Duane P. Schultz

average history without adequate mapping, which is not as important as usual due to the restricted nature of the battlefield. There is one superior map which shows the first invasion of December, 11,1941 which shows the movement of Japanese ships, smokescreen, hits on the Japanese fleet and the ships sunk, which proved enlightening. Cunningham's legal struggle seems out of the jurisdiction of this work, but the chapter on the survivors is different and a plus. The books as written is anti-climatic with knowing the surrender is coming, with no dynamic tension. My first and last take is that the Americans surrendered too soon, with very little strategic insight. The Americans had actually started to win in some parts of the field.… (more)

More interesting than I had imagined when I first looked at the title. learned alot about Richmond at the end of the war, the ridiculous raid to try and free prisons from Libbey and Belle Isle, the infamous supposed papers recovered from the body of Col. Dahlgren after his death. Also some chapters on the so-called "Northwest Conspiracy" to disrupt midwest Northern cities, using prisoners and Copperheads. It came to nothing of course, as did any objective which counted on Copperheads for support. All talk, no action. No anseres of course, but a surprisingly balanced treatment of the last year diplomatically.… (more)