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Fatal Glory: Narciso Lopez and the First Clandestine U. S. War Against Cuba
Until now, the story of Narciso Lopez's daring invasions of Cuba has remained one of the great lost sagas of American history. Wildly famous during the mid-nineteenth century as the leader of a filibuster, a clandestine army, Lopez led the first armed challenge to Spain's long domination over Cuba. While U.S. historians have tended to view Lopez as an agent of pre-Civil War southern expansionism, Tom Chaffin reveals a broader, more complicated picture. Although many southerners did assist Lopez, the web of intrigue that sustained his conspiracy also included New York City, steamship magnates, penny press editors, Cuban industrialists, and nothern Democratic urban bosses.Drawn from archives in both the United States and Cuba and enlivened by first-person accounts and reports from federal "special agents" assigned to spy on Lopez, Fatal Glory holds appeal for both scholars and the general reader with an interest in Cuba, U.S. foreign policy, or the U.S. sectional crisis of the 1850s.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
3 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Tom Chaffin
9 books13 followersHistorian Tom Chaffin is the author, most recently, of “Odyssey: Young Charles Darwin, The Beagle, and The Voyage that Changed the World" (Feb. 2022, Pegasus). The work, focused on the naturalist's five years of global travel aboard HMS Beagle, chronicles the the formative experiences of his youth.
Chaffin’s earlier books include “Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Friendship that Helped Forge Two Nations," "Pathfinder: John Charles Frémont and the Course of American Empire," "Sea of Gray: The Around-The-World Odyssey of the Confederate Raider Shenandoah," and "Giant’s Causeway: Frederick Douglass’s Irish Odyssey and the Making of an American Visionary."
The author was was born and grew up in Atlanta and spent his early professional years in journalism, living in, among other places, Savannah, New York City, San Francisco, and Paris. Chaffin has taught U.S. history and writing at various universities. He holds a B.A. in English from Georgia State University, an M.A. in American Studies from New York University, and a Ph.D. in history from Emory University. His articles, reviews and essays have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Time, American Scholar, Harper’s, The Nation, the Oxford American, and other publications. He was a frequent contributor to the New York Times‘ acclaimed “Disunion” series on the American Civil War. In 2012, he was a Fulbright fellow in Ireland.
Chaffin lives in Atlanta.
Chaffin’s earlier books include “Revolutionary Brothers: Thomas Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and the Friendship that Helped Forge Two Nations," "Pathfinder: John Charles Frémont and the Course of American Empire," "Sea of Gray: The Around-The-World Odyssey of the Confederate Raider Shenandoah," and "Giant’s Causeway: Frederick Douglass’s Irish Odyssey and the Making of an American Visionary."
The author was was born and grew up in Atlanta and spent his early professional years in journalism, living in, among other places, Savannah, New York City, San Francisco, and Paris. Chaffin has taught U.S. history and writing at various universities. He holds a B.A. in English from Georgia State University, an M.A. in American Studies from New York University, and a Ph.D. in history from Emory University. His articles, reviews and essays have appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Time, American Scholar, Harper’s, The Nation, the Oxford American, and other publications. He was a frequent contributor to the New York Times‘ acclaimed “Disunion” series on the American Civil War. In 2012, he was a Fulbright fellow in Ireland.
Chaffin lives in Atlanta.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 5, 2020
This book provides decent insight into the politics of territorial expansion during WWII. It shows the differing views on the subject between the Whigs and the Democrats. It, in some ways, is also the story of a romantic rebel who failed repeatedly and ultimately died because he overestimated the amount of support that he had in Cuba. For anyone interested in US-Latin American-Caribbean relations, manifest destiny, or history of that time period, it is a good book to read. I did find the writing style a bit tedious in places. This kept me from giving the book a higher rating.
January 29, 2013
I thought this book was a great commentary on the differences between the south and the north before the Civil War.
The South was looking for all the economic advantages it could so that it would not be swallowed up by the North.
The idea that America could have purchased Cuba for $100 million dollars and be reimbursed by the Cuban merchants, and that the Cubans wanted to become part of America in the 1850's is incredible.
And the idea that the Yucatan Penninsula could have been part of America as well is mind boggling.
This book did seem a little dry, however, for me it explained in more detail the struggle that the South was going through trying to get the federal government to listen.
The South was looking for all the economic advantages it could so that it would not be swallowed up by the North.
The idea that America could have purchased Cuba for $100 million dollars and be reimbursed by the Cuban merchants, and that the Cubans wanted to become part of America in the 1850's is incredible.
And the idea that the Yucatan Penninsula could have been part of America as well is mind boggling.
This book did seem a little dry, however, for me it explained in more detail the struggle that the South was going through trying to get the federal government to listen.
September 27, 2008
It's a real standard historical text. Some people can do this and make it really accessible, but Tom Chaffin's depiction was about as engrossing as a lecture.
As for a history student review, what was up with his one-sidedness? In a book about the freedom of Cuba, you'd think he'd present it with more of a Cuban point of view.
Unless you're really really interested in Narciso Lopez, it's probably for the best to skip this one.
As for a history student review, what was up with his one-sidedness? In a book about the freedom of Cuba, you'd think he'd present it with more of a Cuban point of view.
Unless you're really really interested in Narciso Lopez, it's probably for the best to skip this one.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews