Donegan and the Splendid Little War

Book excerpt: Patrick Donegan, the fictionalized protagonist of Donegan and the Splendid Little War, is a war-profiteer and pro-Cuban journalist during the Spanish-American War. He becomes involved with the great historical and literary figures of the period, including Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, Winston Churchill, William Randolph Hearst, Ambrose Bierce, Richard Harding Davis, and Stephen Crane. Donegan inadvertently and unhappily participates in all the major events of the era, including the attack on San Juan and Kettle hills, the naval battle at Santiago harbor, and the assassination of President William McKinley.