In pursuit of the Essex : a tale of heroism and hubris in the War of 1812 / Ben Hughes.

Author
Hughes, Ben [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Barnsley, South Yorkshire : Pen & Sword Maritime, 2016.
Description
ix, 255 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (black and white), maps (black and white) ; 24 cm

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Firestone Library - Stacks E360 .H83 2016 Browse related items Request

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    Summary note
    "On 26 October 1812, during the war between Britain and the United States, the frigate USS Essex set sail on the most remarkable voyage in the early history of the US Navy. After rounding Cape Horn, she proceeded to systematically destroy the British South Seas whaling fleet. When news reached the Royal Navy's South American station at Rio de Janeiro, HMS Phoebe was sent off in pursuit. So began one of the most extraordinary chases in naval history. In Pursuit of the Essex follows the adventures of both hunter and hunted as well as a host of colourful characters that crossed their paths. Traitorous Nantucket whalers, Chilean revolutionaries, British spies, a Peruvian viceroy and bellicose Polynesian islanders all make an appearance. The brilliant yet vainglorious Captain Porter of the Essex, his nemesis Captain James Hillyar of the Phoebe, and two young midshipmen, David Farragut and Allen Gardiner, are the principal narrators. From giant-tortoise turning expeditions on the Galapagos to the perils of rounding Cape Horn, via desperate skirmishes with spear-toting natives on the Marquesas and a defeated duellist bleeding his life out onto black, volcanic sands, the reader is immersed in the fantastical world of the British and American seamen who struggled for supremacy over the world's oceans in the sunset years of the age of sail."--Publisher web site.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references and index.
    ISBN
    • 9781473823648 ((hbk.))
    • 1473823641 ((hbk.))
    LCCN
    2017416597
    OCLC
    945182587
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