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Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815
Praise for BROADSIDES"Pace the pitching black deck with a sleepless Admiral Nelson the night before battle bestows eternal rest and peerless immortality upon him; envision with Mahan the storm-tossed and ever-watchful ships-of-the-line that kept England secure from invasion; wonder in awe at Collingwood's dedication in working himself to death after Trafalgar elevated him to primary responsibility for England's imperial safety in the Mediterranean. All of this and more awaits the reader who will sail through these pages, every one of which is etched with the indelible expertise and boundless enthusiasm of Nathan Miller, master of naval history."--Kenneth J. Hagan, Professor of History and Museum Director Emeritus, U.S. Naval Academy, Professor of Strategy, U.S. Naval War College"This is not just inspired naval history--the personal lives of the seafarers themselves, from cabin boy to admiral, are given generous treatment."--The Times (London)"A wealth of detail...Descriptions of dreadful living conditions aboard cramped wooden vessels give way to bloody decks after close combat....A solid introduction to a turbulent era at sea."--Publishers Weekly"[As] a companion to the popular nautical novels of C. S. Forester and Patrick O'Brian--it succeeds brilliantly."--Daily Telegraph (London)"The descriptions of the great sea commanders and their battles display all the craft of the gifted writer....Read Broadsides for enjoyment as a well-informed, action-packed naval narrative."--The Christ Church Press
412 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2000
38 people are currently reading
658 people want to read
About the author
Nathan Miller
70 books14 followersNathan Miller received his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Maryland before becoming a reporter for the Baltimore Sun. He spent more than 15 years as a journalist, including a three-year tour as the paper's chief Latin American correspondent, based in Rio de Janeiro, before becoming an investigator and speechwriter for Sen. John L. McClellan on the permanent subcommittee on investigations and later the Senate Appropriations Committee. Miller left the congressional staff in 1977 to be a full-time freelance writer.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 3, 2018
This book of four hundred pages by Nathan Miller is a great and riveting account of the age of 'Fighting Sail'. The book covers the period from 1775 to the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815. Having read a number of books on Nelson, Sir Sidney Smith and Lord Cochrane I found this book a treat. It covered this great period of sail with a majestic overview, covering all the famous actions and commanders. Many of the stories I had heard before but the author's style of writing made it all seem new to me. I still found many things that I had never heard before and the book was full of fascinating stories.
The narrative was easy to read and just flowed along with accounts from the participants adding flavour to the story. Accounts such as the story about one French officer having himself placed in a tub of bran to slow the bleeding from his legs that had been blown away so he could continue to command. And another about how the water frothed from the feeding frenzy of the sharks after dead seamen had been dumped overboard during an engagement are just awesome when you sit back and think about the those images.
The story was fast paced and the author provided a number of drawings of some of the classic engagements and commanders. I would have liked to see some maps outlining positions taken by the ships before and during the battles but that is only a small complaint. If you are looking for a good and easy to read single volume account of this period I could not recommend a better book.
If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend Tom Pocock's 'A Thirst for Glory' which covers the life of Sir Sidney Smith and Donald Thomas's 'Cochrane: Britannia's Sea Wolf' which is a brilliant story of one of greatest Frigate commanders during the age of fighting sail.
The narrative was easy to read and just flowed along with accounts from the participants adding flavour to the story. Accounts such as the story about one French officer having himself placed in a tub of bran to slow the bleeding from his legs that had been blown away so he could continue to command. And another about how the water frothed from the feeding frenzy of the sharks after dead seamen had been dumped overboard during an engagement are just awesome when you sit back and think about the those images.
The story was fast paced and the author provided a number of drawings of some of the classic engagements and commanders. I would have liked to see some maps outlining positions taken by the ships before and during the battles but that is only a small complaint. If you are looking for a good and easy to read single volume account of this period I could not recommend a better book.
