Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream

by Gregg Jones

Overview

“Fascinating.”—New York Times Book Review• “Well-written.”—The Boston Globe • “Extraordinary.”—The Christian Science Monitor• “A compelling page-turner.”—Adam Hochschild

On the eve of a new century, an up-and-coming Theodore Roosevelt set out to transform the U.S. into a major world power. The Spanish-American War would forever change America's standing in global affairs, and drive the young nation into its own imperial showdown in the Philippines.

From Admiral George Dewey's legendary naval victory in Manila Bay to the Rough Riders' heroic charge up San Juan Hill, from Roosevelt's rise to the presidency to charges of U.S. military misconduct in the Philippines, Honor in the Dust brilliantly captures an era brimming with American optimism and confidence as the nation expanded its influence abroad.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451239181
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/23/2013
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 5.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gregg Jones was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the Gerald Loeb Award. His work has appeared in The Dallas Morning News, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Observer (London). He lives in Dallas, TX.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Part I America Rises

Chapter 1 Call to Arms 5

Chapter 2 "He Is No Tender Chicken" 17

Chapter 3 America's Marine 29

Chapter 4 Manila Bay 38

Chapter 5 Guantánamo Bay 50

Chapter 6 "It Was War, and It Was Magnificent" 62

Chapter 7 The Eagle Spreads Its Wings 79

Part II Imperial Glory

Chapter 8 "White Man's Burden" 93

Chapter 9 Spring Victories, Summer Stalemate 109

Chapter 10 "The Filipino Republic Is Destroyed" 127

Chapter 11 "A Nasty Little War" 137

Chapter 12 "Men of a Bygone Age" 154

Chapter 13 "Brave Hearts and Bright Weapons" 172

Chapter 14 The Election of 1900 186

Part III The Bloody Work of Empire

Chapter 15 "War Without Limits" 203

Chapter 16 The Massacre at Balangiga 219

Chapter 17 Hell-roaring Jake 236

Chapter 18 "Kill and Burn!" 241

Chapter 19 Death in the Jungle 253

Part IV Questions of Honor

Chapter 20 "Deeds of Hideous Cruelty" 269

Chapter 21 The Trial of Major Waller 282

Chapter 22 "The President Desires All the Facts" 296

Chapter 23 "Blood Grown Hot" 308

Chapter 24 Homecoming 325

Chapter 25 "Where Is the Line to Be Drawn?" 337

Epilogue 351

A Note on the Sources 363

Bibliography 367

Notes 381

Index 421

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"The Philippines Occupation was the first of the United States' quagmires, yet its lessons have been willfully ignored by later generations. Honor in the Dust recovers this essential history, the bombast of Washington's jingoism to the terror of the lost patrol in Samar. Gregg Jones does an admirable job of bringing this extraordinary period and its remarkable characters to life." -Anne Nelson, author of Savages

Editorial Reviews

Fascinating… In the end, Honor in the Dust is less about the freedom of the Philippines than the soul of the United States. This is the story of what happened when a powerful young country and its zealous young president were forced to face the high cost of their ambitions.”—Candice Millard, New York Times Book Review 
 
“A deeply researched, well-written addition to the crowded shelves of books about the Spanish-American War and the William McKinley-Theodore Roosevelt era in international affairs. Honor in the Dust combines a fast-moving narrative of the military campaigns in Cuba and the Philippines with an examination of the political disputes behind American actions.”—The Boston Globe
 
“[Honor in the Dust] should attract a wide general readership among those interested in U.S. military history, U.S. foreign policy, and international law…. Highly recommended.”—Library Journal
 
“Extraordinary… Honor in the Dust is a work of monumental consequence, and its important historical lessons, though they've been frequently unheeded by subsequent administrations, are in any case most worthy of remembrance.”—The Christian Science Monitor
 
“A ripping read—facts and context interspersed with the smells and sounds of jungle warfare.”—The American Spectator
 
