Product Description

An adventured–packed ride into a mesmerizing period of naval history

No era in naval history has captured the imagination of readers so completely as the forty–year period from 1775 to 1815. And there are few historians as well qualified to bring that era to life as Nathan Miller. The first full–scale popular history of that epoch–making time, Broadsides covers the major naval operations of the European powers and the United States, as well as the tumultuous political and social forces that drove them. Filled with descriptions of naval battles rivaling those found in the bestselling novels of Patrick O′Brian and C. S. Forester for heart–pounding excitement and colorful detail, the book covers the naval operations of the American Revolution and the War of 1812; the epic struggle between Great Britain and France; and the British and American campaigns to end piracy in the Mediterranean. Broadsides also provides a richly textured look at the lives of the gallant men who fought on the ships of war, along with many fascinating details about the vessels themselves.

Nathan Miller (Washington, DC), historian and biographer, is the critically acclaimed author of seven books, including such bestsellers as The US Navy: A History and Theodore Roosevelt: A Life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #359805 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From the Inside Flap
Few eras hold greater fascination for us than the Age of Fighting Sail, the forty–year period from 1775 to 1815. And few writers are as well qualified to bring this adventure–packed period to life as the critically acclaimed naval historian and biographer Nathan Miller. Now, in the first modern chronicle of the epic of wooden ships and pigtailed sailors, Miller provides essential reading for devotees of the popular nautical novels of Patrick O’Brian, C. S. Forester, Alexander Kent, and others. Broadsides covers the naval side of the American Revolution, the twenty–two year struggle between Britain’s hard–pressed Royal Navy and France that began in 1793, the foundation of the U.S. Navy and America’s forgotten undeclared naval war with France along with their struggle against the Barbary pirates, and closes with the War of 1812. One man, the legendary Horatio Nelson, epitomizes this era, and his personal story is the keel of this book, although the tale continues for another decade following Nelson’s tragic death at Trafalgar at the height of victory. Written with a bold sense of adventure and teeming with detail, Broadsides not only clearly reconstructs the naval battles of the era, but integrates them with the political and social forces that shaped our world. In addition to Nelson, its pages are graced by such fighting sailors as John Paul Jones, George Rodney, John Jervis, Thomas Truxtun, Edward Preble, Stephen Decatur, Edward Pellew (mentor of the fictional Horatio Hornblower), and the fiery Lord Cochrane (whose adventures provided a model for those of a young Jack Aubrey). Nor are the administrators slighted: Receiving their due are Benjamin Stoddert, the first U.S. Secretary of the Navy; Lord Barham, who directed the fleets that hemmed in Napoleon; and William Pitt, the architect of Britain’s victory over the French emperor. Broadsides also provides a richly textured look at the lives of the men and in an astonishing number of cases the women who served in the swift–sailing frigates and mighty ships of the line. We learn how they were recruited, how they lived at sea, what they ate, and what they wore. For the first time in such a work, there is a discussion of homosexuality at sea and the savage punishments meted out for it. Here, too, is a clearly written account of how wooden fighting ships were built and sailed and how their guns were fired in battle. Miller also offers his readers the unique opportunity to learn the naval terms, tactics, and techniques integral to the period. Based on exhaustive research drawn from log books, official reports, letters, and memoirs, Miller presents an irresistible, brilliant exploration of the Age of Fighting Sail. The result is a gripping adventure in which the steadfastness of those serving at sea in that long–ago era have much to teach us in the modern age.

From the Back Cover
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

About the Author
NATHAN MILLER is the author of thirteen books, including the critically acclaimed Theodore Roosevelt: A Life and War at Sea: A Naval History of World War II. He has been nominated five times for the Pulitzer Prize in history and biography, and his books have been assigned reading at the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Naval War College, and the Naval Postgraduate School. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Customer Reviews

Great Story of the Period of Fighting Sail
This book of four hundred pages by Nathan Miller is a great and riveting account of the age of 'Fighting Sail'. The book covers the period from 1775 to the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Having read a number of books on Nelson, Sir Sidney Smith and Lord Cochrane I found this book a treat. It covered this great period of sail with a majestic overview, covering all the famous actions and commanders. Many of the stories I had heard before but the author's style of writing made it all seem new to me. I still found many things that I had never heard before and the book was full of fascinating stories.

The narrative was easy to read and just flowed along with accounts from the participants adding flavour to the story. Accounts such as the story about one French officer having himself placed in a tub of bran to slow the bleeding from his legs that had been blown away so he could continue to command. And another about how the water frothed from the feeding frenzy of the sharks after dead seamen had been dumped overboard during an engagement are just awesome when you sit back and think about the those images.

The story was fasted paced and the author provided a number of drawings of some of the classic engagements and commanders. I would have liked to see some maps outlining positions taken by the ships before and during the battles but that is only a small complaint. If you are looking for a good and easy to read single volume account of this period I could not recommend a better book.

If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend Tom Pocock's 'A Thirst for Glory' which covers the life of Sir Sidney Smith and Donald Thomas's 'Cochrane: Britannia's Sea Wolf' which is a brilliant story of one of greatest Frigate commanders during the age of fighting sail.