Sea Raiders of the American Revolution

Sea Raiders of the American Revolution PDF Author: E. Gordon Bowen-Hassell
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780945274490
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description

Sea Raiders of the American Revolution

Sea Raiders of the American Revolution PDF Author: E. Gordon Bowen-Hassell
Publisher: Government Printing Office
ISBN: 9780945274490
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description


Sea Raiders of the American Revolution

Sea Raiders of the American Revolution PDF Author: E. Gordon Bowen-Hassell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781410218773
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 88

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Book Description
The Navy of the United States, like the nation itself, was born in the midst of the bloody conflict for independence known as the American Revolution. The Continental Navy, as it was called then, shaped and was shaped by this difficult struggle for freedom that lasted from 1775 to 1783. During the war, the sailors of the young navy, seamen and officers alike, established the proud traditions of honor, courage, and commitment shared by today's servicemen in the United States Navy. It is important for the American people, especially those who wear the uniform, to understand the significant role that the Continental Navy played in the nation's beginnings. This book is about three captains of the Continental Navy: Lambert Wickes, Gustavus Conyngham, and John Paul Jones. In recounting the stories of their lives and examining the roles they played in the Navy's early years, it highlights the difficult circumstances that each man faced operating in seas dominated by the British Navy and emphasizes that the outcome of the American War for Independence was far from certain. The book also illustrates the humanity of these Revolutionary War heroes, revealing their weaknesses as well as their strengths. They exhibited frustration, pettiness, and egotism as well as courage, initiative, and sound judgment. Like naval leaders today, these Continental Navy officers faced tough choices and were forced to live with the consequences, for good or ill. Their lives and choices had an important influence on the course of the war and on the character of the naval service.

Rebels at Sea

Rebels at Sea PDF Author: Eric Jay Dolin
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1631498258
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The bestselling author of Black Flags, Blue Waters reclaims the daring freelance sailors who proved essential to the winning of the Revolutionary War. The heroic story of the founding of the U.S. Navy during the Revolution has been told many times, yet largely missing from maritime histories of America’s first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels that truly revealed the new nation’s character—above all, its ambition and entrepreneurial ethos. In Rebels at Sea, best-selling historian Eric Jay Dolin corrects that significant omission, and contends that privateers, as they were called, were in fact critical to the American victory. Privateers were privately owned vessels, mostly refitted merchant ships, that were granted permission by the new government to seize British merchantmen and men of war. As Dolin stirringly demonstrates, at a time when the young Continental Navy numbered no more than about sixty vessels all told, privateers rushed to fill the gaps. Nearly 2,000 set sail over the course of the war, with tens of thousands of Americans serving on them and capturing some 1,800 British ships. Privateers came in all shapes and sizes, from twenty-five foot long whaleboats to full-rigged ships more than 100 feet long. Bristling with cannons, swivel guns, muskets, and pikes, they tormented their foes on the broad Atlantic and in bays and harbors on both sides of the ocean. The men who owned the ships, as well as their captains and crew, would divide the profits of a successful cruise—and suffer all the more if their ship was captured or sunk, with privateersmen facing hellish conditions on British prison hulks, where they were treated not as enemy combatants but as pirates. Some Americans viewed them similarly, as cynical opportunists whose only aim was loot. Yet Dolin shows that privateersmen were as patriotic as their fellow Americans, and moreover that they greatly contributed to the war’s success: diverting critical British resources to protecting their shipping, playing a key role in bringing France into the war on the side of the United States, providing much-needed supplies at home, and bolstering the new nation’s confidence that it might actually defeat the most powerful military force in the world. Creating an entirely new pantheon of Revolutionary heroes, Dolin reclaims such forgotten privateersmen as Captain Jonathan Haraden and Offin Boardman, putting their exploits, and sacrifices, at the very center of the conflict. Abounding in tales of daring maneuvers and deadly encounters, Rebels at Sea presents this nation’s first war as we have rarely seen it before.

American Privateers of the Revolutionary War

American Privateers of the Revolutionary War PDF Author: Angus Konstam
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472836332
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 49

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Book Description
During the American War of Independence (1775–83), Congress issued almost 800 letters of marque, as a way of combating Britain's overwhelming naval and mercantile superiority. At first, it was only fishermen and the skippers of small merchant ships who turned to privateering, with mixed results. Eventually though, American shipyards began to turn out specially-converted ships, while later still, the first purpose-built privateers entered the fray. These American privateers seized more than 600 British merchant ships over the course of the war, capturing thousands of British seamen. Indeed, Jeremiah O'Brien's privateer Unity fought the first sea engagement of the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Machias of 1775, managing to capture a British armed schooner with just 40 men, their guns, axes and pitchforks, and the words 'Surrender to America'. By the end of the war, some of the largest American privateers could venture as far as the British Isles, and were more powerful than most contemporary warships in the fledgling US Navy. A small number of Loyalist privateers also put to sea during the war, and preyed on the shipping of their rebel countrymen. Packed with fascinating insights into the age of privateers, this book traces the development of these remarkable ships, and explains how they made such a significant contribution to the American Revolutionary War.

