“Destroyer Captain: The Life of Ernest E. Evans,” by James D. Hornfischer and David J. Hornfischer, tells the story of Ernest Evans, who commanded the destroyer Johnston at the Battle off Samar in October 1944.
It follows Evans from his origins in Oklahoma to his death at the Battle off Samar. Three-quarters Native American, Evans grew up in poverty. He was intelligent, athletic, and ambitious, and to escape small-town life, he enlisted in the Navy in 1926. He was accepted in the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1931.
