Broadsides
The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815
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- $25.99
Publisher Description
Praise for BROADSIDES
"Pace the pitching black deck with a sleepless Admiral Nelson the night before battle bestows eternal rest and peerless immortality upon him; envision with Mahan the storm-tossed and ever-watchful ships-of-the-line that kept England secure from invasion; wonder in awe at Collingwood's dedication in working himself to death after Trafalgar elevated him to primary responsibility for England's imperial safety in the Mediterranean. All of this and more awaits the reader who will sail through these pages, every one of which is etched with the indelible expertise and boundless enthusiasm of Nathan Miller, master of naval history."--Kenneth J. Hagan, Professor of History and Museum Director Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy, Professor of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College
"This is not just inspired naval history--the personal lives of the seafarers themselves, from cabin boy to admiral, are given generous treatment."--The Times (London)
"A wealth of detail...Descriptions of dreadful living conditions aboard cramped wooden vessels give way to bloody decks after close combat....A solid introduction to a turbulent era at sea."--Publishers Weekly
"[As] a companion to the popular nautical novels of C. S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian--it succeeds brilliantly."--Daily Telegraph (London)
"The descriptions of the great sea commanders and their battles display all the craft of the gifted writer....Read Broadsides for enjoyment as a well-informed, action-packed naval narrative."--The Christ Church Press
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veteran historian Miller (The U.S. Navy; Theodore Roosevelt; etc.) examines naval operations in the 40 years from the beginning of the American Revolution to the end of the War of 1812. Writing for the general reader, Miller provides a wealth of detail on wooden ships of war--ranging from small sloops to huge ships of the line carrying over a hundred cannons--and the international crews who sailed them, along with biographies and analyses of the prominent leaders of the period: Horatio Nelson, Richard Lord Howe, John Paul Jones, Comte de Grasses, Oliver Hazard Perry and others. The great battles--Trafalgar, Lake Erie, the Glorious First of June and many more--receive their due, as do the many ship-to-ship combats of the era, including the victories of the American frigate Constitution ("Old Ironsides") and other engagements involving England, France, Spain, the Barbary pirates and several other European nations. Descriptions of dreadful living conditions aboard cramped wooden vessels give way to bloody decks after close combat. Miller goes beyond a dry retelling of these famous events to examine the political situations that led to the wars of the period, making this a solid introduction to a turbulent era at sea. Four maps (not seen by PW) and 20 illus.
