Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution by Eric Jay Dolin Hardcov

Description: Rebels at Sea by Eric Jay Dolin The best-selling author of Black Flags, Blue Waters (ISBN 978 1 63149 622 6) reclaims the daring freelance sailors who proved essential to the winning of the Revolutionary War FORMAT Hardcover CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description 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 Americas first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels that truly revealed the new nations 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 wars 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 nations 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 Lieutenant William Gray, 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 nations first war as we have rarely seen it before. Back Cover "Yet another maritime masterpiece by one of the top historians of the oceans! Rebels at Sea is a brilliant exposition of a little-understood and underappreciated part of the American Revolution under way. Like his earlier works, it is full of fresh thinking and sharply observed anecdotes that both inform and delight. Eric Jay Dolins books deserve a prominent place on every sailors bookshelf. --Admiral James Stavridis, 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, and author of The Sailors Bookshelf: Fifty Books to Know the Sea "Richly detailed, impressively documented, and beautifully written, Rebels at Sea hugely expands our understanding of the American Revolution through a stirring narrative of an essential part that has long been neglected." --George Daughan, author of Revolution on the Hudson and Lexington and Concord "While the infant American navy fought gallantly, privateers presented the Royal Navy with its greatest challenge. Eric Jay Dolins Rebels at Sea is an excellent book about those overlooked patriots who brought the war at sea home to the British. It is welcome addition to the history of the American Revolution, and it deserves the highest praise." --William M. Fowler, author of Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy 1783-1815 "With Rebels at Sea, Eric Jay Dolin combines his meticulous research with his consummate skills as a story teller. The American privateers who sailed and fought in our Revolution have been unjustly forgotten by our history books. Their victories at sea heartened citizens, proved their worth to the Continental Congress, and drove George III and Lord North nuts. This is a terrific read!" --Tim McGrath, author of Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and Americas Revolution at Sea "The war at sea during the Revolutionary War is less known than the famous land battles fought at places such as Lexington and Trenton. But privateers played a crucial role by elevating the cost of war to the Crown and providing vital supplies and gunpowder to the nascent United States among other actions. Eric Jay Dolin brings the war at sea to life with vibrant prose and solid research. After reading Rebels at Sea, readers will come away with a new perspective on how America gained independence." --Patrick K. ODonnell, author of The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware "The most under-appreciated and under-chronicled contribution to American victory in the War of Independence was the massive impact of the capture and sale by Yankee privateers of numerous British merchant ships. At last we have an authoritative history of those patriots and their exploits by a disciplined scholar and a master teller of sea stories. Rebels at Sea, is that rare volume, a well-researched scholarly maritime history that is also a gripping saga of adventure on the high seas." --John Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy and author of Oceans Ventured: Winning the Cold War at Sea "An often-overlooked factor in Americas victory in the War of Independence was the role of privateering - sailors who captured British ships or merchants who at considerable risk acquired essential goods for the army and home front. Eric Jay Dolins wonderful Rebels at Sea demonstrates that privateering was more than a sideshow. It caused Great Britain enormous problems that contributed to its failure to crush the American rebellion. This book is must reading for all who wish to learn more about the Revolutionary War." --John Ferling, author of Winning Independence: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781 Author Biography Eric Jay Dolin is the best-selling and award-winning author of numerous works in maritime history, including Leviathan, Rebels at Sea, and Black Flags, Blue Waters. A graduate of Brown, Yale, and MIT, he lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Review Eric Dolin majestically rectifies the oversight that the official canon of naval history in Britain and the United States virtually ignores privateers. . . . Eric Dolins Rebels At Sea is original, meticulously researched and connects one of the USAs great missing links in understanding how the land of the free earned its liberty. Rebels At Sea is rich in stories, historical explanation and tales of derring-do - a new and refreshing take on how the West was won.