If you enjoyed this book I would also recommend Tom Pocock's 'A Thirst for Glory' which covers the life of Sir Sidney Smith and Donald Thomas's 'Cochrane: Britannia's Sea Wolf' which is a brilliant story of one of greatest Frigate commanders during the age of fighting sail.
February 26, 2020
Nathan Miller, long time professor of history at the US Naval Academy, is one of my favorite history writers - and he does not disappoint here. He limits himself to what he defines as the golden age of fighting sail - the period encompassing the American Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, he War of 1812 and the Barbary campaign - in a somewhat abbreviated but eminently readable and enjoyable overview of the period, the personalities, the ships, the weaponry, life at sea and the major engagements. This more than just an introduction to the subject matter, though - Miller delves into geopolitical factors as well as assessments of command decisions, political concerns and foreshadowing of future, similar naval campaigns (think WWII). His is an abbreviated, but not a shallow, work and well worth the reading!
June 10, 2015
a bible for the "fighting sail" fan written by a (the?) expert in history and synthesis of military sailing 1770's - 1812's. has pics, maps, bibliography, cool appendix of brit royal navy of 1793-1823, index of fair.
while using persons/personalities like nelson, john jervis, de grasse, lord rodney, lord howe, john paul jones...lord cochrane (model for jack aubrey books), edward pellew ("horatio hornblower"'s mentor) author also looks at specific battles and campaigns, and the political history of the various nations involved. goes through the 22 year war of brits and france on sea, naval battles of usa revolution, barbary battles, naval battles of 1812.
while using persons/personalities like nelson, john jervis, de grasse, lord rodney, lord howe, john paul jones...lord cochrane (model for jack aubrey books), edward pellew ("horatio hornblower"'s mentor) author also looks at specific battles and campaigns, and the political history of the various nations involved. goes through the 22 year war of brits and france on sea, naval battles of usa revolution, barbary battles, naval battles of 1812.
December 14, 2014
When I ordered this book based on a listopia recommendation I mistakenly believed it was an "Age of Sail" work of fiction. To my happy surprise it's not a work of fiction but a rather nice history of the "Age of Sail". The book briefly chronicles all the major and not so major naval engagements occurring between 1775 and 1815. If there is a criticism to be made it is the book's brevity as well as its lack battle diagrams to accompany the author's descriptions. Aside from these points the book is one I will hold to as it was enjoyable and informative.
November 10, 2014
I listened to this book through Audible as an audio book (unabridged. European history from the point of view of the navies that dominated the seas at that time. The difference with this book is that the focus is on naval operations, with other historical events as the back drop. All the major sea actions are covered, but in the context of the American Revolution, the Seven Years War, the various Napoleonic Wars, the Quasi War (never hear of it? A war between the US and France shortly after they had saved our bacon in the Revolution? Did you know that French ships were superior to British ships in design and manufacture? How the British navy thwarted Napoleon's plans for world domination at every turn, starting with blocking his dreams of marching from Egypt to India and establishing a world-wide empire with Nelson's first major triumph at Aboukir Bay (the Battle of the Nile. Curiously, the new nation, the US, played an outsized role in the naval history of this time and the politics, especially under President Jefferson, attempting to kill the navy from its inception because the conservatives of the time did not want to spend the money,and the costs to American commerce and prestige that ensued. The book is full of lore of the sea, the hardships of life on the ships and the incredible bravery and sacrifices of officers and men. But did you know about the British mutiny that nearly destroyed the British navy during the height of the Napoleonic wars, or why the West Indies (the Caribbean) was so important strategically during this period? Well written, well narrated, and engaging. Nelson is a major figure here, and I never knew of his scandalous adultery and child by Emma, wife of the British ambassador to Naples, and how he lived openly with her and her husband for years despite appearances, etc. I love a book that blends historical fact and detail with human foibles and idiosyncrasies. I highly recommend for any history buff.
