Posts

Review: THE NEPTUNE FACTOR - ALFRED THAYER MAHAN and the Concept of $EA POWER by Nicholas A. Lambert

Image
Review: THE NEPTUNE FACTOR – ALFRED THAYER MAHAN and the Concept of $EA POWER  Nicholas A. Lambert. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 2024. Kindle Edition. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Reviewed by John S. Naylor   “In most books, and not just books on naval history, Mahan is presented as a theorist of naval power who preached a crude gospel about the paramount importance of battle, battleships, and battle fleets. Too often his concept of sea power is reduced to, or rather conflated with, his advocacy for securing command of the sea. Parts of his argument are mistaken for the whole, and his ideas are critiqued before they are understood. Confirmation bias and the rush to judge thus have fed each other in a vicious loop.” -         Nicholas Lambert   Mr. Lambert’s thesis is that students of Mahan, and historians, have failed to accurately identify his focus on the destruction of an adversary’s commerce as the key to sea power. In writing  THE NEPTUNE FACTOR – ALFRED THAYER MAHAN
Post a Comment
Read more

CUTTING OUT ON THE NIAGARA OCTOBER 1812

Image
CUTTING OUT ON THE NIAGARA RIVER OCTOBER 1812     The enemy is making every exertion to gain a naval Superiority on both Lakes which if they accomplish I do not see how we can retain the Country.  – Major General Isaac Brock, October 11, 1812 THE NIARARA REGION Ever since Europeans began exploring the interior of the American continent, the straits between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario were a crucial choke point to communications, navigation, and commerce.  The significant interruption to movement posed by the cataracts at Niagara Falls forced establishment of portage points, routes over-land, the creation of boat building yards above the falls [1] , and attendant trading outposts. Alternative routes were few, as roads from the east to west, in either Canada or the U.S., were scarce, largely undeveloped, and vulnerable to the muddy seasons at either end of brutally cold winters. Boat traffic up the St. Lawrence, across Lake Ontario, and on the Niagara, gave the British the best means of c
Post a Comment
Read more

Review: The Globe and Anchor Men - U.S. Marines and American Manhood in the Great War Era by Mark False

Image
Review:   The Globe and Anchor Men – U.S. Marines and American Manhood in the Great War Era  Mark Ryland Folse. Lawrence, Kansas : University Press of Kansas, 2024. Kindle Edition. Notes. Illustrations. Bibliography. Index.   Reviewed by John S. Naylor   In this work, Mark Folse has assembled a truly insightful interpretation of Marine Corps cultural history. As he describes it, “A gendered analysis of the Marine Corps…” has not been a traditional path taken in exploring the Corps’ history. However, this work provides answers for questions rarely posed. Much of Marines’ history is grounded in popular iconography and dogma. Historians examine the individual Marines, the battles, the weapons, the training and militaria associated with the service; however, examination of WHY Marines were they the way they were is not a well-trodden path.     Mr. Folse examines this ground through three movements, “Elements of the U.S. Marine Corps”, “The Great War”, and “Consequences of War and Counterin
Post a Comment
Read more