Sailor Historian: The Best of Samuel Eliot Morison

by Samuel Eliot Morison, Emily Morison Beck

Writings chosen and introduced by the renowned historian provide insight into his vision of American history

431 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Samuel Eliot Morison, son of John H. and Emily Marshall (Eliot) Morison, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on 9 July 1887. He attended Noble’s School at Boston, and St. Paul’s at Concord, New Hampshire, before entering Harvard University, from which he was graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1908. He studied at the Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, Paris, France, in 1908-1909, and returned to Harvard for postgraduate work, receiving the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1912. Thereafter he became Instructor, first at the University of California in Berkeley, and in 1915 at Harvard. Except for three years (1922-1925) when he was Harmsworth Professor of American History at Oxford, England, and his periods of active duty during both World Wars, he remained continuously at Harvard University as lecturer and professor until his retirement in 1955.

He had World War I service as a private in the US Army, but not overseas. As he had done some preliminary studies on Finland for Colonel House’s Inquiry, he was detailed from the Army in January 1919 and attached to the Russian Division of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace, at Paris, his specialty being Finland and the Baltic States. He served as the American Delegate on the Baltic Commission of the Peace Conference until 17 June 1919, and shortly after returned to the United States. He became a full Professor at Harvard in 1925, and was appointed to the Jonathan Trumbull Chair in 1940. He also taught American History at Johns Hopkins University in 1941-1942.

Living up to his sea-going background – he has sailed in small boats and coastal craft all his life. In 1939-1940, he organized and commanded the Harvard Columbus Expedition which retraced the voyages of Columbus in sailing ships, barkentine Capitana and ketch Mary Otis. After crossing the Atlantic under sail to Spain and back, and examining all the shores visited by Columbus in the Caribbean, he wrote Admiral of the Ocean Sea, an outstanding biography of Columbus, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1943. He also wrote a shorter biography, Christopher Columbus, Mariner. With Maurico Obregon of Bogota, he surveyed and photographed the shores of the Caribbean by air and published an illustrated book The Caribbean as Columbus Saw It (1964).

Shortly after the United States entered World War II, Dr. Morison proposed to his friend President Roosevelt, to write the operational history of the US Navy from the inside, by taking part in operations and writing them up afterwards. The idea appealed to the President and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox, and on 5 May 1942, Dr. Morison was commissioned Lieutenant Commander, US Naval Reserve, and was called at once to active duty. He subsequently advanced to the rank of Captain on 15 December 1945. His transfer to the Honorary Retired List of the Naval Reserve became effective on 1 August 1951, when he was promoted to Rear Admiral on the basis of combat awards.

In July-August 1942 he sailed with Commander Destroyer Squadron Thirteen (Captain John B. Heffernan, USN), on USS Buck, flagship, on convoy duty in the Atlantic. In October of that year, on USS Brooklyn with Captain Francis D. Denebrink, he participated in Operation TORCH (Allied landings in North and Northwestern Africa - 8 November 1942). In March 1943, while attached to Pacific Fleet Forces, he visited Noumea, Guadalcanal, Australia, and on Washington made a cruise with Vice Admiral W. A. Lee, Jr., USN. He also patrolled around Papua in motor torpedo boats, made three trips up “the Slot” on Honolulu, flagship of Commander Cruisers, Pacific Fleet (Rear Admiral W.W. Ainsworth, USN), and took part in the Battle of Kolombangara before returning to the mainland. Again in the Pacific War Area in September 1943, he participated in the Gilbert Islands operation on board USS Baltimore, under command of Captain Walter C. Calhoun, USN. For the remainder of the Winter he worked at Pearl Harbor, and in the Spring

Reviews

[Jwt Jan50]

Came across this in the book store 1977 and immediately purchased it. Part of the decision to pursue history/literature rather than law school. The essay on History As A Literary Art should be read by all would be historians and biographers. After 30 years on my shelf, gave this as a wedding present to an aspiring historian. I've tried to imagine him at some of those meetings during WW2 with the heavies at the conference tables and him seated around the room with the other 'strap hangars.' Wondering if somewhere in the letters/notes there aren't some cryptic comments concerning the meetings between say MacArthur's and Halsey's notorious chiefs-of-staff?

[Gerald]

by Samuel Eliot Morison is a compilation of his notes from his more than 50 years as an historian (edited by his daughter Emily Morison Beck) on naval topics going back to Columbus and Magellan and forward to several important WWII battles as well as nautical topics, such as the voyage of the Mayflower and The Clipper Ships. His coverage of Commodore Perry's visit to and "opening" of Japan to foreigns was most interesting.

He includes wonderful tales of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and fascinating discussions of the "average" Harvard man of 1700 and The Ropemakers of Plymouth. Additionally, included are articles on noted American historians of prior centuries - William H. Prescott and Francis Parkman - as well as a discussion of the writing skill of Sir Winston Churchill, which led to his receiving the Nobel Prize for Literature, the only historian to have been so honored.

In his chapter on History As a Literary Art, he gives a most illuminating picture of why academic historians, "in their eagerness to present facts and their laudable concern to tell the truth, have neglected the literary aspects of their craft. They have forgotten that there is an art of writing history." He quotes Theodore Roosevelt: "He must remember that while the worst offense of which he (the historian) can be guilty is to write vividly and inaccurately, yet that unless he writes vividly he cannot write truthfully, for no amount of dull, painstaking detail will sum up the whole truth unless the genius is there to paint the truth." Morison goes on to suggest that "the writer of history can enrich his mind and broaden his craftmanship by his choice of leisure reading. [My retired Latin-teacher wife loved the following and totally agrees. She taught English also.] If he is so fortunate as to have had a classical education, no time will be better spent in making him an effective historian than in reading Latin and Greek authors. Both of these ancient languages are such superb instruments of thought that a knowledge of them cures slipshod English and helps one to attain a clear, muscular style." Further Morison suggested: "The reading of English classics will tend in the same direction, and will also be a painless and unconscious means of improving your literary style."

I found this compilation of Morison's writings most interesting. It was published in 1977. His first was published in 1913.

He was, arguably, one of the greatest of naval historians. Having had significant naval service during World War I, he proposed to his friend Franklin Roosevelt in early 1942 to write the naval history of this new world war "from the inside." President Roosevelt liked his idea so much that he immediately commissioned him a Lieutenant Commander in the Naval Reserve and sent him on a continuous series of active duty assignments on a wide variety of ships and other naval commands for the duration of WWII. (He retired from his naval career as a Rear Admiral.) The result was Morison's History of US Naval Operations in WWII: 15 Volume Set. I acquired 10 of these volumes (all but 5, 10, 13, 14, & 15, which I would love to acquire to complete my set) when our main library was purging books determined to be excess during a move to a new location. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Morison's account of the 1942-45 period.

[Avis Black]

Morison is better appreciated in full books, not in small bits like this anthology.

[Gordon Francisco]

An awesome compilation of Professor Morison's great works.