The Fate of the Generals
MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines
Published on 21. April 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
448 pages
978-1-6680-1008-2 (ISBN)
Description
"One of the very best World War II books in many years...A great read." -General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Director of the CIA * "Fans of Unbroken will love this book." -Doug Stanton
In the tradition of Ghost Soldiers, a "riveting" (The Wall Street Journal) World War II story of bravery, survival, and sacrifice-the vow Douglas MacArthur made to return to the Philippines and the oath his fellow general Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright made to stay with his men there whatever the cost.
For the doomed stand American forces made in the Philippines at the start of World War II, two generals received their country's highest military award, the Medal of Honor. One was the charismatic and controversial Douglas MacArthur, whose orders forced him to leave his soldiers on the islands to starvation and surrender but whose vow to return echoed around the globe. The other was the gritty Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, who became a hero to the troops whose fate he insisted on sharing, even when it meant becoming the highest-ranking American prisoner of the Japanese.
In The Fate of the Generals, bestselling author Jonathan Horn brings together the story of two men who received the same medal but found honor on very different paths. MacArthur's journey would require a daring escape with his wife and young child to Australia and then years of fighting over thousands of miles to make it back to the Philippines, where he would fulfill his famous vow only to see the city he called home burn. Wainwright's journey would take him from the Philippines to Taiwan and Manchuria as his captors tortured him in prisons and left him to wonder whether his countrymen would ever understand the choice he had made to surrender for the sake of his men.
A story of war made personal based on meticulous research into diaries and letters including boxes of previously unexplored papers, The Fate of the Generals is a vivid account that raises timely questions about how we define honor and how we choose our heroes, and is destined to become a classic of World War II history.
In the tradition of Ghost Soldiers, a "riveting" (The Wall Street Journal) World War II story of bravery, survival, and sacrifice-the vow Douglas MacArthur made to return to the Philippines and the oath his fellow general Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright made to stay with his men there whatever the cost.
For the doomed stand American forces made in the Philippines at the start of World War II, two generals received their country's highest military award, the Medal of Honor. One was the charismatic and controversial Douglas MacArthur, whose orders forced him to leave his soldiers on the islands to starvation and surrender but whose vow to return echoed around the globe. The other was the gritty Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, who became a hero to the troops whose fate he insisted on sharing, even when it meant becoming the highest-ranking American prisoner of the Japanese.
In The Fate of the Generals, bestselling author Jonathan Horn brings together the story of two men who received the same medal but found honor on very different paths. MacArthur's journey would require a daring escape with his wife and young child to Australia and then years of fighting over thousands of miles to make it back to the Philippines, where he would fulfill his famous vow only to see the city he called home burn. Wainwright's journey would take him from the Philippines to Taiwan and Manchuria as his captors tortured him in prisons and left him to wonder whether his countrymen would ever understand the choice he had made to surrender for the sake of his men.
A story of war made personal based on meticulous research into diaries and letters including boxes of previously unexplored papers, The Fate of the Generals is a vivid account that raises timely questions about how we define honor and how we choose our heroes, and is destined to become a classic of World War II history.
Reviews / Votes
"Recounting battle scenes with riveting prose, Mr. Horn minces no words in his descriptions of the horrors of Bataan. . . . The Fate of the Generals lifts Jonathan Wainwright out of the shadow of Douglas MacArthur and 'back into the light.'" -Wall Street Journal "History at its best. Jonathan Horn has used a treasure trove of new information to shine a powerful spotlight on the sublime heroism of a hitherto under-appreciated and almost forgotten figure, Jonathan Wainwright, while simultaneously investigating the self-centred wiliness but undoubted charisma of Douglas MacArthur." -Andrew Roberts, New York Times bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny "Exceptional . . . engaging. [Horn] has crafted a very personal account of two of America's most celebrated heroes, one (MacArthur) who remains in the public imagination and another (Wainwright) who has been largely lost to time. This is a highly recommended account of their service to the nation, one that can be enjoyed by historians and lay readers alike." -The Washington Free Beacon "Horn delivers a gripping if painful account of Wainwright's short command and long, miserable imprisonment. . . . Admirabl[y] bring[s] Wainwright out of MacArthur's shadow." -Kirkus Reviews "[An] incisive chronicle, Horn's profile is a colorful addition to the library of disparaging MacArthur portraits, depicting the general as a self-obsessed prima donna and Wainwright as his opposite: a stoic, self-deprecating cavalryman, devoted to the well-being of his men, who agonized over the moral dilemma of choosing between pointless carnage and shameful surrender. The result is a perceptive take on the psychology of military leadership." -Publishers Weekly "This is an outstanding tribute to, and portrayal of, two important leaders of World War II in the Pacific." -Christopher L. Kolakowski, author of Last Stand on Bataan and former director of the MacArthur Memorial "Unearthing new records and documents, Jonathan Horn recasts the battle for the Philippines in startling light, unsealing the story of General Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright, who is the real hero of this book, while, out of habit and perception, MacArthur has remained a war hero. Horn adds, corrects, sharpens this portrait of these two generals in perfect prose, built on the footings of massive research. In Horn's hands, the psychological portraits of these two are simply fascinating. Fans of Unbroken will love this book; fans of all that we are capable of in our finest, our darkest, and most desperate and necessary hours will love this book." -Doug Stanton, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Horse Soldiers "One of the very best World War II books in many years! In The Fate of the Generals, Jonathan Horn weaves together brilliantly the story of two senior generals faced with excruciatingly difficult decisions that no American commander should ever have to make. Distinguished by spellbinding prose and exceptional research, The Fate of the Generals restores Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright to his proper place in history beside Douglas MacArthur. A great read!" -General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former Commander of the Surge in Iraq, US Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan; former Director of the CIA; co-author of the New York Times bestseller Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to GazaMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
2x8-pg b&w insert; 12 maps embedded throughout
Dimensions
Height: 217 mm
Width: 133 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
360 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6680-1008-2 (9781668010082)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Jonathan Horn
The Fate of the Generals
MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines
E-Book
04/2025
Scribner
€15.81
Available for download
Person
Jonathan Horn is an author and former White House presidential speechwriter whose books include Washington's End and the Robert E. Lee biography The Man Who Would Not Be Washington, which was a Washington Post bestseller. He has written for outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times Disunion series, New York Post, The Daily Beast, National Review, and POLITICO, and has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, and PBS NewsHour. A graduate of Yale, he lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife, two children, and dog. His latest book is The Fate of the Generals: MacArthur, Wainwright, and the Epic Battle for the Philippines.