Anatomy of Courage

”Men have always wondered about courage, what it is and where it comes from and how it works,” said Major Thorn, whose act of cowardice had caused him to be appointed Awards Officer on the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. His duty is to seek out heroes, but it is his desperate personal hunger to know why men can perform acts beyond the limits of expected human conduct that constitutes the theme of Glendon Swarth- out’s They Came to Cordura (Random House, $3.50). His worship of heroism forces him to strive to preserve five men whom he considers to be the chalice in which the wine of bravery is stored. He mistakenly believes that wine can be tasted, identified and thereby understood.

Before making an appraisal of Mr. Swarthout’s novel, I must preface it with this statement: I have rarely been so impressed by an author’s knowledge of his basic material, in this instance, cavalry, its structure, composition, tactical problems, daily soldiering, horses and equipment. His knowledge is not librarian, but basic, objective, applied in terms of field and warfare conditions. His knowledge of horses and war reminds one of Melville’s knowledge of whales and the sea.

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Warren Eyster

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”Men have always wondered about courage, what it is and where it comes from and how it works,” said Major Thorn, whose act of cowardice had caused him to be appointed Awards Officer on the Punitive Expedition into Mexico. His duty is to seek out heroes, but it is his desperate personal hunger to know why men can perform acts beyond the limits of expected human conduct that constitutes the theme of Glendon Swarth- out’s They Came to Cordura (Random House, $3.50). His worship of heroism forces him to strive to preserve five men whom he considers to be the chalice in which the wine of bravery is stored. He mistakenly believes that wine can be tasted, identified and thereby understood.

Before making an appraisal of Mr. Swarthout’s novel, I must preface it with this statement: I have rarely been so impressed by an author’s knowledge of his basic material, in this instance, cavalry, its structure, composition, tactical problems, daily soldiering, horses and equipment. His knowledge is not librarian, but basic, objective, applied in terms of field and warfare conditions. His knowledge of horses and war reminds one of Melville’s knowledge of whales and the sea.