Bibliography of early American naval history Historical accounts for early American naval history now occur across the spectrum of two and more centuries . This Bibliography lends itself primarily to covering early American naval history beginning around the American Revolution period on through the 18th and 19th centuries and includes sources which cover notable naval commanders , Presidents , important ships , major naval engagements and corresponding wars . The bibliography also includes sources that are not committed to the subject of American naval history per se but whose content covers this subject extensively . Among the contemporary and earlier historical accounts are , historical accounts , often derived from letters , dispatches , government and military records , captain ' s logs and diaries , etc . , written by authors who were involved in or closely associated to the historical episode in question . Primary source material is often collected , compiled and published by other editors also , sometimes many years after the historical subject has passed . Many of the authors are notable and even famous in their own right and are linked to their corresponding biographies . Listing and format of sources . Sources dedicated to or well committed to a subject are listed under that subject / section . Sources in any given section can often be used for other subjects / section so a link is sometimes provided to those section ( s ) . A few of the more general sources are sometimes duplicated in the various sections where they equally apply . Sections / subjects are listed in chronological order . For uniformity in the listing , sources in this bibliography employ the format supported by , presented in the example shown directly below , noting author ' s " lastname " first , etc . , year - date of publication , book title in " italics " , number of pages ( e . g . p . 123 ) , ISBN and / or OCLC number ( when available ) : Primary sources listed in this bibliography are denoted with an uppercase bold ' ( P ) ' before the book title . Many of the historical accounts were authored by members and ex - members of the U . S . Navy who have not only offered primary accounts but have very often gone on to write about naval history in other general and specific capacities — these sources will be denoted with an ' ( N ) ' following the author ' s name . Many of the sources are available for searching and viewing online . Copyrighted publications are often offered for partial viewing , while sources in the public domain can be viewed in their entirety and are denoted with " ' E ' book ' " . At this late date most of the publications are now available in PDF and / or EPUB formats . A link to the publication is included at the end of a given title listing . As the listings in the various sections are often lengthy , a link to the ' Top ' of a given section is provided at the end of that section . Further information regarding the various types of sources and their usage can be found at : < br > General naval history . Top Top American Revolution ~ Continental Navy . John Paul Jones . Top Richard Dale . Other sources for " Richard Dale " can be found in bibliographies for : Thomas Truxtun ~ Silas Talbot . Other sources for " Thomas Truxtun " and " Silas Talbot " can be found in bibliographies for : < br > Stephen Decatur ~ Edward Preble ~ Richard Dale Top Jefferson / Madison era . Stephen Decatur . Other sources for Stephen Decatur can be found in bibliographies for : < br > " General Naval history " ~ War of 1812 ~ Edward Preble Top Thomas Macdonough . Other sources for " Thomas Macdonough " can be found in bibliographies for : < br > Stephen Decatur ~ War of 1812 John Rodgers . Other sources for " John Rodgers " can be found in bibliographies for < br > Stephen Decatur ~ War of 1812 ~ Edward Preble Charles Stewart . Other sources for " Charles Stewart " can be found at : < br > bibliography for Stephen Decatur Edward Preble . Other sources for " Edward Preble " can be found at : < br > bibliography for Stephen Decatur William Bainbridge . Other sources for " William Bainbridge " can be found at : Isaac Hull . Other sources for " Isaac Hull " can be found at : < br > bibliography for Stephen Decatur Top Top Oliver Hazard Perry . < br > Other sources for " Oliver Hazard Perry " can be found at : < br > Bibliography for War of 1812 ~ List of books about the War of 1812 Other sources for " Joshua Barney " can be found at : < br > Bibliography for " Continental Navy " ~ Bibliography for " War of 1812 " ~ Matthew C . Perry . < br > Other sources for " Matthew C . Perry " can be found in < br > bibliography for Mexican – American War / Texas Navy American Civil War . Top Abraham Lincoln . Other sources for " Abraham Lincoln " can be found in : < br > bibliography for American Civil War Other sources for " David Farragut " and " David Porter " can be found in < br > bibliography for American Civil War Union blockade ~ Blockade running . Top USS " Monitor ~ CSS " Virginia " . Top