AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN WARS: FROM LORD DUNMORE TO THE PHILIPPINES

A SOLID, HIGHLY DETAILED RECOUNTING OF LOST HISTORIES

Writer: Ian Hernon Publisher: Amberley Publishing Price: £20

Ian Hernon has already visited the subject of overlooked conflicts, in his well-received Britain’s Forgotten

Wars. It is an enticing theme, and the chapter titles in this volume promise an enlightening and entertaining read.

Many of the wars covered are blessed with delightfully eccentric names – Little Turtle’s War, the Whiskey Rebellion and the Pork and Beans War standing out – but not all have an equal claim to having been forgotten. The Spanish-american War of 1898 doesn’t really seem to fit at all in that regard.

Hernon’s research is thorough, he has a wealth of detail at his fingertips, and he is able to skilfully weave in eyewitness testimony to lift the narrative and add authenticity. His accounting of these conflicts betrays no bias, each side of the argument is presented fairly and without any obvious agenda. As is often the case with such smallscale, messy conflicts, however, the actual fighting can make up a tiny percentage of the story, so those looking for rollicking battle narratives may be disappointed.

Hernon’s writing can sometimes feel a little stiff and it sometimes appears he actually has too much information to impart. There is also a tendency to concentrate too much background to the origins and aftermath of each war (especially true of the first chapter, dealing with Lord Dunmore’s War of 1774).

Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable book, which fills in some of the gaps between America’s more famous conflicts very nicely indeed, and the whole thing is enlivened by a dramatic selection of images.