's most important generals.

No comments about Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Biography (Greenwood Biographies).

5 comments about Real Men: Ten Courageous Americans to Know and Admire.

1. I bought this book specifically for several teen age boys I know. As I read it prior to giving it away, I liked the accounts and the readers style in relating them. As a voracious reader of historical books I really liked the fact that it did not pull punches about the setting and explained the context of the stories as they were. In America today it is important to provide both narration of great deeds and the context they occurred in. The education system today is sadly lacking in promoting hero's and role models for young men. I would recommend this to anyone who has a son from the middle teens on and for young adults wanting to see history in short bites.



2. This book is sort of like a Cliff Notes for the biographies of these great men. I would hope that anyone who reads this book maybe inspired to read a full length version of the lives of these men. The book is a quick read and I believe is targeted for high school or young adults. I would hope that anyone over 45 knows most of these men. Most of the previous reviewers had a pretty much accurate description of the book. You can finish the book in a night or two. I agree with most of the slant the author puts on the book and these men are truly heroes in the truest sense. The book has a very conservative leaning and is not politically correct in many areas. Many people use these boards to espouse their political views, I will not. You can judge for yourself how much you enjoyed the book.



3. An enjoyable read... However, I'd pick some others were i writing this... Not that Author Kirkwood's ten are not great, and REAL MEN: Rickenbacker, Francis Marion, Vince Lombardi, Rocky Versace, Hickok, Gehrig, Audie Murphy, Crockett, Andrew Jackson, and Robert E. Lee. I do not agree with including Robert E. Lee among the ten greatest American Real Men. After all, great as he was, he not only resigned his USA commission, he Fought Against the US. I would want to include George Washington (greatest of all), George S. Patton, and Abraham Lincoln, who held this country together. I'd also like to see two courageous men who helped Washington win our freedom in the first place: Paul Revere and Dr. Joseph Warren (hero of Bunker Hill). Of course, Patrick Henry ("Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!!) merits consideration. Booker T. Washington is another great Virgnian/West Virginian who overcame great odds... Alas, we really need a book that says "Real Men: Twenty Courageous Americans..." How about it, Author Kirkwood?



4. really is pointless. As a christian, the violent ethics of these men remind me only of the most terrible days of our faith. crusading with blind faith in mortal leaders.



5. R. Cort Kirkwood's Real Men: Ten Courageous Americans to Know and Admire, is a fine introduction to too few of America's genuine heroes. A fine compliment to your child's education, itself obsessed with the "pussification" of American men.
   
   I would recommend using the chapters as an introduction only in deciding which hero to expand upon. My biggest (and only) fault with the book is it is too short and contains too few heroes.

No comments about Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy: 1833-1845 (Andrew Jackson & the Course of American Democracy 1833-1845).

4 comments about John F. Kennedy: The Presidential Portfolio: History as Told Through the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

1. This book is the most complete and accurate book on President John F. Kennedy. With the contribution from the John F. Kennedy Library & Museum, the true and exact data regarding the man who changed the life of many Americans is shown here in a direct manner. Great pictures. In conclusion, this book deserves to be at each home in the USA and abroad. JFK is worth to be known and admired through this masterpiece. This book is a must.



2. As a twenty-something, I really don't know much about John or Robert Kennedy other than the vague "Camelot" fantasies tossed around. I acquired this book as part of my recent appetite for understanding JFK/RFK.

   I found it to be a light-weight overview of the major periods of JFK's life, along with some information on RFK and Jackie. While it revealed a few new things I hadn't heard before, this book is really of interest primarily as a coffee table book for ocassional perusal, and not for study. It's a great combination of stories you will have heard and pictures you have already seen.

   The accompanying CD, however, is particularly interesting in what it reveals about JFK the man and his way of being. Overall, I enjoyed it.




3. John F. Kennedy: The Presidential Portfolio features more than 250 photos and documents from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum that capture the essence, style, and excitement of the Kennedy presidency. Included in these pages are the artifacts from a lifetime young Jack's letter requsting to be made Godfather to his brother Teddy, a handwritten fragment of the inaugural adress, correspondence from Nikita Khrushchev, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and many others. Providing the backdrop for these images is a carefully rendered narrative highlighting the many remarkable events of Kennedy's life and his presidency: the tremendous physical ailments JFK had to overcome on a daily basis, his privileged chilhhood, transformation from reluctant student to Pulitzer Prize - winning author, dramatic political campaigns, struggle over the Cuban missile crisis, and his efforts to end segregation as well as counter nuclear proliferation, are all recounted here.

   To Enhance The Experience of reliving the Kennedy years, a riveting 60 - minute audio CD of JFK'S phone conversations and personal dictations is packaged with the book. The following is a list of the recordings.

   - An undated memoir entry concerning JFK'S entrance into politics.

   - A dicated letter (circa 1959) to Joseph P. Kennedy on election and poll results.

   - A dictated letter (circa 1959) to Jacqueline Kennedy on weekend in Rhode Island.

   - Phone Conversation with Sargent Shriver recorded on April 2, 1963 regarding keeping CIA out of the Peace Corps.

   - Three phone conversations with Ross Barnett recorded on September 30, 1962, regarding the University of Mississippi crisis.

   - Phone conversation with Richard J. Daley recorded on October 28, 1963 regarding the civil rights bill.

   - Phone conversation with Charles Halleck recorded on October 29, 1963 regarding the civil rights bill.

   - An undated phone conversation between JFK and RFK concerning articles in Newsweek and Time magazines.

   -Phone conversation with Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 22, 1962 regarding Cuban missile crisis.

   - Phone conversation with Dwight D. Eisenhower on October 28,1962 regarding Cuban missile crisis.

   -Phone conversation with Lincoln White on October 26,1962 regarding comments to the press concerning Cuban missile crisis.

   - A dictated memoir entry dated November 1963.




4. there are over 250 pictures ans documents, it's very complete. the texts are interessing, not boring.
   there is a cd also.
   we can hear a few dialogues,. there is one with rfk and on the 14 tracks we can hear young caroline.
   there is part to rfk and jbk too.
   so I enjoyed it.