October 14, 2022
It was within the first few sentences that Nathan Miller identified the exact reason I was reading to the book, to provide context for the works of Forrester and O'Brian, as the more or less stated purpose for Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815. I have never had a book do that before, but I was certainly pleased to find out that I had made a good selection. Broadsides delivered on its promise, detailing accounts of naval encounters, strategies, and practices, beginning with the American Revolution and ending with Napoleon's exile to St. Helena.
To the audio book listeners, the sections in which the build of the ships are described is difficult to follow and realistically requires a visual aid to fully understand. I had a similar issue with how Master and Commander described its ship, and should realistically at this point look up that sort of visual aid. Even without, though, Miller is successful in familiarizing and explaining certain terms and concepts, like cockpit or what the difference is between poundage on the guns.
The narratives are well done, making good use of quotation to flesh out some of the more major figures. The book hangs on some of these figures, particularly Horatio Nelson, who even in the sections dedicated to explaining concepts is used as a reference point. Structurally, the book follows Nelsons career, which becomes a bit of a problem when he's either not involved in the action, as in the American sections, or after he has died. Nelson is undoubtedly the correct choice of focus for Broadsides, but I did occasionally wish other figures had been introduced to even close to the same degree. Thomas Cochrane, who was evidently the bigger inspiration for literary figures like Hornblower or Aubrey, is a good example of a person who could have better held the narrative after Nelson's death if he had been fleshed out a little more. Broadsides is a general overview of a history, though, and the line does have to be drawn somewhere.
In the same vein, it should be noted that this is a history of British, American, and to a far lesser extent French fighting sail. In that, Broadsides finds itself in uncomfortable waters. It has a fairly clear narrative to follow in the British Navy, but occasionally shifts focus to the extremely tangential and often unrelated exploits of the fledgling American Navy. Were the book more comprehensive, this would make more sense, but as is it tends to disrupt the flow of the British history. It's a minor structural issue, and I have to admit I learned plenty about early American history (a subject that for me feels pretty well tapped) in these sections, and they did keep my interest.
Broadsides was exactly what I was looking for in terms of what I wanted to learn, to a degree that I've never actually encountered before. It was almost too successful, as I'm not entirely certain what to read next. I had planned on filling in gaps in my knowledge of the Napoleonic Naval wars with more books, but Miller does such an excellent job with his overview that I'm faced with the choice of either retreading ground in a more detailed manner or going farther afield than I had originally planned. I suppose there's no reason not to go back to either Hornblower or Aubrey-Martin at this point.
I listened to the version available on Audible.
To the audio book listeners, the sections in which the build of the ships are described is difficult to follow and realistically requires a visual aid to fully understand. I had a similar issue with how Master and Commander described its ship, and should realistically at this point look up that sort of visual aid. Even without, though, Miller is successful in familiarizing and explaining certain terms and concepts, like cockpit or what the difference is between poundage on the guns.
The narratives are well done, making good use of quotation to flesh out some of the more major figures. The book hangs on some of these figures, particularly Horatio Nelson, who even in the sections dedicated to explaining concepts is used as a reference point. Structurally, the book follows Nelsons career, which becomes a bit of a problem when he's either not involved in the action, as in the American sections, or after he has died. Nelson is undoubtedly the correct choice of focus for Broadsides, but I did occasionally wish other figures had been introduced to even close to the same degree. Thomas Cochrane, who was evidently the bigger inspiration for literary figures like Hornblower or Aubrey, is a good example of a person who could have better held the narrative after Nelson's death if he had been fleshed out a little more. Broadsides is a general overview of a history, though, and the line does have to be drawn somewhere.
In the same vein, it should be noted that this is a history of British, American, and to a far lesser extent French fighting sail. In that, Broadsides finds itself in uncomfortable waters. It has a fairly clear narrative to follow in the British Navy, but occasionally shifts focus to the extremely tangential and often unrelated exploits of the fledgling American Navy. Were the book more comprehensive, this would make more sense, but as is it tends to disrupt the flow of the British history. It's a minor structural issue, and I have to admit I learned plenty about early American history (a subject that for me feels pretty well tapped) in these sections, and they did keep my interest.
