“Hernando De Soto: A Savage Quest in the Americas” by David Ewing Duncan

570 pages, Crown Publishing, ISBN-13: 978-0517582220

David Duncan has written a full and detailed account of the life of Hernando De Soto, and although the Florida expedition that consumed the last few years of his life is what he is best (only?) remembered for, it’s interesting to see the man during his earlier life and how it made him what he was. Born in Spain in 1500, little is known about his childhood: he went to Panama as a teenaged soldier and rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a leader in the conquest of Nicaragua (one chronicler has stated that De Soto had great skill in “slaying Indians”); he went with Pizarro to Peru to conquer the Incas and then returned to Spain a very wealthy man which enabled him to attain the governorship of Cuba and the right to claim Florida where, with 600 men, he landed somewhere near Tampa Bay and began his conquest of what would later become the southeastern area of the United States.

De Soto’s methods were brutal (thus the word “Savage” in the title), though typical of the Spanish conquistadors. Natives were either a means to material riches or would be slaughtered; best would be first the one, then the other. Anyway, the expedition wandered north through Florida to the panhandle (Tallahassee is the only sure place anyone knows with certainty that De Soto actually visited, thanks to archeological finds made a few blocks from the state house) and then through the heart of Georgia and South Carolina, west through North Carolina, south through Alabama to near Montgomery, then west again through Mississippi, where on May 8, 1541, he discovered the Mississippi River, perhaps just west of present-day Walls or near Friars Point (the mouth of the river had actually been discovered and mapped by unnamed sailors decades earlier). For the next year the expedition roamed through Arkansas before turning back to the Mississippi, where De Soto died (perhaps poisoned, though Duncan admits the evidence is skimpy to non-existent) on May 21, 1542, and was entombed in the river. (In a half-page epilogue, Duncan brings the expedition, reduced by then to 300 men, safely to Mexico 18 months later.)

The tragedy of this expedition, as Duncan makes clear, is not that the “material riches” so long sought after were never found, but that so many “real riches” (the rich, fertile land in particular) went unappreciated. Duncan believes that De Soto wasn’t interested in gold by then anyway (he was already fabulously wealthy); what really drove him was an insatiable ambition to be the greatest conquistador of them all. Duncan’s biography is interesting and vibrant, and offers the reader a clear picture of the man and his times. The research is thorough and wide-ranging and includes official documents and first-hand accounts. The book cleverly incorporates maps, charts, paintings, and other graphics into the text; furthermore, although it may be tempting to skip the footnotes due to the length of the text, the reader is well advised not to do so. Buried in these footnotes are clever thoughts, insights and explanations.

Duncan sees De Soto as neither a hero nor a villain, only a man consumed by the need to succeed. And in that he certainly wasn’t a unique individual in the annals of history.

“What If? The World's Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been”, edited by Robert Cowley

415 pages, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, ISBN-13: 978-0399145766

Did you know the Kaiser volunteered to be shot at by Annie Oakley? What if she had shot him instead of what she did hit? Or how about a New York Taxi-Driver than came within inches of fundamentally altering the 20th Century? Or how one blow of a battle-axe caused disorientation of he who was hit, but the second blow, having been prevented by a bodyguard changed history. Big events do alter History, and this book demonstrates how totally unforeseen events, individual action, or the smallest detail or mistake can have the same impact as an event thought to be a major turning point.

History, like everything else, has fads that come and go, but one fad that never fades away is counterfactual history, the endless game of “what if this happened” or “what if that never happened” that occupies students and teachers of history the world over. This is just the sort of exercise presented in What If? The World’s Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been. Interesting, informative, and thought provoking, but is it useful? I believe it is, but not from the point of view of the historian, because history, no matter how you want to put it, is about things that happened not about things that didn't happen.

What if? is useful from the point of view of the decision maker, and to be more specific, from the point of view of the decision making process. Some essays contained in the book base their assumptions on circumstance, or a chance, like the famous “lost orders” that influence the outcome of the US Civil War. Other essays – the ones that are really useful – explore the decisions behind the historical events. Only these essays serve a wider purpose, not only of entertainment, but of greater insight into things that truly could have been different. There are events described that are familiar, but there are many that unless a good deal of prior knowledge is brought by the reader, the full benefit of a given essay is missed. On balance this is a great read.

One note of caution: there are authors who make value judgments about a given Culture/People that may clash with a belief a reader may hold dear, but these are the exception and not the rule. It did seem at times inappropriate to make value judgments about History even if an alternate one is proposed: as it was still being treated as an History if not the History, should not the same objectivity be maintained? An alternative outcome of events does not require a value judgment or an editorial to be admitted or even needed. I am not advocating a view, rather stating that no personal views by the Author are needed. Tell us your theory, not who or what you may not like about who is involved.

“Napoleon”, by Felix Markham

304 pages, Signet, ISBN-13: 978-0451627988

If you’re looking for a complete account of post-revolutionary Europe or of Napoleon’s life, this is not the right book; however, for an introduction to or a refresher course on the life of Napoleon Bonaparte, readers would do well to invest in Felix Markham mini-biography Napoleon, first published in 1963. Succinct to say the least (which means that military campaigns requiring a great deal of detail tend to be a little dry) the true value of the book, aside from its synopsis of a dazzling history, is Markham’s incisive study of Napoleon’s personality and the enormous effect he had on his generation as well as those to come. Junot is quoted as saying, “He is the sort of man of whom nature is sparing and who only appears on earth at intervals of centuries”.

Napoleon’s wisdom as an administrator is set against his (oft) brutality, as when he had 3,000 prisoners shot to death at Jaffa, or somewhat arbitrarily ordered the execution of the Duc d’Enghien. Markham debunks some Napoleonic myths, including my favorite that Napoleon subsisted on only four hours of sleep per day (plus power naps). And for those of us who think of Napoleon’s rise to power as an unobstructed arc of triumph, Markham reminds us that in the early part of his career Napoleon came more than once under the shadow of the guillotine.

There are 38 illustrations and, like the text, they provide a sort of précis of this extraordinary life. The portraits of Napoleon from the 1790’s depict him in dramatic poses, his hair blowing in the wind, very much like a 1940’s movie star. These contrast sadly with the St Helena pictures, the ex-Emperor leaning on a spade in his garden, looking tamed and resigned.

As can be expected, if you have read about Napoleon before, you will be left with a sense of emptiness, as some critical and crucial events are covered in a single paragraph. But the real strength of the book is that it’s really an enjoyable to read, very clear and concise. While the biography may be criticized as being pro-Napoleon, I didn’t feel he was unduly so; in fact, Markham’s description of Napoleon as an enigma seems quite accurate and is probably one of the reasons that Napoleon continues to be controversial and of interest. From triumphant Emperor to tired exile, Felix Markham presents a Napoleon that is short but strong.