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Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy | 
 enlarge | Author: Ian W. Toll
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Category: Book
List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $6.78
You Save: $10.17 (60%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 12455
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 592
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 039333032X
Dewey Decimal Number: 359.0097309033
EAN: 9780393330328
ASIN: 039333032X
Publication Date: March 3, 2008
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Product Description
"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."—New York Times Book Review
Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders—particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.
From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian. 16 pages of illustrations.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 68 more reviews...
 History comes alive August 17, 2008
I thoroughly enjoyed Ian Toll's history of the ships that quickly established the Navy's tradition for excellence. Toll has the gift of a great story teller. Wonderfully researched, beautifully written and told in prose dotted with the nautical expressions that have become staples of our language,this work is highly recommended to anyone who loves history, adventure and great prose. Well done.
Gripping Tale of the Early US Navy! August 15, 2008
This is one of those History Books that is a great read, like a well written novel with an epic storyline and cast of characters. At times, the battle actions read like a Patrick O'Brian novel and in addition to the Naval warfare, it is a great account of the early Republic, its leaders, and the world as it then existed.
Six Frigates...an outstanding presentation of the political, economic, and military forces behind the founding of the US Navy July 24, 2008
Ian Toll crafted a masterpiece of historical writing in this book. At least I liked it!!! It sometimes reads like fiction, but consistently bears the weight of historical fact. "Six Frigates" presents an intruiging picture of the interplay between the economic, political, and military considerations that led to a critical decision-point during the vulnerable fledgling years of the USA between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
During the first part of the book we join the Founding Fathers as they engage in hot debates over whether to invest limited federal funds in an extrememly expensive ship-building program. Why build ships? And why only six? What good could six ships do? At the time the US merchant fleet, one of the largest in the world, was experiencing harassment and losses to pirates based along the north coast of Africa in the Mediterranean Sea...the Barbary pirates.
And so a decision was made to build 3 heavy frigates and 3 lighter frigates. Toll provides detail about the planning and building of the ships. The materials used and the manner of construction combined to make these six frigates some of the strongest ships afloat, and helps the reader to understand how the USS Constitution eventually earned the knickname "Old Ironsides."
Once the ships were built some of them were dispached to the Mediterranean Sea to project US military power during a little known period of US History...the Tripolitan War with the Barbary Coast pirates. These engagements provided the military action made famous in the US Marine Corps song with the refrain, "From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli." (Just in case you were wondering.)
Not many years later another war loomed with England, the country with the mightiest and most efficient navy in the world...they had 300 ships of war, and the USA had only six dedicated warships. Yikes!
Nevertheless, war broke out and the frigates went to war to protect the merchant fleet from English warships and to protect American sailors from being forcibly pressed into British naval service. Toll provides excellent insights and paints vivid pictures of war during the age of sail. I knew life was rough aboard those ships, but until I read this book I had never developed a clear mental image of the combination of courage, terror, and extreme damage that resulted from naval engagements.
The British navy took great pride in being the ruler of the seas, and they had a long and glorious history of overpowering their adversaries with the combined skill of sailing prowess, gunnery efficiency and accuracy, and bold courage. Toll provides excellent narrative of single ship to single ship engagements between British and American vessels. Imagine the shock and awe that ensued when an American frigate bested and captured a British frigate! Both ships were a shambles, but the British ship was brought into port and the American captain and crew were natioal heroes...there were give parades, balls, feasts, and so on.
Another aspect of life under sail that I never before understood was the beating these ships took, not only during battle but also from the elements. I was amazed as Toll described the type and frequency of refitting that sailing warships needed. Read for yourself and find out for yourselves.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys military history or even sea tales like those told in the Horatio Hornblower saga or in books by Patrick O'Brien.
This is clearly a 5 star product. No question about it.
Excellent and rewarding July 7, 2008
Well written and entertaining book. As an avid sailor I particularly enjoyed reading this book. Beautiful sentences. Rich and full of history. Well researched. The type of book that I was sorry when I had finished it as I yearned for more. Highest recommendation.
Outstanding June 19, 2008
I had absolutely no idea that the US Navy had such a rough and uncertain start. Nor did I realize the scale of our efforts against the Barbary pirates of North Africa.
Just read it.
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