Discover the untold maritime history of America's Revolutionary War with 'Rebels at Sea,' a captivating book by bestselling historian Eric Jay Dolin. This compelling narrative uncovers the critical role of privateers—privately owned vessels that transformed the naval landscape during a pivotal time in American history. Featuring a rich array of accounts, Dolin illustrates how these brave men and their ships filled the void left by the fledgling Continental Navy, launching nearly 2,000 privateers that captured around 1,800 British ships throughout the conflict. Anchoring the entrepreneurial spirit of the new nation, the story reveals the determination, ambition, and sheer bravery involved in these daring maritime escapades. From small whaleboats to grand, fortified merchant ships, the diverse fleet of privateers showcased resilience, innovation, and a fierce commitment to liberty. Each chapter delves deep into the gripping tales of privateersmen who risked everything for profit and patriotism, emphasizing the harsh realities they faced on the high seas, including capture and brutal imprisonment. This hardcover edition of 'Rebels at Sea' is a must-have for enthusiasts of naval history, maritime adventures, and the Revolutionary War. With a release year of 2023 from W W Norton & Company, this brand-new title (ISBN: 9781324093640) promises to be an essential addition to your collection. Shipping for this item is free, so get ready to set sail into history! Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Note that once your order is placed, it cannot be canceled.

Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.

Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781324093640
Year: 2023
Publisher: W W Norton & Company


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 America's first war is the ragtag fleet of private vessels that truly revealed the new nation's 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 l