Diary of a Dirty Little War: The Spanish-American War of 1898

Diary of a Dirty Little War: The Spanish-American War of 1898. By Harvey Rosenfeld. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 2000. ISBN 0-275-96673-9. Illustrations. Bibliography. Index. Pp. 207. $57.95.

This volume derives its title from a play on John Hay's description of the War With Spain, "a splendid little war." The author teaches English at two universities and has published three biographies. He provides brief accounts for each day between 10 April and 12 August 1898, a period that precludes coverage of prewar events and peacemaking. Information is drawn from seven newspapers (four published in New York City), and the Associated Press with the proviso that "Except where otherwise specified,...