The Major Operations Of The Navies In The War Of American Independence

Essential work by a noted naval historian discusses all of the conflict's major sea battles, including those between England and America's French allies. Richly enhanced by contemporary illustrations and relevant maps.

The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence is about the American Revolutionary war from the perspective of the British and French naval forces. Mahan utilizes excellently researched sources and discusses both sides of the war with a neutral point of view. Contents: "Macaulay quoted on the action of Frederick the Great 1 Illustration from Conditions of the Turkish Empire 2 Lesson from the Recent War in the Balkans, 1912-1913 2 The War of American Independence a striking example of the Tendency of Wars to Spread 3 Origin and Train of Events in that War, Traced 3 Inference as to possible Train of Future Events in the History of the United States 4 The Monroe Doctrine Simply a Formulated Precaution against the Tendency of Wars to Spread 4 National Policy as to Asiatic Immigration 4 Necessity of an Adequate Navy if these two National Policies are to be sustained 4."

A classic study of naval strategy and tactics during the American Revolutionary War, written by a renowned naval historian and theorist. The book analyzes the British and American fleets' strengths and weaknesses, their evolving doctrines, and the key battles that shaped the outcome of the conflict. Mahan's insights into the role of sea power in modern warfare influenced generations of military leaders and policymakers. Military history enthusiasts, sailors, and strategists will appreciate this authoritative work. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Excerpt from The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence The contents of this volume were first contributed as a chapter, under the title of Major Operations, 1762 to the History of the Royal Navy, in seven volumes, pub lished by Messrs. Sampson Low, Marston, and Company, under the general editorship of the late Sir William Laird Clowes. For permission to republish now in this separate form, the author has to express his thanks to the publishers of that work. In the Introduction following this Preface, the author has summarized the general lesson to be derived from the course of this War of American Independence, as distinct from the particular discussion and narration of the several events which constitute the body of the treatment, These lessons he conceives to carry admonition for the present and future based upon the surest foundations; namely, upon the experi ence of the past as applicable to present conditions. The essential similarity between the two is evident in a common dependence upon naval strength. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Book Excerpt: Santa Lucia remained in the hands of the British throughout the war. It was an important acquisition, because at its north-west extremity was a good and defensible anchorage, Gros Ilet Bay, only thirty miles from Fort Royal in Martinique. In it the British fleet could lie, when desirable to close-watch the enemy, yet not be worried for the safety of the port when away; for it was but an outpost, not a base of operations, as Fort Royal was. It was thus used continually, and from it Rodney issued for his great victory in April, 1782. During the first six months of 1779 no important incident occurred in the West Indies. On the 6th of January, Vice-Admiral Byron, with ten ships of the line from Narragansett Bay, reached Santa Lucia, and relieved Barrington of the chief command. Both the British and the French fleets were reinforced in the course of the spring, but the relative strength remained nearly as before, until the 27th of June, when the arrival of a division from Brest made the French numbers somewhat superior. Shortly before this, Byron had been constrained by one of the commercial exigencies Read More

The author states in his introduction that his aim in issuing this volume is to bring home to American readers the vast extent of the struggle to which our own declaration of independence was but the prelude....

The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence by A. T. (Alfred Thayer) Mahan Alfred Thayer Mahan (September 27, 1840 to December 1, 1914) was a United States Navy flag officer, geo-strategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide impact; it was most famously presented in The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783 (1890). The concept had an enormous influence in shaping the strategic thought of navies across the world, especially in the United States, Germany, Japan and Britain, ultimately causing a European naval arms race in the 1890s, which included the United States. His ideas still permeate the U.S. Navy Doctrine.This study of the naval aspects of the War of American Independence was first published in 1913. It is a professional analysis of the military strategies and major fleet actions that governed the outcome of the American Revolution -- a war that involved the great fleets of Britain, France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, and ranged from Lake Champlain in upstate New York, to the West Indies, to Chesapeake and Narraganset Bays, and deep into the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.