THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SOLD
THE ORDEAL OF SAMAR
Joseph L. Schott
Bobbs Merrill Company, Inc. 1964. First Printing. VG+. In very nice condition,
bright & tight, but lacking dust jacket. "A chronicle of the Philippine
Insurrection against American troops immediately after the Spanish American
War, and of the sensational court martial that changed history." Map,
photographs, appendix, bibliography, index, 302 pages. "In an atmosphere of
victory and high hopes, with carte blanche orders to kill and burn, Marine
Major Littleton W.T. Waller led American troops against the natives. After
successful opening campaigns, his troops bogged down during a tortuous jungle
march, and when Filipino bearers threatened an open mutiny, he ordered them
shot. for this action, thought by Waller to be in full compliance with his
orders, he was brought before a board for court-martial charged with murder at
a trial which put both his life and career at stake. The trial recounts the
grim saga of fighting and death on Samar. It was during the trial that it
became obvious that political intrigue and personal ambition were obscuring
truth. Involved in The Ordeal of Samar are questions of military
responsibilities, imperialism, personal integrity, and physical courage. Joseph
L. Schott has recreated the events of Samar with a sure, objective, and capable
hand. This book is a work of history, but in the author's ability to bring to
life the major figures in the military expedition, to evoke the horror and
agony of the forced march through jungle heat and rugged terrain, to portray
the constant menace of the cunning and suicidal Moro tribes, the story unfolds
with all the suspense and drama of first-rate fiction."
$65.00
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