Commander
Subtitle: the life and exploits of Britain's greatest frigate captain
By: Stephen Taylor
Edition: 1st American ed.
Publisher: W.W. Norton
Published: 2012
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 354
ISBN-13: 9780393071641
Subjects: Great Britain; Naval History; Frigates; Great Britain. Royal Navy. Officers; Biography; History
Description: Edward Pellew, captain of the legendary Indefatigable, was quite simply the greatest British frigate captain in the age of sail. Left fatherless at age eight, with a penniless mother and five siblings, Pellew fought his way from the very bottom of the navy to fleet command. Victories and eye-catching feats won him a public following. Yet he had a gift for antagonizing his better-born peers, and he made powerful enemies. Redemption came with his last command, when he set off to do battle with the Barbary States and free thousands of European slaves. Opinion held this to be an impossible mission, and Pellew himself, leading from the front in the style of his contemporary Nelson, did not expect to survive. Pellew's humanity, fondness for subordinates, and blind love for his family, and the warmth and intimacy of his letters, make him a hugely engaging figure. Stephen Taylor gives him at last the biography he deserves.--Publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.