John Paul Jones; America's First Sea Warrior

Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2006. First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xxiii, [3], 250, [4] pages. Illustrations. Inscribed by the author on the title page. Inscription reads Happy birthday to Captain Leffers----Joseph Callo. Foreword, Chronology, Introduction, thirteen chapters, Epilogue, Appendices A-E, Notes. Glossary. Bibliography. Index. Joseph F. Callo served in the U.S. Navy and the Naval Reserve and has written several historical books about prominent naval leaders, including three books about Admiral Lord Nelson. In Nelson in the Caribbean: The Hero Emerges, 1784-1787, Callo analyzes three years in the life of the famous British admiral. The focus is unusual in that it reflects on Nelson’s time as a young Royal Navy captain in the Caribbean, during which he was beset more by administrative problems rather than wartime heroics. Carolyn S. Knapp, writing in the Historian, commented that the author “is convinced that the course of his subject’s life was determined by the Caribbean experiences.” Knapp added: “The result is an accessible and enjoyable work.” John Paul Jones: America’s First Sea Warrior focuses on the first and perhaps still best-known American naval hero, whose sarcophagus rests in the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel. In his biography, Callo presents Jones as the epitome of naval officers as he recounts his youth, successes, and failures. The author also includes tactical and strategic commentary on sea battles. Writing in the U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, William M. Fowler, Jr., commented that the “biography challenges us once again to reflect on this officer and the cause for which he fought.”. Winner of the Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Excellence in Naval Literature. This fresh look at America's first sea warrior avoids both the hero worship of the past and the recent, inaccurate deconstructionist views of John Paul Jones's astonishing life. The author goes beyond a narrow naval context to establish Jones as a key player in the American Revolution, something not done by previous biographers, and explains what drove him to his achievements. At the same time, Admiral Joseph Callo fully examines Jones's dramatic military achievements--including his improbable victory off Flamborough Head in the Continental ship Bonhomme Richard--but in the context of the times rather than as stand-alone events. The book also looks at some interesting but lesser-known aspects of Jones's naval career, including his relationships with such civilian leaders as Benjamin Franklin. How Jones handled those often-difficult dealings, Callo maintains, contributed to the nation's concept of civilian control of the military. Suggesting that Jones might well be the first U.S. apostle of sea power, the author also focuses on the fact that Jones was the first serving American naval officer who emphasized the role naval power would play in the rise of the United States as a global power. Another neglected aspect of Jones's career that gets attention and analysis is his brief tour in the Russian navy, a revealing chapter of his life that has been underreported in the two hundred years since Jones's death. Rather than looking at Jones in a rearview mirror, Callo illuminates how this unique naval hero is linked to the nation's present and future. As a result, he gives us a sea saga that tells much about our own lives and times. Condition: Very good / Very good.

Keywords: John Paul Jones, United States Navy, Bonhomme Richard, Flamborough Head, Robert Morris, Continental Navy, Naval Strategy, HMS Serapis, Naval Operations

ISBN: 1591141028

[Book #83305]

Price: $75.00

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