famous victory." Within a few weeks, the U.S. generals ordered a withdrawal from the positions taken at such heavy cost and no more was said. Perhaps the best comments were those made by Britain's poet laureate, Robert Southey (1774-1843), and by a contemporary writer in a British magazine:
"And every body praised the Duke, Who this great fight did win." "But what good came of it at last?" Quoth little Peterkin. "Why, that I cannot tell," said he; "But 'twas a famous victory." -- Robert Southey
"The battle of Dak To, which ended on Thanksgiving Day after nearly four weeks, was easily the most insane campaign of the war. The US commanders set up an unreinforced base there as a 'magnet' to draw an enemy attack, but when it came 10,000 American troops had to be poured into the area. The heavily populated coastal regions were left unguarded and the Vietcong could harvest their rice fields in peace. The Americans lost 200 killed and 1,000 or more wounded in a battle to defend a base that was of no strategic value. The Vietcong guerrillas showed that they could tie down the major US combat force at any time and at any place." -- Andrew Kopkind in the December 1, 1967, New Statesman.