--Sean Kingsley "Wreckwatch Magazine"Most naval history focuses on battles between national fleets, and so the swaggering history of the Revolutions American privateers may have sailed past some readers. Eric Jay Dolins comprehensive effort helps correct that oversight. . . . [Rebels at Sea is] fascinating.--Tim Queeney "American History"Eric Jay Dolin, the author of several books on early American seafaring, believes that these privateers have received short shrift in other histories of the Revolution. His thoroughly researched, engagingly written Rebels at Sea gives them their due . . . when a ship couldnt outsail its foes, or when a potential prize resisted, a bloody action could ensue, and Rebels at Sea vividly recounts some of these battles, as vessels with evocative names such as Vengeance, Eagle and Defiance face off against the enemy . . . Dolin convincingly contends that the underappreciated militia of the sea played a critical role in the colonies winning their independence, despite Britains peculiar and sovereign authority upon the ocean.--Gerard Helferich "Wall Street Journal"Rebels at Sea gives readers not only an insight into the nature of privateering and all it involved, but it provides a good picture of the heroism, suffering, and sacrifices necessary in creating the United States.--Stan Grayson "WoodenBoat"Rebels at Sea is a worthwhile addition to Eric Jay Dolins superb scholarly library of maritime works. . . . [it] is a broad and well-researched examination of the role of letter-of-marque vessels during the American Revolution. This new work is a very much welcome addition to Revolutionary War maritime history.--Louis Arthur Norton "Sea History"Rebels at Sea is captivating reading for those drawn to American and British history or armchair sailors seeking high seas adventure. It is also an important contribution to American Revolution literature.--George Jepson "Quarterdeck Magazine"A compelling tale of patriots whose bravery was integral to Americas victory in the War of Independence, Rebels at Sea is highly recommended.--Chris Szepessy "WindCheck Magazine, Sailing the Northeast"Eric Jay Dolin is an excellent writer, straightforward with a style that keeps the book moving while thoroughly engaging the reader. Rebels at Sea is destined to become the starting place to understand the privateer war during the American Revolution.--Eric Sterner "Emerging Revolutionary War Era Blog"There may be no better read for an American Revolution history lover this summer than Eric Jay Dolins latest Rebels at Sea, a look at the forgotten role of the privateer during Americas battle for independence. . . . [It] presents a great introduction to this hidden corner of American history.--Greg Young "The Bowery Boys Podcast Bookshelf"Rebels at Sea is sure to be another successful addition to Dolins catalog. The narrative is fast-paced and exciting. . . . The work also has some stunning and colorful pictures, including paintings, maps and portraits. This ranks as one of the best books the Journal of the American Revolution has reviewed.--Timothy Symington "Journal of the American Revolution"The bestselling maritime historian returns with a study of privateering activity during the Revolutionary War and its role in bolstering the Colonial cause . . . In this exciting narrative, Dolin, a 2020 Kirkus Prize finalist for A Furious Sky, demonstrates how privateering was a key element in Americas ability to secure independence . . . The author digs deep into the whole enterprise . . . In this characteristically well-researched history, Dolin describes the vital activities of two main types of privateers . . . The author also explores in fascinating detail the desperate circumstances of captured Americans aboard British prison ships . . . A thrilling, unique contribution to the literature on the American Revolution.-- "Kirkus Reviews" Review Quote "There may be no better read for an American Revolution history lover this summer than Eric Jay Dolins latest Rebels at Sea, a look at the forgotten role of the privateer during Americas battle for independence. . . . [It] presents a great introduction to this hidden corner of American history." Details ISBN1631498258 Author Eric Jay Dolin Year 2022 ISBN-10 1631498258 ISBN-13 9781631498251 Format Hardcover Imprint Liveright Publishing Corporation Country of Publication United States NZ Release Date 2022-07-29 US Release Date 2022-07-29 Publication Date 2022-07-29 UK Release Date 2022-07-29 Illustrations 105 illustrations, 8 pages of full-color illustrations Subtitle Privateering in the American Revolution Pages 352 Publisher WW Norton & Co Alternative 9781324093640 DEWEY 973.35 Audience General AU Release Date 2022-07-14 We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:136523903;

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