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

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hughes, Ben, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--History--War of 1812--Naval operations.

United States.

Essex (Frigate).

Phoebe (Frigate).

Porter, David, 1780-1843.

Porter, David.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (231 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Barnsley, [England] : Pen & Sword Maritime, 2016.

Summary:

"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.

Contents:

Intro

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgements

Maps

Prologue: 'A Prodigious Slaughter': USS Essex, Valparaiso Bay, 6.30 p.m., 28 March 1814

Introduction: A Tale of Two Navies

Chapter 1: 'Yankee Warriors True': Captain David Porter and the Essex, 1 September 1812 - 25 January 1813

Chapter 2: The South Atlantic: USS Essex, 27 November 1812 - 25 January 1813

Chapter 3: 'A finer set of fellows': Captain James Hillyar and the Right Revered HMS Phoebe, 27 December 1812 - 11 April 1813

Chapter 4: Into the Pacific: USS Essex, 26 January 1813 - 11 April 1813

Chapter 5: From Tenerife to Rio: HMS Phoebe, 12 April 1813 - 9 July 1813

Chapter 6: The Galapagos Islands: USS Essex, 11 April 1813 - 9 July 1813

Chapter 7: In the Footsteps of Robinson Crusoe: HMS Phoebe, 10 July 1813 - 6 October 1813

Chapter 8: A Matter of Honour: USS Essex, 9 July 1813 - 2 October 1813

Chapter 9: Tragedy at Tumbez: HMS Phoebe, 3 October 1813 - 10 December 1813

Chapter 10: Death in Paradise: USS Essex, 4 October 1813 - 13 December 1813

Chapter 11: The Valley of the Unknown God: HMS Phoebe, 24 November 1813 - 8 February 1814

Chapter 12: The Standoff, 13 December 1813 - 28 March 1814

Chapter 13: The Battle¸ 27-28 March 1814

Chapter 14: The Aftermath, 29 March 1814 - 25 December 1814

Epilogue: Loose Ends, 7 July 1814 - 14 August 1870

Notes

Bibliography.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed June 13, 2016).

ISBN:

9781473881105

1473881102