Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy 1783-1815

by William M. Fowler Jr.

Jack Tars and Commodores is a lively and authoritative account of the United States Navy from Independence through the War of 1812. During this turbulent period the new American republic fought three wars — declared and undeclared — against the Barbary States, France, and Great Britain. The first two were entirely naval affairs; the third, a combination of military action on land and sea. In each the survival of the young nation was due in large part to the efforts of the navy and the exploits of such men as Stephen Decatur, Isaac Hull, Thomas Truxtun, and Oliver Hazard Perry. William Fowler is a historian with the capacity to convert meticulous research into flowing narrative. Here he fuses political and naval history, looking at political forces in the rapidly expanding U.S. society as well as at naval ordnance, operations, and the fateful and exciting battles at sea. He deals too with the often neglected human aspects of life aboard ship, focusing on those who served in the forecastle as well as the great men of the quarterdeck. William M. Fowler, Jr., is a professor of history at Northeastern University in Boston and managing editor of the New England Quarterly. Among his previous books are Rebels Under Sail, a dramatic account of the American navy during the Revolution, and The Baron of Beacon Hill, a biography of John Hancock. Professor Fowler and his family live in Reading, Massachusetts.

Genres: History, Naval History

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

William Morgan Fowler Jr. is a professor of history at Northeastern University, Boston and an author. He served as Director of the Massachusetts Historical Society from 1998 through 2005. He earned his BA from the University of Indiana in 1967 and his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame.

Reviews

[Nooilforpacifists · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fowler had the misfortune of writing a good, if not entirely comprehensive, book on the founding of the American navy several years before Ian Toll's suspenseful and exhaustive "Six Frigates". Credit Fowler, however, for providing the order of battle before most of the lake skirmishes in the war of 1812. Like most such books, "Jacks, Tars & Commodores" needed about twice the maps. And a more dramatic tone, plus a better title.

But then this would be "Six Frigates", the book you should be reading.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

July 17, 2018

A review by Anthony T. Riggio of the book: Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy, 1783-1815 written by William M. Fowler Jr.

I bought this book from Amazon, in Kindle format some time ago and was in the mood of some naval history. This book was a delightful glimpse into a nascent American Navy. It is well written and a compelling look at the period in our history after the Revolutionary War and up to the conclusion of the War of 1812.

It is a wonder to most people who read about the beginnings of the United States Navy how they even got to make it a reality, considering the huge costs of building ships “of the Line” and the struggles to maintain and man the crews. It was especially difficult to imagine the will to do this after an exhausting and costly war for independence.

The book recounts the undeclared “quasi war” with England over the impressment of sailors so desperately needed by the British Navy. With the struggle to build just a couple of ships of the line and a couple of frigates, the infant Navy was able to make quite an effect on His Majesty's Royal Navy in recapturing these impressed sailors. At this time this time after the War for Independence and the Napoleonic Wars, England which had heretofore protected American sea commerce, from Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean, was now naked prey for the Islamic pirates of North Coast of Africa.

This provided a wake-up call for the Americans and caused them to think about the value and need for an American naval fleet. Luckily there was some, albeit, minimal effort to raise a fully equipped Navy. Not to long after the Barbary pirates and the “Quasi War” with England, actual war broke out with England, the United States declared war on her after the frustration with naval aggression and her interference on our hemisphere.

I believe the United States truly acquitted herself in her combat forays with England and subsequently in 1815 sued for peace.

This book is a well organized and superbly written history of the United States during this period. I had a difficult time putting it down.

I gave this book four stars and highly recommend it to any lover of American history and especially, US Naval history. The reader will not be disappointed.

[Jerome Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible and well-written work.

Fowler describes such aspects as the Navy’s funding, the construction of the warships, and, of course, its role in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars, and the War of 1812 (most of the book deals with naval operations). The accounts of the naval actions are gripping. He also covers Jefferson’s skepticism of the Navy, his fanciful ideas about gunboats and floating dry docks, and the hostility he created in American naval officers (he also notes less well-known occasions where Jefferson supported a more powerful navy). He does a good job explaining the importance of the frigates without exaggerating their accomplishments. He also provides a good picture of the sailor's life without romanticizing it. The maps are useful, and the narrative is well organized. Fowler also does a good job explaining the era’s naval terminology for the modern reader.

The writing can be a little breezy at times. There’s also more on naval commanders than there is on regular sailors. There’s also little coverage of the dispute between Jesse Elliott and Oliver Perry. The 1815 Barbary War is described only briefly. At one point Fowler writes that Robert Barclay lost an arm at Trafalgar, although this injury came later.

An informative, well-researched, and engaging work.

[Jorge3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and Captivating

The author provides a detailed, but not encumbering, history of the foundation of the US Navy. The author keeps the journey engaging and enlightening.