An award-winning study of the Franco-American undeclared naval war at the turn of the nineteenth century, this history of the nearly forgotten struggle is filled with the dramatic actions of such frigates as the Constellation and her capture of l'Insurgente, as well as the sundry operations that protected American commerce from the depredations of the French corsairs in the Caribbean. First published in 1987, the book avoids the parochialism of earlier studies by placing the American war within a European context. It takes a critical look at the command and operations of the first secretary of the Navy, Benjamin Stoddert, and how under his direction the Navy proved itself ship for ship as--if not more--effective against French privateers than the Royal Navy. The book also examines how the Navy served the nation's commercial and diplomatic interests, a pattern of activity that would become known as gunboat diplomacy, and how the Navy's successes assured it a permanency that had eluded the Continental Navy. Awarded prizes from the American Revolution Round Table of New York and other organizations, the respected work answers penetrating questions about what happened and why, and the author's judicious evaluations of participants and their policies make an important contribution to the literature. This new Classics edition is introduced by the author, chair of the maritime history department at East Carolina University and author of three other books, including Origins of Maritime Strategy.

Relatively little attention has been paid to American military history between 1783 and 1812—arguably the most formative years of the United States. This encyclopedia fills the void in existing literature and provides greater understanding of how the nation evolved during this era. This encyclopedia offers a comprehensive examination of U.S. military history from the beginning of the republic in 1783 up to the eve of war with Great Britain in 1812. It enables a detailed study of the Early Republic, during which ideological and political divisions occurred over the fledgling U.S. military. The entries cover all the important battles, key individuals, weapons, Indian nations, and treaties, as well as numerous social, political, cultural, and economic developments during this period. The contents of the work will enable readers at the high school, college, university, and even graduate level to comprehend how political parties emerged, and how ideological differences over the organization, size, and use of the military developed. Larger global developments, including Anglo-American and Franco-American interactions, relations between Middle Eastern states and the United States, and relations and warfare between the U.S. government and various Indian nations are also detailed. The extensive and detailed bibliographies will be immensely helpful to learners at all levels.

Three days after the last Marine Corps helicopter lifted off from Saigon, the author and his Navy shipmates became the very last American military presence of the Vietnam War. This is their untold story, the important final chapter in the history of that wars bitter end. When, as a newly commissioned officer, Jonathan Malay and his shipmates on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG-22) sailed away from Vietnamese coastal waters on May 3, 1975, they became the last American military presence of the Vietnam War. He tells their story in a gripping personal narrative that includes history, adventure, a love story, and the tale of a bold humanitarian action that saved over a hundred and fifty lives. A sea story at its core, the author colorfully captures the feelings of the period, describing the demands of life at sea and the excitement of visits to exotic ports in the western Pacific and Indian oceans at the same time a tragic end to the war was becoming inevitable. Finally, in telling the harrowing tale of the ships operations in Vietnams coastal waters as Saigon fell, he draws from multiple sources ranging from the ships terse deck log entries to the passion of his letters sent home to his wife in Hawaii. This book reveals not just what the author saw, but how he felt about leaving the War in Our Wake.

An alphabetical arrangement of the ships of the continental and United States Navies, with a historical sketch of each one.

From the first interactions between European and native peoples to the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, military issues have always played an important role in American history. Now in its updated second edition, Ways of War comprehensively explains the place of the military within the wider context of the history of the United States, showing its centrality to American culture, economics, and politics. The fifteen chapters provide a complete survey of the American military's evolution that is designed for semester-length courses. Features of the revised and fully-updated second edition include: • Chronological and comprehensive coverage of North American conflicts in the seventeenth century and all wars undertaken by the United States; • New or expanded sections on Non-English Colonization in Northeast North America, the Beaver Wars, Pontiac’s War, causes of the American Revolution, borderlands conflict from 1848 to 1865, causes of the American Civil War, Reconstruction, the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, Barack Obama’s second term as president, the Syrian Civil War, and the rise of the Islamic State; • 50 revised maps, 20 new images, chapter timelines identifying key events, and text boxes providing biographical information and first-person accounts; • A companion website featuring a testbank of essay and multiple choice questions for instructors, as well as student study resources such as an interactive timeline, chapter summaries, annotated further readings, links to online resources, flashcards, and a glossary of key terms. Extensively illustrated and written by experienced instructors, the second edition of Ways of War remains essential reading for all students of American Military History.

From the decision to build six heavy frigates through the cliffhanger campaign against Tripoli to the war that shook the world in 1812, Toll tells the grand tale of the founding of the U.S. Navy.