A tale of tyranny
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A lot of people will have heard of Captain Bligh or the Mutiny on the Bounty, but compared to Lt Charles Wilkes, Bligh was a saint. It is Wilkes that made this book fascinating for me. You will really want to see justice done in the end. Wilkes endurance however is something to be admired " If Wilkes drove his men hard, he drove himself harder. Every night, he worked well past midnight on his charts Surgeon John Fox reported that Wilkes averaged no more than five hours a night, and often went for days at a time with no sleep at all. Sleep deprivation leads to a loss of emotional control as well as a failure to make complex social judgements-just the areas in which Wilke's personality was already lacking'.
If you like books about the sea this is well worth reading.
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Around the world with the Ex. Ex. and a Tosser
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What native-born American hasn't heard of the Lewis and Clark Expedition? (Well, OK, the quality of public education being what it is, there are, perhaps, contemporary high school graduates that haven't a clue. But, you get my point.) However, I'd never heard of the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838-42, even after a primary and secondary education in private schools and fifty-six years of reading and general awareness. During the four years the intrepid Ex. Ex. naval squadron was at sea sailing 87,000 miles, it surveyed 1500 miles of the Antarctic coast, 280 Pacific islands (including all of the Fiji Group), Puget Sound, 800 miles of the Oregon coast, the Columbia River from its mouth to the vicinity of Portland, and San Francisco Bay. Almost as asides, it also scaled Mauna Loa to its summit and surveyed the overland route from Oregon to San Francisco. During its circumnavigation of the globe, the Ex. Ex. suffered the disappearance or shipwreck of two vessels and the deaths of a couple dozen men. Like his other narrative IN THE HEART OF THE SEA: THE TRAGEDY OF THE WHALESHIP ESSEX, this volume by Nathaniel Philbrick is a splendid, immensely readable book. It covers the genesis and 10-year preparation for the Ex. Ex., the odyssey itself, and its aftermath, with special emphasis on the leadership skills, or lack thereof, of its turbulent, troubled, and remarkable commander, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes. Contrary to other otherwise excellent works of popular history, SEA OF GLORY also includes maps and three sections of perfectly apropos illustrations; kudos to the author for including them. What was a monumental achievement was ultimately overshadowed by America's preoccupation with its western territories and the controversy, including court-martial, surrounding the martinet Wilkes, truly a Tosser with a capital "T" if there ever was one. SEA OF GLORY was a major revelation about a largely forgotten event in United States history. I'm glad I took the time to read it, and heartily recommend it as an instructive and entertaining volume.
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Superb reading for the Exploration Enthuasist
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It was a review of this book in the National Geographic Adventure magazine which first caught my eye, and prompted me to purchase Philbrick's excellent narrative of the US Exploring Expedition. The Expedition sailed from Norfolk, USA, carrying the scientific and exploratory hopes of the United States on a trip to South America, Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and Asia that encompasses nearly 5 years. Over 500 men, in 6 ships left in 1838, to return in 1842, much reduced in number, but with enough scientific specimens (over 4000) to form a large portion of the Smithsonian collection. Commanded by Lieutenant Wilkes, the story of the US Ex. Ex has largely been forgotten, but Philbrick has produced a book which hopefully will bring to the forefront the achievements of the US Ex. Ex and its' men. "Sea of Glory" is truly a spectacular rendition of events, as Philbrick portrays the deterioration of the relationship between Commander and his men, while journeying through some of most inhospitable seas in the world. Wilkes comes across as a near megalomaniac and odious character (almost immediately after beginning the expedition, he promoted himself Captain!), belittling the achievements of his underlings and inflating his own. It is a miracle that he was succeeded in bringing the expedition home largely unscathed. Nor does the story end there. The final chapters reveal the trials and tribulations of Wilkes (and other members of the expedition) as he realizes that he may be held accountable for his actions. Upon return of the expedition, there were no fewer than 5 court martials involving Wilkes and officers of the vessels comprising the expedition, largely petty incidents raised by Wilkes as revenge for perceived slights by the officers. Philbrick writes extremely well, in a very fluid and easy manner, and it takes little effort to read. Large portions of the book are based upon the journal of Midshipman Reynolds, once an ardent admirer of his commander but by the conclusion of the expedition despising him. Philbrick superbly brings this out, contrasting parts of the journal from early on in the voyage to sections of the journal written much later, the journal's author much jaded and embittered by the actions of his commander. But Philbrick does not focus only on Wilkes; the achievements of the expedition are also discussed, and the sometimes incredibly imposing situations the expedition faces, such as the attack by natives on the expedition in the Fiji Islands which resulted in the death of Wilkes' nephew. A book of this type benefits from having illustrations and maps, and on neither account does it fail. There are a number of maps produced in the book, although I have to say the main map (in the preface), which traces the voyage of the expedition throughout the 5 years it spent abroad, is a little hard to follow due to the back and forth nature of parts of the expedition, and also when the expedition split up for short periods of time. There are two sections of very nice illustrations which show the main characters involved and some events that occurred. "Sea of Glory" is a true story that ranks alongside the best of adventure books, and I cannot recommend this book highly enough. A worthy addition to the library.
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