Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U. S. Navy - Hardcover

Toll, Ian W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393058476 ISBN 13: 9780393058475

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006

Synopsis

How "a handful of bastards and outlaws fighting under a piece of striped bunting" humbled the omnipotent British Navy.

Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military had become the most divisive issue facing the new government. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect American commerce against the Mediterranean pirates, or drain the treasury and provoke hostilities with the great powers? The foundersparticularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adamsdebated these questions fiercely and switched sides more than once. How much of a navy would suffice? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.

From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliffhanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and a narrative flair worthy of Patrick O'Brian. According to Henry Adams, the 1812 encounter between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere "raised the United States in one half hour to the rank of a first class power in the world." 16 pages of illustrations; 8 pages of color.

About this title

About the Author:

Ian W. Toll is the author of Pacific Crucible, The Conquering Tide, and Six Frigates, winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award and the William E. Colby Award. He lives in San Francisco and New York.

From AudioFile:

The birth of the U.S. Navy and its coming-of-age in battle against the French, the Barabary/Tripolitan pirates, and the British are recounted in this work. In the 1790s, a new navy was built around six new frigates that incorporated numerous technological innovations. These ships, along with their leaders and crews, cemented many of the traditions of our naval service. Stephen Lang effortlessly displays the qualities that make him a popular narrator. Foremost is his consistency. As we hear of how USS Constitution earned her nickname of "Old Ironsides" and the audacity of the raiders led by Lt. Stephen Decatur to burn USS Philadelphia in Tripoli, we are treated to Lang's smooth baritone, subtle expression, and seemingly effortless delivery. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0393058476
• ISBN 13: 9780393058475
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 560