Ian McColgin
08-02-2004, 06:44 AM
Subtitled "America's Voyage of Discovery, The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838 - 1842"
Nathaniel Philbrick, Viking, 2003
This book is terrific, as one would expect from the author or 'In the Heart of the Sea.' I accomplishes three major goals:
Telling the real accomplishments of the US Ex Ex.;
Setting the historic emergence of the United States; and
Examining the problems of command.
Lt. (later Adm.) Charles Wilkes' both got the job done and was profoundly unequal to the task.
Command is a complex subject. Recently there was another look at Bligh by some author who obviously had never spent time in an isolated command and was clueless as to why two very different groups mutinied against Bligh. She thought that because Bligh so brilliantly made h is small boat passage, he had to be a great commander.
Philbrick looks at Wilkes and his flaws but also at the many objective problems Wilkes faced. He hints at but does not detail the fact that the US Navy in the 1840's really was not competant at training officers for command and the number of dangerous problems between a commander and his first officer was rather high. At any rate, the command problems part of the story is of great value to those who are interested in leadership.
Good reading.
Nathaniel Philbrick, Viking, 2003
This book is terrific, as one would expect from the author or 'In the Heart of the Sea.' I accomplishes three major goals:
Telling the real accomplishments of the US Ex Ex.;
Setting the historic emergence of the United States; and
Examining the problems of command.
Lt. (later Adm.) Charles Wilkes' both got the job done and was profoundly unequal to the task.
Command is a complex subject. Recently there was another look at Bligh by some author who obviously had never spent time in an isolated command and was clueless as to why two very different groups mutinied against Bligh. She thought that because Bligh so brilliantly made h is small boat passage, he had to be a great commander.
Philbrick looks at Wilkes and his flaws but also at the many objective problems Wilkes faced. He hints at but does not detail the fact that the US Navy in the 1840's really was not competant at training officers for command and the number of dangerous problems between a commander and his first officer was rather high. At any rate, the command problems part of the story is of great value to those who are interested in leadership.
Good reading.