naval operations

"... Traces every key military event in the path to American independence from a naval perspective, and also brings this important viewpoint to bear on economic, political, and social developments that were fundamental to the success of the Revolution. Offers valuable new insights into American, British, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Russian history. This unique account of the American Revolution gives us a new understanding of the influence of sea power upon history, of the American path to independence, and of the rise and fall of the British Empire"--Provided by publisher.

Offers an analysis of every naval campaign of the Civil War, from the efforts at Fort Sumter during the secession of South Carolina in 1860, through the battles in the Gulf of Mexico, on the Mississippi River, and along the eastern seaboard, to the final attack at Fort Fisher on the coast of North Carolina in January 1865.

Examines life for a sailor in the Union navy including recruitment and training, clothing, diet and health, wages, and combat experience; as well as issues such as racial integration and the development of the navy from wooden ships to steam and iron.

Mathias "Minnow" Franey serves as a "powder monkey" on one of the biggest ships of the US Navy, but the young boy struggles to find his courage when the USS "Constitution" meets the HMS "Guerriere" in battle.

Presents an account of the first naval battle between metal ships which took place during the U.S. Civil War at Hampton Roads, Virginia in 1862, between the "Monitor" and the "Virginia".

On August 10, 1813, with the British navy advancing up the Chesapeake Bay to destroy the shipyards in St. Michaels, Maryland, young Henry Middle thinks of a way to save his home town from British cannons.

Profiles Scottish-American sailor John Paul Jones, discussing his accomplishments in the Continental Navy during the Revolutionary War and his later years in Paris and as a member of the Russian Navy.

Chronicles the events surrounding the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776 in which Benedict Arnold faced the might of the British navy, describing the strategic importance of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain and how Arnold's leadership secured independence for America.

Revolutionary War spy, Nathan Hale, tells a hangman and British officer about the ironclad steam warships used in the Civil War.