Taaffe, Stephen R.

PERSONAL:

Education: Ohio University, Ph.D, 1995.

ADDRESSES:

Home—TX. Office—Department of History, Stephen F. Austin State University, P.O. Box 13013, Nacogdoches, TX 75962. E-mail—staaffe@sfasu.edu.

CAREER:

Stephen F. Austin State College, Nacogdoches, TX, began as researcher, became associate professor, 2000—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Vice Admiral Edwin B. Hooper Research Grant, Stephen F. Austin State College, 2006-07.

WRITINGS:

MacArthur's Jungle War: The 1944 New Guinea Campaign, University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, KS), 1998.

The Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778, University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, KS), 2003.

Commanding the Army of the Potomac, University Press of Kansas (Lawrence, KS), 2006.

Also contributor to MacArthur and the American Century, edited by William Leary, University of Nebraska Press (Lincoln, NE), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS:

Historian Stephen R. Taaffe's main research interests include American military history and the history of American foreign relations. His first book, MacArthur's Jungle War: The 1944 New Guinea Campaign, covers a series of battles in New Guinea, particularly the later ones that took place on the western side of the island, a relatively obscure facet of World War II. Thomas Goetz, in a review appearing on the Web site Strategy Page, wrote that Taaffe's effort is "a solid overview of this campaign, but his limitation of one chapter per battle means that some of the larger battles, such as Hollandia and Wakde-Sarmi, are given a relatively brief treatment." Taaffe followed this work with The Philadelphia Campaign, 1777-1778 and Commanding the Army of the Potomac. In a review of the latter for the Association of the United States Army Web site, Cole C. Kingseed remarked: "Aside from Taaffe's superb analysis of command in the Army of the Potomac, his examination of senior military commanders delivers a valuable message to our nation's current defense establishment."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

ONLINE

Association of the United States Army Web site,http://www.ausa.org/ (October 9, 2006), Cole C. King-seed, "The War Within—Analysis of the Union Commands," review of Commanding the Army of the Potomac.

Library Automation Web site,http://www.libraryautomation.com/ (October 9, 2006), Thomas Goetz, review of MacArthur's Jungle War: The 1944 New Guinea Campaign.

Strategy Page Web site,http://www.strategypage.com/ (October 9, 2006), Thomas Goetz, review of Mac-Arthur's Jungle War.