Traces the career of one of the U.S. Navy's first admirals who was a key figure in several pivotal Union victories and the expansion of U.S. interests in China.

Admiral Lord Howe's long and honored career as a naval commander and diplomat made him a significant figure in eighteenth-century England, yet until now there has never been a comprehensive biography about him. This fascinating and thoroughly researched book fills a large gap in Royal Navy history as it examines Admiral Howe's life from his days as a midshipman through his service in four the Seven Year War where he led the attack on Quiberon Bay, the American Revolutionary War where he commanded the British squadron, the Third Relief of Gibraltar, and the French Revolutionary War where he defeated the French fleet on the Glorious First of June. This long overdue biography also takes a careful look at Howe the skilled diplomat as he sought to forestall the American Revolutionary War through negotiation with Benjamin Franklin and served as First Lord of the Admiralty in the government of Pitt the Younger. It is essential reading for age-of-sail enthusiasts.

Thomas ap Catesby Jones was one of the most controversial officers in the U.S. Navy during the first half of the nineteenth century. A fascinating representative of a period of tumultuous change for both the navy and the country, he was a firebrand with a desire for reform and willingness to experiment. This biography explores his colorful career that spanned five decades and places it within the context of his changing times, as the navy moved into an age of iron and steam and a young nation struggled for recognition. It is the story of a complex figure known for his mistaken seizure of Monterey, California, in 1842 when the United States and Mexico were not formally at war. At the time Jones seemed to have created a national crisis, yet that episode, like Jones himself, was more complicated and had far greater ramifications than appeared on the surface. Historian Gene Smith's enlightening study not only chronicles important events in Jones' life but also explores how they helped shape the character and backbone of the navy during its formative years. He describes Jones' early career fighting smugglers, pirates, slave traders, and the British, evaluates his actions in the Battle of New Orleans, explains how he carried the stars and stripes to Hawaii in the 1820s, and how he helped incorporate California into the United States. The embodiment of the nationalistic spirit that gripped the United States following the War of 1812, Jones was determined that his country would never again be subservient to the British, and as this biography clearly indicates, his actions and those of the nation's were influenced by that determination for the next forty years.

The complete biography of the American naval leader whose 1853 — 4 expedition ended Japan's isolationism.