Commodore Abraham Whipple of the Continental Navy: Privateer, Patriot, Pioneer (New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology) - Softcover

Cohen, Sheldon S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813039789 ISBN 13: 9780813039787

Publisher: University Press of Florida, 2011

Synopsis

Abraham Whipple (1733-1819) commanded insurgents who destroyed HMS Gaspee in Narragansett Bay and helped direct the successful invasion of the Bahamas. This little-known, yet intrepid and frequently successful Continental Navy officer contributed significantly to the War for Independence. An esteemed officer of the fleet, he spent his last years in frontier Ohio where he was respected and appealed to younger generations as a "representative of the Revolution."
 
Sheldon Cohen's biography of Whipple presents a look inside the life of a Continental officer. He illustrates at a personal level the complexities of naval warfare, including Whipple's reliance on personal finances and family connections to outfit his ships and pay his crew. Cohen also reveals the commander’s treatment as a British prisoner of war, and his eventual migration west, shedding light on experiences shared by many Revolutionary War veterans.

About this title

Book Description

“Abraham Whipple is an overlooked and somewhat tragic naval hero, largely lost in the dusty history of the Continental Navy, but Cohen’s stunning and seminal biography should go a long way in correcting this oversight.”—Sea History

 

“A welcome literary tapestry, a vivid depiction of events woven together with threads of strong scholarship and attention to detail.”— New England Quarterly

 

“Anyone who is interested in naval warfare during the American Revolution should have this volume on his bookshelf.”— Journal of America’s Military Past

 

“An informative, complete accounting of a man who can be considered one of our nation’s founding fathers.”—Pirates and Privateers

 

“The life and times of a seaman in peace and war, a man who knew success and failure, a stout-hearted sailor and devoted patriot.”— Northern Mariner

“Yankee privateer, Rhode Island Son of Liberty, Continental Naval Officer and Ohio pioneer—this was Abraham Whipple. Finally, after more than two centuries of living in the shadow of other revolutionaries whose reputations have been extolled and exaggerated, this intriguing character comes to life in the capable hands of biographer Sheldon Cohen. The result is neither hagiography nor muckraking, but a carefully crafted biography that gives us new insights into the American Revolution and the early days of the Republic.”—William M. Fowler Jr., Northeastern University

 “Comprehensive and exhausts what it is possible to know about Abraham Whipple from the available sources, it is likely to remain the definitive biography well into the future.”—Michael J. Crawford, Naval Historical Center Sheldon S. Cohen, professor emeritus of history at Loyola University, Chicago, is author of numerous articles and books, including Yankee Sailors in British Gaols and British Supporters of the American Revolution, 1775–1783. A volume in the series New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology, edited by James C. Bradford and Gene Allen Smith

 

About the Author

Sheldon S. Cohen, professor emeritus of history at Loyola University, Chicago, is author of numerous articles and books, including Yankee Sailors in British Gaols and British Supporters of the American Revolution, 1775–1783.

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Florida
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0813039789
• ISBN 13: 9780813039787
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 248