Though David Farragut is best remembered today for his famous declaration to “damn the torpedoes” when attacking Confederate defenses in Mobile Bay, this was just one moment in a naval career that stretched over six decades. Robert Schneller’s book offers a compact survey of Farragut’s service, which began as a nine-year-old midshipman in 1810 and took him through three major wars and a host of other duties. While Schneller notes the personal developments in Farragut’s career, his focus is resolutely on the professional aspects of his subject’s life, describing his rise to command, the campaigns in which he participated, and his lionization by a grateful country. Well over half of the book concentrates on his service during the Civil War, where his success in the battles of New Orleans and Mobile Bay led to the creation of new ranks in order to commend his success. It’s an effective introduction for anyone seeking an overview of Farragut’s life and his achievements, one that is both a quick read and an informative one. ( )

Although not as personally ground breaking as the last two condensed military profiles I’ve read, “Farragut” by Robert J. Schneller, Jr. was efficacious in its prose and enlightening in its information. Mr. Schneller portrays a very devout to home and God sort of hero that eschews all the mores one would expect of a hero such as Farragut. That he did command with such strength and verve at such a late age –sixty plus years– endears this 19th century character into the minds of the reader. My reservations about the historical biography however were twofold. One, the maps included was too small and grainy thus making them almost impossible to read and decipher. Secondly, there are twelve blank pages included in the back of the book. Certainly the publishers could have found some use for these or simply not included them. In any case, I am looking forward to my next installment in these miniature historical biographies. ( )