Chester Nimitz was an admiral's Admiral; considered by many to be the greatest naval leader of the last century. After the attack on Pearl Harbor; Nimitz assembled the forces; selected the leaders; and - as commander of all U.S. and Allied air; land; and sea forces in the Pacific Ocean - led the charge one island at a time; one battle at a time; toward victory. A brilliant strategist; he astounded contemporaries by achieving military victories against fantastic odds; outpacing more flamboyant luminaries like General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral "Bull" Halsey. And he was there to accept; on behalf of the United States; the surrender of the Japanese aboard the battleship USS Missouri in August 1945. In this first biography in over three decades; Brayton Harris uses long-overlooked files and recently declassified documents to bring to life one of America's greatest wartime heroes.
#977280 in Books 2011-11-30 2010-10-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.00 x 6.00l; 1.20 #File Name: 0226846709408 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Highly Informative; Well Documented; Not An Easy ReadBy ursusminorI found this to be an excellent piece of scholarship; and highly informative in an area in which I have done a fair amount of reading. I only have two real criticisms: First that the author's prose is; at best; workmanlike and adequate. It made the book slow-going. The second is that I think the book does not give enough weight to the Southern concerns with their military failings in the Revolutionary War. I would argue that much of willingness of the Southern States to trade off some of their powers to the central government was driven by an awareness of how helpless the South was to resist the British on their own. While the rump forces that the South managed to raise (after the disaster at Charleston in 1780) did achieve some notable tactical success; strategically the South was in a losing position. The Battle of Yorktown was fought almost entirely by French and Yankee forces. If the Northern Department hadn't come South in 1781; it would be a very different history; and there are strong indicators that the South's leaders were; at least in private; painfully aware of this.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. This book is a great read as well as informativeBy K. E. EisenhartIn order to understand American history and modern American culture; which produces the events in Ferguson; this book is a must. For too long modern Americans ignore slavery and its lingering impact on our society. This book is a great read as well as informative.9 of 24 people found the following review helpful. Dry; legalistic and boringBy Robert L. SquiresWhile Van Cleve has obviously made his case on the subject of the institution of slavery; and its deritorious impact on the writing of the Constitution; he has done so in a droning; hyper-repetitive manner. You can all but hear him putting an advanced Constitutional law class to sleep. He does repeat his points like a lawyer in court; and he has thoroughly reviewed obscure letters; notes; and documents to arrive at the conclusion that slavery was supported by the vast majority of the crafters of the Constitution; even abolitionists; ultimately because slaves were wealth and property; and the Constitution as a replacement for the Articles of Confederation needed to have teeth to protect property and wealth. I do not like how Van Cleve presents his writing like a college student writing a dissertation: ie. "In this chapter I will write about this and that; I will refer to these documents to make my point; then I will conclude in such and such a manner by saying this and that again". In all honestly; as a guy who absorbs academic history books on obscure subjects with a perverse glee; I could barely slog through a dozen pages without falling asleep. That said; however; there is no denying the importance of presenting the story of the founding of our country from legal and political points of view; and the relationship of these "founding fathers" to the institution of slavery. We sbould all be reminded of the fallacies of "Intergenerational transfer" of responsibility for dealing with divisive issues; and the stupidity of the idea that some institutions are "too big to be allowed to fail". Although it continuously put me to sleep; "A Slaveholder's Union" kept me very philosophical about many ideas inherent in the founding of our country; and the idea that it's BS to prop up destructive institutions. The piper will eventually demand payment; Van Cleve seems to imply; even if he dodmso in a very dry fashion. I would recommend this book for the dedicated law history student; and to those wishing to study the issue of ethics in Revolutionary era American politics.