“History teaches us how to act, or how to not act as the case may be. Honor in the Dust is both good history and good teaching...Contributes significantly to an ignored and marginalized period of American history...concise and compelling.”—Marine Corps Gazette
 
“Honor in the Dust is a dramatic page-turner, told with marvelous reporting, crackling writing, and original insights. Gregg Jones presents a fascinating cast of characters and gripping battle scenes in a story that moves with the speed and power of a battleship. Utterly absorbing.”—Jonathan Eig, New York Times Bestselling Author of Get Capone
 
“America's brutal war of conquest in the Philippines is amazingly little-known, largely ignored in our schoolbooks and history museums. Yet its imperial hubris and its torture scandal eerily foreshadow events of the last decade. In his much-needed, highly readable book on this forgotten war, Gregg Jones has written both a compelling page-turner and a work of careful scholarship.”—Adam Hochschild, National Book Award Finalist and Author of King Leopold's Ghost andTo End All Wars
 
“Gregg Jones has produced a masterful and fast-paced book. Honor in the Dust may be classified as a work of history, but it reads like a thriller. Jones wisely stays focused and does not project events immediately following 1898 into the future, but the reader does. Foreshadowed are the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan-and on. This book is the vital prequel to understanding the state of American empire today.”—Dale Maharidge, Pulitzer Prize-winning Author ofBringing Mulligan Home
 
“Honor in the Dust is an absolutely riveting page-turner, a terrific read. Gregg Jones resurrects a long forgotten, but very important slice of American history, in which the country's imperialistic dreams clashed with its sense of honor and justice, severely testing Theodore Roosevelt's young presidency and forcing Americans to confront the horrors of war. Anyone interested in how America uses and abuses its power during times of war should read this book.”—Eric Jay Dolin, Author of Leviathan
 
“The Philippines Occupation was the first of the United States' quagmires, yet its lessons have been willfully ignored by later generations. Honor in the Dust recovers this essential history, the bombast of Washington's jingoism to the terror of the lost patrol in Samar. Gregg Jones does an admirable job of bringing this extraordinary period and its remarkable characters to life.”—Anne Nelson, Author of Savages

From the Publisher

What is striking about Honor in the Dust, Gregg Jones's fascinating new book about the Philippine-American War, is not how much war has changed in more than a century, but how little. On nearly every page, there is a scene that feels as if it could have taken place during the Bush and Obama administrations rather than those of McKinley and Roosevelt…Jones, who was once a correspondent in Manila…has a thorough understanding of the Philippines. But it is on the United States that Honor in the Dust casts the brightest, and at times harshest, light.
—The New York Times Book Review

Candice Millard

A journalist provides a balanced look at America's bloody effort to annex the Philippines in the early 20th century. Former Dallas Morning News correspondent Jones (Red Revolution: Inside the Philippine Guerrilla Movement, 1989) gives both sides to the issues and their adherents--though he begins with a graphic description of American soldiers administering water torture to a Filipino captive (the issue of military misconduct recurs repeatedly). Jones swiftly summarizes the war with Spain that gave birth to the events in the Philippines, paying careful attention to rising star Theodore Roosevelt and his exploits with the Rough Riders. We see President William McKinley as something of a ditherer; he was reluctant to make decisions that he knew would cost lives. Once Spain agreed to surrender their sway in the Philippines, the Americans snatched the chance for expansion. President Roosevelt was no ditherer. The Filipinos, initially grateful, quickly realized that they were not going to retain sovereignty, and an insurgency swelled. Soon thousands of American military personnel flooded the islands, and the action turned brutal, sanguinary and punitive. Torture, executions, destruction of private property and the burning of entire villages--all were done by the U.S. in the cause of victory. Jones describes the incidents, chronicles the reactions back home (Mark Twain and Andrew Carnegie were passionately opposed to U. S. involvement) and charts the flight of the political football as Republicans and Democrats fought to control the public perception of events. One major result was the elevated status of the Marines, whose days had seemed numbered beforehand. A well-researched, generally disinterested account whose parallels to today are obvious.

Kirkus Reviews