Broadsides was exactly what I was looking for in terms of what I wanted to learn, to a degree that I've never actually encountered before. It was almost too successful, as I'm not entirely certain what to read next. I had planned on filling in gaps in my knowledge of the Napoleonic Naval wars with more books, but Miller does such an excellent job with his overview that I'm faced with the choice of either retreading ground in a more detailed manner or going farther afield than I had originally planned. I suppose there's no reason not to go back to either Hornblower or Aubrey-Martin at this point.
I listened to the version available on Audible.
February 10, 2025
Nathan Miller is one of those authors who is immediately believable as an historian due to the detail and care with which he writes his books. At the same time, his books are eminently readable because he cuts through to the heart of the matter and has a concise, exciting style. This book is a nice addition to my naval library.
The writing style is definitely the highlight of the book, although there are other items to recommend it. First is the inclusion of a number of lesser-known naval battles that are often omitted. Everyone does Trafalgar and the Nile, but few general histories include the U.S.'s war with Tripoli or pre-Nelsonian battles in the Napoleonic Wars (because most were inconclusive). Because of the short time frame of the book - a mere 40 years - these lesser-known actions are covered. At the same time, this book does not read as a catalogue of battles, but a smooth narrative in which these battles naturally occur. Additionally, there is enough detail about the background story (land battles, politics, etc.) that each battle is firmly placed in context. Finally, the personalities of the men (and even some women) that did the fighting comes through, not just the admirals but occasionally the ordinary crewmembers as well.
Unfortunately, there are some problems with the book, starting with the time frame. The first few chapters, detailing the Continental Navy and the American Revolution, are not good. They seem tacked on (possibly to sell more books in the U.S.?), and do not have the same flow as subsequent chapters. It should have started later (perhaps the French revolution?), or a lot earlier (although then it would be a different book). Secondly, Miller has a grating habit of rooting for one side - either the U.S. or Britain, as the case may be. Since history is written by the victor, there is a natural pro-British bias in the details of Napoleonic naval battles, for example, but Miller's style gives the appearance that he's rooting for the British at the same time. An example: "The British and French ships had the same number of cannon, but fortunately the British had better training." This is only "fortunate" if you were on the British ship! This kind of insidious cheerleading is especially bad at the beginning of the book, in the aforementioned "tacked-on" chapters, where the pro-U.S. bias is very irritating.
Therefore, I recommend this book as a detailed and very readable account of the Napoleonic (and coincident) Wars, as long as you can get through the less well-written early chapters.
The writing style is definitely the highlight of the book, although there are other items to recommend it. First is the inclusion of a number of lesser-known naval battles that are often omitted. Everyone does Trafalgar and the Nile, but few general histories include the U.S.'s war with Tripoli or pre-Nelsonian battles in the Napoleonic Wars (because most were inconclusive). Because of the short time frame of the book - a mere 40 years - these lesser-known actions are covered. At the same time, this book does not read as a catalogue of battles, but a smooth narrative in which these battles naturally occur. Additionally, there is enough detail about the background story (land battles, politics, etc.) that each battle is firmly placed in context. Finally, the personalities of the men (and even some women) that did the fighting comes through, not just the admirals but occasionally the ordinary crewmembers as well.
Unfortunately, there are some problems with the book, starting with the time frame. The first few chapters, detailing the Continental Navy and the American Revolution, are not good. They seem tacked on (possibly to sell more books in the U.S.?), and do not have the same flow as subsequent chapters. It should have started later (perhaps the French revolution?), or a lot earlier (although then it would be a different book). Secondly, Miller has a grating habit of rooting for one side - either the U.S. or Britain, as the case may be. Since history is written by the victor, there is a natural pro-British bias in the details of Napoleonic naval battles, for example, but Miller's style gives the appearance that he's rooting for the British at the same time. An example: "The British and French ships had the same number of cannon, but fortunately the British had better training." This is only "fortunate" if you were on the British ship! This kind of insidious cheerleading is especially bad at the beginning of the book, in the aforementioned "tacked-on" chapters, where the pro-U.S. bias is very irritating.
