Captain Macklin: His Memoirs

by Richard Harding Davis, Theodore Roosevelt (Introduction)

Work from the popular writer of fiction and drama, journalist, war correspondent and editor of 'Harpers Weekly'

Genres: Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1902

About the author

Richard Harding Davis (1864–1916) was a journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt and he also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine. His influence extended to the world of fashion and he is credited with making the clean-shaven look popular among men at the turn of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Michael (Mike) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Available free on the internet in Kindle format from The Gutenberg Project. I read this novel simply because it was mentioned in the Panama canal book I recently read. A very entertaining novel about a quixotic young man who gets kicked out of West Point for chasing skirts during unauthorized hours and then sails off to adventure in Central America after his expulsion in order to seek redemption. Come to think of it, I had a few skirt-chasing episodes myself that also got me in trouble when I was at West Point. I'm sure if I would have been expelled like young Macklin, I too would have wound up back in Central America.

Upon his return to the US, young Macklin has to decide whether to settle down or continue with a life of adventure. Lots of satire in this story and some of the points are hilarious.

The author, Richard Harding Davis, is the journalist who through his writings kinda made Teddy Roosevelt a legendary president. Good literature to peer into the times of the early 1900's. Harding also coined the phrase "Banana Republic" for which there is a strong family connection from back in the late 1800's.

[Lisa of Troy]

A Book Owned by F. Scott Fitzgerald: https://static-prod.lib.princeton.edu...

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book as an aside read while reading Theodore Rex (Edmund Morris, 2001). In the Roosevelt biography, the Columbian government had just rejected a treaty made with the US to build what would become the Panama Canal. Philippe Bunau-Varilla was a Frenchman with interests in supporting a revolutionary movement for a separate Panama after rejection of the treaty in order to build the canal. When he asked the US government about support of such a revolution, he officially received a vague, non-committal answer. Soon after, Secretary of State John Hay gave him a copy of Captain Macklin, hinting that the story of an American solder of fortune fighting in a Central American revolution would interest the Frenchman. Stopping the Roosevelt book to investigate exactly what Hay was hinting was a nice supplement the larger historical context of Theodore Rex. On its own, Captain Macklin was an enjoyable adventure, telling the story of a born solder trying to find a way to fight the good fight, wherever that might take him. Another Richard Harding Davis book as a fairly quick read of daring exploits will be a must for me!

[Dave Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all those little boys with Foreign Legion fantasies

Growing up as I did with an overly romantic nature and a life long love of history, I too, was one of those lads who lapped up stories of saber rattling foreign legionnaires, disconnected to family and country, tasting combat at every opportunity for a good cause or a stacks of Franklins paid up front just in case the whole business went sideways. If course, the first time I saw Gary Cooper in Beau Geste and Gene Hackman in March or Die, those fantasies of the French Foreign Legion prompted me to choose the Marine Corps over the Air Force and still lingers in my love for pirates to this day.

While reading a recent trilogy about #franklinroosevelt , a man just as titillated by romantic military ventures, had taken this book #captainmackin by #richardhardingdavis with him on his post-presidency adventure to the #amazon where he and his son #kermitroosevelt read aloud passages by firelight, I knew I'd have to read this book. And it was as satisfying as I had imagined. The story centers on a young New Yorker of both privilege and military legacy who was drummed out of #westpoint for breaking curfew to chase a girl. Believing that his entire future was bent towards military service and the thought of mere enlistment anathema to his officer upbringing, he ventures off to Honduras to join up with a foreign legion under a French General supporting a revolution. The story is somewhat self mocking, written as the "memoir" of a 21 year old that demonstrates that the narcissism of youth represented in the selfie and influencer set of today, is a universal theme. And while it is unfair to project 21st century values on an early 20th century character, the white supremacist nature of the protagonist leaves me to wonder how like-minded is the author who seems to have coined the phrase "soldier of fortune" in one of his earliest novels. To his credit he is known for being one of the first in the class of war journalists and is responsible for creating the lore of Roosevelt's #roughriders which, to that point, seemed to leave out the heroic exploits of the #buffalosoldiers who were part of Teddy's illustrious corps. It is my inability to reconcile the overt racism that precludes my ability to give this story five stars. As eye rolling as it can be, it is also swashbuckling and rip-roaring that satisfies the adventurous little boy that still resonates within. #readtheworld #globalreadingchallenge #readtheworldchallenge #militaryfiction #honduras

[H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting adventure. Message is to not give up on your passion/self full fillment even when experiencing failure.

[Xdw · Rating 1 out of 5]

story of soldier of fortune in central america. pub 1907. intro by teddy roosevelt