The Captain from Connecticut (Great War Stories) [Paperback]

C. S. Forester (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 21, 1999 | Series: Great War Stories

No one but a madman would put to sea in such conditions. A blizzard cut visibility to yards. Long Island Sound was galloping whitecaps. But in this second year of the war of 1812, conditions like these spelled opportunity to Captain Josiah Peabody, USN.

His mission: break the British Blockade. The only thing in his favor was surprise. Who would expect a Yankee frigate in Long Island Sound at night?

Peabody is a fictional character, and C.S. Forester's first American hero. Yet it was men like him who compensated for our tragic lack of warships and set the world sounding with the feats of our small navy.

"His exploits have the ring of the truth. There is no better man than C.S. Forester to tell the tale." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

7 1.5-hour cassettes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Nautical & Aviation Pub Co of Amer (June 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877853305
• ISBN-13: 978-1877853302
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

C. S. Forester (1899-1966) wrote several novels with military and naval themes, including The African Queen, The Barbary Pirates, The General, The Good Shepherd, The Gun, The Last Nine Days of the "Bismarck," and Rifleman Dodd. But Forester is best known as the creator of Horatio Hornblower, a British naval genius of the Napoleonic era, whose exploits and adventures on the high seas Forester chronicled in a series of eleven acclaimed historical novels. Over the years Hornblower has proved to be one of the most beloved and enduring fictional heroes in English literature, his popularity rivaled only by Sherlock Holmes.

Born Cecil Louis Troughton Smith in Cairo, Egypt, Forester grew up in London. At the start of World War II he traveled on behalf of the British government to America, where he produced propaganda encouraging the United States to remain on Britain's side. After the War, Forester remained in America and made Berkeley, California, his home.

The character of Horatio Hornblower was born after Forester was called to Hollywood to write a pirate film. While the script was being drafted, another studio released Captain Blood, starring Errol Flynn, based on the same historical incidents about which Forester was writing. Rather than seek another movie project, and to avoid an impending paternity suit, Forester jumped aboard a freighter bound for England. By the end of the voyage he had outlined Beat to the Quarters, which introduced the now legendary character Hornblower, Bush, and Lady Barbara.

Forester died in 1966 while working on Hornblower During the Crisis.

Back Bay's editions of the Hornblower novels are numbered according to the chronology of Hornblower's life and career, not according to the sequence in which they were written. The series is comprised of the following titles:


Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
Lieutenant Hornblower
Hornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower During the Crisis
Hornblower and the Atropos
Beat to Quarters
Ship of the Line
Flying Colours
Commodore Hornblower
Lord Hornblower
Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forester's Great Sea Novel of the War of 1812, July 4, 2000

By 

Cody Carlson (Salt Lake City, UT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Captain from Connecticut (Great War Stories) (Paperback)

Everything that I loved about Forester's Hornblower novels is found in 'The Captain From Connecticut.' From brilliant sea battles, to duels of honor, to personal fears, this is a novel in great Forester tradition. The plot centers on the sea war between America and England in the closing months of the conflict. After the French Monarchy has been restored the new republic fears the full weight of the British Empire will come to bear on it. It is at this desperate time in the history of the United States that the novel's protaganist, Captain Peabody, must make a daring escape from the British blockade in order to threaten British interests in the Caribbean. Make no mistake, though, this is not simply a Hornblower knock-off. Captain Peabody is an original creation that could only come from the mind of a master story teller. For anyone interested in warfare in the age of the sail this is must reading and fans of great adventure will no doubt love it too.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful tale of Yankee grit. A great sea story!, January 4, 2004

By 

Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Captain from Connecticut (Great War Stories) (Paperback)

This is a fine novel by CS Forester, the author of the magnificent Hornblower series of novels. It tells the story of a fictional American naval sea captain during the War of 1812, one Captain Josiah Peabody--an American charged with the mission of breaking the British blocade of the fledgling United States and wreaking havoc with the British sea lanes. This, he understands, will give America leverage against Britain and perhaps help motivate it to make peace.

As Forester explains, America had failed to prepare adequately for the possibility of war, had not built up much of a Navy, and paid a thousandfold for this folly. Although Peabody is a fictional character, real life American captains like him did exist, and in fact the American Navy won glory against England in the War of 1812 in numerous ship actions that pitted a plucky but weak United States against the world's most powerful sea power.

The story is very well-told, and Forester's insightful portrayal of Captain Peabody is a fine examination of the American character as it is often perceived by Britons. As always, Forester spins a great sea yarn, with all of the technical details perfect (I'm taking other people's word for this, but I know it is true!) and you can practically smell the salt water and hear the waves.

An enjoyable yarn that ranks with the very best stories of naval adventure.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Yanks take to the waves, January 21, 2003

By 

Seth D Frondesco (Capitola, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Captain from Connecticut (Great War Stories) (Paperback)

In this extremely well told tale, Captain Josiah Peabody, USN leads the frigate Delaware against British interests in the War of 1812. This story nearly has it all. The action crackles like a thunderous broadside, and the duel, the romance, and personal complexity of the captain are sure to satisfy even the most glutted reader. My only problem with this work was that it didn't continue to include a multi-volume series.
As a single book, it is an outstanding piece of naval fiction, certainly ranking as one of the best sea tales of all time. It is difficult not to come away from this work with a spring in your step, and the images evoked will sing in your memory with all the infectious brilliance of the Marine Band aboard the Delaware powering the fife and drum. Anchors Away!