The Autobiography of a Seaman [Paperback]

Admiral Lord Cochrane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2000

The exploits of the British admiral who inspired the likes of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Napoleon called him le loup des mers ('the sea wolf'). One cannot visit a town in Chile (where he is seen as a hero) without crossing at least one street or town square that bears his name. He proposed the use of saturation bombing and chemical warfare over half a century before their use. As one of England's most famous naval heroes, Admiral Lord Cochrane's exploits inspired the likes of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester. Now with a new introduction, The Autobiography of a Seaman chronicles the exciting life of Britain's most controversial admiral of the Napoleonic era. Known as a dashing, brilliant young sailor for his exploits against the Spanish, Cochrane was also a fearless campaigner against incompetence and corruption in the navy and in politics. Charged with a daring assault on the French in the famous Battle of the Aix Roads, he publicly accused his superiors of timidity when the action was called off at the last minute. He was elected to the House of Commons, where he fought vigilantly for the pensions of war veterans, only to make enemies with some of the most powerful families in Britain, including future prime minister of England Lord Palmerston. Later, he commanded the Chilean Navy in their fight for independence against Spain, helped develop naval warfare under steam, and devoted himself to developing a weapon of mass destruction (poison gas), which was so shocking to his contemporaries that his plans were shelved as classified until World War I. (5 3/4 X 9, 388 pages, illustrations)

Product Details

• Paperback: 388 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585740616
• ISBN-13: 978-1585740611
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,175,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Cochrane's Life to 1815, July 28, 2000

By 

John Bersin (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Autobiography of a Seaman (Paperback)

Readers familiar with Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series will immediately recognize the source of many of those novels in Admiral Lord Cochrane's "Autobiography of a Seaman."

Admiral Lord Cochrane was born into a noble Scots family whose fortunes had declined by the time of his birth (1775). Through family connections, he secured a berth as a midshipman at the age of 17 on a British man-of-war in the early years of the Napoleonic Wars. Thereafter, he rose through the ranks of the British navy on the strength of several truly daring and remarkable attacks, capturing or destroying many French and Spanish vessels in a small sloop, and later, a frigate.

This book tells the stories of those triumphs.

The romantic aspect of the Napoleonic era is here too, and the tales abound with numerous examples of the dubious military notions of honor among combatants. Moreover, Cochrane moved in the highest circles of the navy and government, and it is surprising to see many prominent names in naval history, (e.g., Admiral Nelson, Captain Bligh) appear casually in these pages.

Lord Cochrane's exploits - at sea, in politics and in business - are clearly the source of O'Brian's Jack Aubrey. However, whereas O'Brian presents his tales in a highly-polished narrative style similar to Jane Austen, Cochrane croaks out his stories with bombastic self-apology, and delivers the narrative in a choppy and archaic military style, viz., by attaching copies of his despatches to superior officers to explain the events.

Anyone interested in naval warfare or anyone who likes a good adventure story should read this book. Napoleon's characterization of Cochrane as "le loup des mers" is well deserved. It is unfortunate, however, that Cochrane did not spend more time at sea. The last 100+ pages of this book (except for a trip to Malta) are tedious. Cochrane, perhaps at the peak of his career as a naval officer, became embroiled in reform politics, the court martial of a superior officer, and a stock fraud trial. These three episodes ended his career in Britain, (although he did go on to great success in Chile commanding its revolutionary navy.) Cochrane whines and complains about the most minute details of each case in an attempt to prove his innocence. As a practising litigator, I have represented a few clients who became obsessed with two or three facts which the client believes proves his or her innocence, in the face of dozens of facts which indicate guilt. It is difficult to listen to this type of complaining, but Cochrane takes it to new heights: this autobiography, written in 1865, spends a score of pages reviewing the 1814 testimony of witnesses on whether one stock-fraud participant wore a red or a green coat. Dreary stuff.

Readers who hope to glean some Freudian insight into his psychological make-up, or anyone hoping for a character like Diana Villiers will not enjoy this work. Although Cochrane says of himself, "my life has been one of the most romatic on record", (p.316), it is not the romance a modern reader might think. The section dealing with his marriage comprises three pages. His wife and mother are the only women mentioned, and only in passing.

Once again, a major flaw with this, like other nautical books, is the absence or inadequacy of maps. The action at Basque Roads would be much more comprehensible if the reader knew the position of the British fleet, the French fleet, Isle d'Aix, etc.

This book is a good read to the extent it focuses on Cochrane's naval actions, but that portion of the autobiography that focuses on politics and trials is no more interesting to readers now than it was when it was written.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential Reading for Naval Historians, January 23, 2003

By 

Fred Camfield (Vicksburg, MS USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Autobiography of a Seaman (Paperback)

The autobiography of Admiral Lord Cochrane was first published in 1860, the year Cochrane died at the age of 85. Richard Woodman has added an introduction to the present edition. Cochrane only covers the period of his life up through 1814 when he was 39. Consequently, he covers nothing of his later career in Chile, Brazil, and Greece; nothing of his reinstatement in the Royal Navy; and nothing of his immediate family other than a brief account of his marriage to Kitty Barnes (about 20 years younger than Cochrane) by whom he had 5 children.

Autobiographers always have a bias as the authors are presenting their side of the case (see, for example, Bligh's "Mutiny Aboard the H.M.S. Bounty"). While presenting the details of his early naval career, the main thrust is his campaign against corruption in the Admiralty Courts, the Royal Navy, and the Government in general. Some accounts are almost like comic opera, e.g., the Admiralty Court in Malta.

Cochrane's service commanding the Speedy from 1800 to 1801 has been fictionalized by Patrick O'Brien in the novel "Master and Commander" in which he replaces Cochrane with the fictional James Aubrey. All the major details are the same, but O'Brien added considerable color to the account.

Like many good military commanders, Cochrane lacked tact and was not a diplomat. He was promoted to command the Speedy at the age of 25 without having the experience to deal with the protocols of the Royal Navy. He could best be described as a loose cannon. He was unwilling to compromise when a little tact, a closed mouth, and a small amount of back scratching would have achieved major results. His lack of diplomacy caused others to reject well thought out plans simply because he proposed them. Cochrane damaged others around him simply by trying to be their champion, undoubtedly being responsible for Parker's ruin - people in power who Cochrane had offended would naturally take it out on his proteges.

While not great literature, the autobiography is both a good account of naval service from 1793 to 1809, and a good first-hand account of corruption within politics and the government. The writing style is somewhat like Churchill's history of World War II.

4.0 out of 5 stars stranger than fiction?, October 18, 2011

By 

Charlene J. Wood "dwood" (sheridan, california United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The autobiography of a seaman (Paperback)

have been a hornblower fan for over half a century and read a few of obriens novels. thought them all good yarns. then this. the real thing. i never expected someone to match the action in the novels. read the intro and stop reading when the lawsuit starts imo. until the lawsuit is is like all the hornblowers packed into one real life. amazed me.