Historical Dictionary of the American Revolution

Historical Dictionary of the American Revolution PDF Author: Terry M. Mays
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 0810875039
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 653

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Book Description
This greatly expanded second edition of the Historical Dictionary of the American Revolution covers more battles, skirmishes, and raids of the American Revolution than any other printed source. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, maps and photos, a bibliography, and over 1000 cross-referenced dictionary entries.

Sea of Glory

Sea of Glory PDF Author: Nathan Miller
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 600

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Book Description
Naval history of the American Revolution, which recognizes the war for independence as a maritime conflict and explores the struggle for command of the sea.

American Revolution [5 volumes]

American Revolution [5 volumes] PDF Author: Spencer C. Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 4607

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Book Description
With more than 1,300 cross-referenced entries covering every aspect of the American Revolution, this definitive scholarly reference covers the causes, course, and consequences of the war and the political, social, and military origins of the nation. This authoritative and complete encyclopedia covers not only the eight years of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) but also the decades leading up to the war, beginning with the French and Indian War, and the aftermath of the conflict, with an emphasis on the early American Republic. Volumes one through four contain a series of overview essays on the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution, followed by impeccably researched A–Z entries that address the full spectrum of political, social, and military matters that arose from the conflict. Each entry is cross-referenced to other entries and also lists books for further reading. In addition, there is a detailed bibliography, timeline, and glossary. A fifth volume is devoted to primary sources, each of which is accompanied by an insightful introduction that places the document in its proper historical context. The primary sources help readers to understand the myriad motivations behind the American Revolution; the diplomatic, military, and political maneuvering that took place during the conflict; and landmark documents that shaped the founding and early development of the United States.

Ships of the American Revolutionary Navy

Ships of the American Revolutionary Navy PDF Author: Mark Lardas
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1849081328
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
Mark Lardas explores the origins of American warships, primarily light and medium frigates, built for the Continental Navy during the years 1776–1783. This was the first navy of the United States and much of the fleet was comprised of ships that had been modified from existing vessels, converted into warships to provide a crucial service during the American Revolutionary War. Despite having no real funding, this unique fleet had a surprising amount of success against the might of the Royal Navy, and this title discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each design, and the differences between European and American warships of the time. With a close look at how these ships performed in key battles, as well as the exploits of John Paul Jones – the founding father of the United States Navy – this is a complete, illustrated overview of the ships' service and development until France's entry into the war and the subsequent decline in importance of the Continental Navy.

The Untold War at Sea

The Untold War at Sea PDF Author: Kylie A. Hulbert
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
ISBN: 0820368466
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
Efforts upon the waves played a critical role in European and Anglo-American conflicts throughout the eighteenth century. Yet the oft-told narrative of the American Revolution tends to focus on battles on American soil or the debates and decisions of the Continental Congress. The Untold War at Sea is the first book to place American privateers and their experiences during the War for Independence front and center. Kylie A. Hulbert tells the story of privateers at home and abroad while chronicling their experiences, engagements, cruises, and court cases. This study forces a reconsideration of the role privateers played in the conflict and challenges their place in the accepted popular narrative of the Revolution. Despite their controversial tactics, Hulbert illustrates that privateers merit a place alongside minutemen, Continental soldiers, and the sailors of the fledgling American navy. This book offers a redefinition of who fought in the war and how their contributions were measured. The process of revolution and winning independence was global in nature, and privateers operated at its core.

If By Sea

If By Sea PDF Author: George C Daughan
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 0786731931
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 568

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Book Description
The American Revolution-and thus the history of the United States-began not on land but on the sea. Paul Revere began his famous midnight ride not by jumping on a horse, but by scrambling into a skiff with two other brave patriots to cross Boston Harbor to Charlestown. Revere and his companions rowed with muffled oars to avoid capture by the British warships closely guarding the harbor. As they paddled silently, Revere's neighbor was flashing two lanterns from the belfry of Old North Church, signaling patriots in Charlestown that the redcoats were crossing the Charles River in longboats. In every major Revolutionary battle thereafter the sea would play a vital, if historically neglected, role. When the American colonies took up arms against Great Britain, they were confronting the greatest sea-power of the age. And it was during the War of Independence that the American Navy was born. But following the British naval model proved crushingly expensive, and the Founding Fathers fought viciously for decades over whether or not the fledgling republic truly needed a deep-water fleet. The debate ended only when the Federal Navy proved indispensable during the War of 1812. Drawing on decades of prodigious research, historian George C. Daughan chronicles the embattled origins of the U.S. Navy. From the bloody and gunpowder-drenched battles fought by American sailors on lakes and high seas to the fierce rhetorical combat waged by the Founders in Congress, If By Sea charts the course by which the Navy became a vital and celebrated American institution.