Duty, Honor, Country: A History of West Point (review)

82CIVIL WAR HISTORY Historical Bureau and Patrick W. Riddleberger deserve an "A" for their part in producing a good book. Frank L. Klement Marquette University Duty, Honor, Country: A History of West Point. By Stephen E. Ambrose . (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1966. Pp. xv, 357. $8.00, $11.00 deluxe.) The United States Military Academy at West Point has always had and always will have its vociferous critics and its staunch supporters. More, perhaps, than most educational institutions, it has been subjected to public scrutiny during its long career. There have been numerous histories and articles about West Point. It might be thought there had been enough, but Stephen Ambrose belies this. Duty, Honor, Country is no "puff book, no romantic recitation of the glories of the "long, gray line." At the same time it is not a diatribe against "alleged militarism" or an exposé of the Academy on the Hudson. This book, in measured, careful tread, recites and analyzes the history of West Point as an educational institution and seldom, if ever, takes its eyes off the heart of the subject. There is a fine sense of critical objectivity in these pages—balanced judgment backed by sound, close-to-the-source research. Throughout the volume one is never far from the classroom at "The Point." The concentration on educational method and curricula, on faculty and theory of instruction is one of the most significant and worthwhile features of the book. While perhaps the first half is of most interest to Civil War students, I doubt if any reader will stop there. The subject is not allowed to dwindle off at the end with a quick summary of current days, but brings the story up to date. Quite naturally the pre-Civil War days, the days of Thayer, Lee and others, are of most interest to readers of this journal. For it was then that the future leaders of the Civil War were trained in what was for its day a truly distinguished institution of higher learning. During the war itself West Point had a diminished direct role. As to the effect of the war on the Academy, with the exception of a few changes, Ambrose feels "the Civil War need not have taken place." After Appomattox came a prolonged period of stagnation. This was in part caused by the success of graduates during the Civil War: "America was satisfied with West Point's performance ." Then came a gradual rise wherein MacArthur is pictured as the "savior" of West Point in the 1920's during his short term as Superintendent . With this book and his work on Halleck and Upton, I feel Ambrose might well tackle the influence of West Point on its graduates, particularly those of the Civil War period. Any really serious student of the middle period will profit from reading this volume, for in it he will find the foster mother- BOOK REVIEWS83 father of those who led, both North and South, in the Civil War. This is indeed a biography of the Academy, and the subject is far from deceased. The book is methodical in style, never depending on "writing" for substance . The author allows the intrinsic spirit of the Point to come through on its own without embellishment. West Point has had its failures, has made many mistakes, is superior in some things, inferior in others. But in the long run it has fulfilled its duty, and in today's world it is rather unique in higher education in its concentration on development of character , with loyalty, honor, ethics and integrity uppermost. These attributes are what make the Academy shine out and what created the generally stellar leadership we have had in the wars from Mexico to Viet Nam, and particularly in our own civil conflict. West Point has served its graduates well, and they, in turn, have served the nation in more than full payment for their education. E. B. LoNC Chicago, Illinois Storia della guerra civile americana. By Raimondo Luraghi. (Turin: Giulio Einaudi, 1966. Pp. xl, 1395. L.8000.) A massive monument, this, to the care with which American history is now studied abroad. Luraghi, professor of American history at the University of...