Description
Book SynopsisThe epic, forgotten story of a tragic military rescue mission as the Spanish-American War in the Philippines became a violent guerilla war between the United States and native Filipinos, and the Heart of Darkness story of American POWs in an unforgiving, foreign land.Trade ReviewPraise for The Devil's Causeway "Matthew Westfall has unearthed a strange and dramatic tale from America's mostly forgotten imperial adventure in the Philippines in the late 1890s. Here is blundering, courage and heartbreak in equal measure."—Evan Thomas, author of The War Lovers Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 and Ike's Bluff: President Eisenhower's Secret Battle to Save the World "A brutal clash of Old West and Far East, Matthew Westfall's masterpiece blends the gritty realism of Cormac McCarthy with a filmmaker's eye for the dramatic. This beautifully paced epic of heroes and villains emerging from the jungles of the Philippines is more than a mere Indiana Jones adventure tale; The Devil's Causeway is a rare, enthralling gem mined exquisitely by Westfall from the faded pages of America's lost empire."—Jonathan W. Jordan, bestselling author of Brothers, Rivals, Victors: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and the Partnership that Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe"The United States served notice of its global ambitions in 1898 by defeating Spain in a short and popular war. Less than a year later, America found itself in a divisive quest to conquer and colonize the Philippines. In his superbly researched book, The Devil's Causeway, Matthew Westfall powerfully reconstructs a tragedy at the beginning of our forgotten war in the Philippines—a prisoner-of-war saga that embodied all the hubris, heartache, and miscalculation that ultimately doomed America's first quest for empire."—Gregg Jones, author of Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and The Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream, an editor's choice of The New York Times Book Review "The Devil's Causeway documents an epic tale of military campaigning and colonial conquest. The book enthralls, entertains and educates, while proving once again that the truth is often stranger than fiction. This thrilling work is a must-read for anyone interested in the Philippines' determined struggles for independent nationhood. It is likewise an inspiring story of courage, sacrifice and patriotism by the various protagonists—regardless of nationality."—Fidel V. Ramos, 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines; former Secretary ofDefense, Republic of the Philippines; Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the Philippines; and West Point graduate, USMA Class of 1950 "There has been way too little written about American military efforts, adventures and missteps after the Philippines became an American possession at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898. Author Matthew Westfall shines a light on that turbulent time in our military history with his new book The Devil's Causeway. In a thoroughly researched, detail-packed and absorbing work, he tells the story of the capture and subsequent dramatic rescue of the some of our first American POWs to be taken by an enemy on foreign shores. The characters come alive in these pages and the fascinating story unfolds as if it were being told by an old veteran around a campfire." —Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Ret), author and military advisor to film and TV, Los Angeles
