In the Shadows of Victory II: America's Forgotten Military Leaders, The Spanish-American War to World War II, by Thomas Phillips

Philadelphia: Casemate, 2017. Pp. vi, 282. Illus., maps, notes, bibio., index. $32.95. ISBN: 1612005462.

More Overlooked American Commanders

With this follow up to his In the Shadows of Victory: America's Forgotten Military Leaders, 1776-1876, Phillips, a former Air Force colonel and independent historian, covers late nineteenth and early twentieth century commanders who are frequently overlooked or sidelined in histories. Some of these men are today often genuinely unknown, even among the military historians.

Professional and amateur historians alike may know of Leonard Wood, Hunter Liggett, William Sims, Raymond Spruance, and Robert Eickelberger, but the public is unlikely to know much, if anything, about them. Worse, men such as Frederick Funston, James Harbord, Elwood Quesada, and Charles Lockwood have, virtually disappeared, barely noticed even by most historians.

In treating of these men, who held significant posts, Phillips also includes a look at some officers famous in later wars, who served ably in earlier ones without much notice, though perhaps with considerable impact on their careers, such as John J. Pershing�s role in the Spanish-American War or Douglas MacArthur's in World War I.

Each officer receives a biographic profile with a discussion of his services.

Although some able officers of note in their day and now forgotten are omitted, such as William Shafter, usually underrated even in books that mention him, or Henry Lawton, Peyton March, and Adna Chafee, this is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in military leadership.

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