Synopses & Reviews
For its first eighty-five years, the United States was only a minor naval power. Its fledgling fleet had been virtually annihilated during the War of Independence and was mostly trapped in port by the end of the War of 1812. How this meager presence became the major naval power it remains to this day is the subject of
American Naval History, 1607and#8211;1865: Overcoming the Colonial Legacy. A wide-ranging yet concise survey of the U.S. Navy from the colonial era through the Civil War, the book draws on American, British, and French history to reveal how navies reflect diplomatic, political, economic, and social developments and to show how the foundation of Americaand#8217;s future naval greatness was laid during the Civil War.
Award-winning author Jonathan R. Dull documents the remarkable transformation of the U.S. Navy between 1861 and 1865, thanks largely to brilliant naval officers like David Farragut, David D. Porter, and Andrew Foote; visionary politicians like Abraham Lincoln and Gideon Welles; and progressive industrialists like James Eads and John Ericsson. But only by understanding the failings of the antebellum navy can the accomplishments of Lincolnand#8217;s navy be fully appreciated. Exploring such topics as delays in American naval development, differences between the U.S. and European fleets, and the effect that the countryand#8217;s colonial past had on its naval policies, Dull offers a new perspective on both American naval history and the history of the developing republic.
Review
“As always, in discussing the warfare of the period, Dull displays an easy mastery of diplomatic history. Long out of fashion, it is a wonderful aid to comprehension. Along the way he offers several shrewd insights into the success of the British and the failure of the French. . . . This wonderful synthesis is both a handy primer for students seeking an introduction to naval warfare in the age of sail and an insightful overview containing shrewd observations for those who study these conflicts in detail. . . . The book is highly recommended for anyone interested in gaining a balanced overview of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century naval warfare in the age of the sail.”—James Pritchard, Northern Mariner
Review
"Among the great strengths of this book are its clear, vivid prose and the quality of its scholarship. Dull writes with flair and is capable of condensing large amounts of information on events, ideas, and personalities into a lucid, well-organized narrative. While Dull has crafted his account largely from secondary sources, he has drawn on some of today's best scholarship in military, naval, diplomatic, political, and economic history published in several languages, including English, French, and Spanish."—Charles E. Brodine Jr., Naval History
Review
“Jonathan Dull is a supreme naval historian.”—Paul Kennedy, author of
The Rise and Fall of British Naval MasteryReview
“Jonathan Dull is a supreme naval historian.”Paul Kennedy, author of
The Rise and Fall of British Naval MasteryReview
"Dull explains the role of French and British ships of the line in the outcome of these wars in a way that has never been done before, and that is a magnificent achievement and an important historiographical marker for all naval historians."—Sam Willis, Journal of Military History
Review
"[Dull] offers an excellent introduction to the Anglo-French Wars of 1650-1815 in this tour de force."—R. Higham, CHOICE
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"[Age of the Ship of the Line] will be an invaluable guide to the serious scholar who wishes to enter further the labyrinthine politics of Western Europe in the long eighteenth century. . . . The book is admirably produced and will endure as a source of reference."—Roger Morriss, International Journal of Maritime History
Review
"This is an excellent summary of how the U.S. Navy grew from next to nothing at the end of the American Revolution into a force without which the Union could not have defeated the Confederacy, and became a world-class power in the twentieth century. . . . Dull has pulled personalities, diplomacy, technology, and politics into a nicely executed summary. This is a superior reference for someone who wants a different look at our early history."and#8212;Frieda Murray, Booklist
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"Impressive intellectual heft."and#8212;Stephen Curley, Journal of American Culture
Review
"Aand#160;tight, insightful overview of American naval history."and#8212;A. A. Nofi, strategypage.com
Review
"American Naval History, 1607-1865 is an important work in that it continues a recent historiographical trend that places naval and other military history into broader discussions that detail not only how outside factors shaped fighting forces, but also how military institutions were integral parts of the wider modern world."and#8212;Greg Rogers, H-NET
Review
"American Naval History is a thought-provoking book that asks its readers to consider the early history of the U.S. Navy in a larger context, which is reason enough to recommend it to readers looking for a quick and lucid introduction to America's naval heritage."and#8212;Kurt Hackemer, Journal of American History
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"An excellent introduction to the rise of American sea power."and#8212;NYMAS Review
Review
andquot;American Naval History provides a very important intellectual contribution by connecting American naval history to the American colonial experience across the entire scope of permanent settlement from 1607 to 1775.andquot;andmdash;John B. Hattendorf, Historian
Synopsis
For nearly two hundred years huge wooden warships called “ships of the line” dominated war at sea and were thus instrumental in the European struggle for power and the spread of imperialism. Foremost among the great naval powers were Great Britain and France, whose advanced economies could support large numbers of these expensive ships. This book, the first joint history of these great navies, offers a uniquely impartial and comprehensive picture of the two forces—their shipbuilding programs, naval campaigns, and battles, and their wartime strategies and diplomacy. Jonathan R. Dull is the author of two award-winning histories of the French navy. Bringing to bear years of study of war and diplomacy, his book conveys the fine details and the high drama of the age of grand and decisive naval conflict. Dull delves into the seven wars that Great Britain and France, often in alliance with lesser naval powers such as Spain and the Netherlands, fought between 1688 and 1815. Viewing war as most statesmen of the time saw it—as a contest of endurance—he also treats the tragic side of the Franco-British wars, which shattered the greater security and prosperity the two powers enjoyed during their brief period as allies.
About the Author
Jonathan R. Dull is the retired senior associate editor of The Papers of Benjamin Franklin series. His award-winning histories include The French Navy and American Independence: A Study of Arms and Diplomacy, 1774-1787 and The French Navy and the Seven Years War, available in a Bison Books edition.