In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

The Journal of Military History 67.3 (2003) 936-937



[Access article in PDF]
Nelson in the Caribbean, 1784-1787. By Joseph F. Callo. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55750-206-4. Illustrations. Chronology. Notes. Bibliography. Index. Pp. xvi, 230. $34.95.

"Horatio Nelson"—the name, indeed the man, never fails to fascinate. We cannot, it seems, have our fill of works about the legendary British admiral. In this his third Nelson book, Joseph F. Callo offers readers a serious look at a formative period in the life and career of the enigmatic hero. He approaches his objective of understanding this complicated human being in a delightfully readable style that should appeal to many more people than just students and fans of naval history. And—notwithstanding his popularity with so many authors in the last two hundred years—neither Nelson nor his motivations are easy to comprehend. Callo almost employs British-style understatement when he calls Nelson "a man with an astonishingly nuanced character" (p. 191).

We learn about the important place of "duty" in motivating the young frigate captain during his West Indies posting. At the same time we see his [End Page 936] conception of duty conflicting with a craving to love and to be loved in return. By dividing the book into three parts—"The Place," "The Time," and "The Woman"—and building his story to the climax of "Marriage" (the penultimate chapter), Callo carefully interweaves Nelson's professional career and his personal life. If the reader has not noted the interconnections between the two and the ways in which they worked with and against one another, the author makes it clear in "Aftermath." Then, in "Conclusion," an epilogue that carries neither that designation nor chapter number, Callo spells out why he wrote the book by discussing such things as courage, leadership, and duty, and the importance of protecting young officers as well as the risk takers in today's troubled world. Even readers who have not yet got it surely cannot fail to see in the final pages the importance, indeed the relevance, of studying history and its great men.

If Nelson in the Caribbean provides a case study for the author's beloved navy, it also—perhaps unintentionally—does the same for academic historians. The useful bibliography and endnotes include nary an archival reference. Nonetheless, anyone lucky enough or smart enough to crack the cover of this attractive little tome will read an excellent example of what more historians should be able to accomplish. Callo took a little-known chapter of a bigger story and wrote an attractive and informative little book in an engaging style to appeal to more than specialists and buffs. Surely historians can find (in fact, most probably already know of several) other relatively obscure subjects worthy of such useful and enjoyable treatment.

 



Carl A. Christie
Centre for Defence & Security Studies
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

...

pdf

Share