Therefore, I recommend this book as a detailed and very readable account of the Napoleonic (and coincident) Wars, as long as you can get through the less well-written early chapters.
July 25, 2023
I picked this up ten years ago, but never read, fearing it would be dry and boring. Finally read the intro and was hooked.
This book gives a great contextual overview to the novels of C.S. Forrester, Alexander Kent, Richard Woodman, Bernard Cornwell, etc that I have loved reading all my life.
Crisp, clean writing style.
My only complaint was a lack of more maps.
Great addition to any history nerd's library.
This book gives a great contextual overview to the novels of C.S. Forrester, Alexander Kent, Richard Woodman, Bernard Cornwell, etc that I have loved reading all my life.
Crisp, clean writing style.
My only complaint was a lack of more maps.
Great addition to any history nerd's library.
May 1, 2025
A really thorough overview of the Age of Fighting Sail! The writing was engaging and accessible. I appreciated the fact that it delved into the American Revolution and the War of 1812, giving a good bit of history of the American Navy rather than focusing solely on the Royal Navy and the wars with France. I might dispute the author's claim that Thomas Cochrane was Britain's greatest frigate captain but that is purely a matter of opinion, and overall this was a great read!
April 4, 2022
Loved the descriptive factors of the ship battles, but I really struggled with the complex dynamics of war. I continually found myself struggling to find why people were fighting one another, and missing who was fighting who and for what reason. Perhaps it was due to the audiobook format.
November 30, 2022
Great book, well written and very interesting
April 17, 2023
Enjoyable book for history lovers.
September 28, 2024
Well written. Well researched. Very informative.
December 16, 2024
Captivating at times, dull attimes this is strictly what it says on the tin, a detailed retelling of that particular age of naval warfare - battles, leaders, tactics and all.
June 10, 2011
A quite complete, well researched history of the legends of fighting sail. The important personalities are all covered as well as some interesting perspectives from the ordinary seaman (and seawomen surprisingly!).
Admiral Nelson figures prominently among the Englishmen covered in the book but there is no shortage of interesting characters from the early American Navy as well.
Tactics, technique, conditions aboard and personal stories all combine to make this a very interesting book that makes a good jumping off place to do more research on and reading about your favorite Commanders and campaigns.
Admiral Nelson figures prominently among the Englishmen covered in the book but there is no shortage of interesting characters from the early American Navy as well.
Tactics, technique, conditions aboard and personal stories all combine to make this a very interesting book that makes a good jumping off place to do more research on and reading about your favorite Commanders and campaigns.
November 4, 2014
A fantastic introduction to the litany of "fighting sail" with a good overview of its major players and events. It's technical enough to inform the reader without being bogged down in detail. The accounts of engagements are exciting, and you feel as if the "characters" develop and bloom throughout the book. Highly recommended for an introduction to a fascinating age.
February 18, 2016
Would you like to know everything about how naval warfare worked between 1785 and 1815? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!
Luckily, Miller is also able to write competently about the real human beings involved (Especially Napoleon and Nelson). The result is an excellent book on tactics and the human beings who somehow lived and fought on these horrible machines.
Luckily, Miller is also able to write competently about the real human beings involved (Especially Napoleon and Nelson). The result is an excellent book on tactics and the human beings who somehow lived and fought on these horrible machines.
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March 26, 2010Broadsides: The Age of Fighting Sail, 1775-1815 by Nathan Miller (2000)
September 12, 2011
It was nice to read a non-fiction Age of Sail book, as a change of pace. It helps me to see if the nautical parts of the fiction books measure up to the non-fiction.
October 17, 2012
Good overview of the naval action of the American Revolution through Napoleon's final defeat.
May 1, 2014
Fascinating study of the age of fighting sail and the people involved.
July 4, 2014
Short on detail and long on criticism of the Emperor.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews