Customer Reviews

The Captain from Connecticut (Great War Stories)

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4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

After plowing through the first hundred pages of this book with lightning speed, I suddenly chuckled to myself, and wondered: was I reading one of the finest sea stories ever written? The answer is a resounding 'yes.'

This is one of two books Forester wrote about the U.S. Navy during the Age of the Fighting Sail -- the other being 'The Barbary Pirates.' It deals with the exploits of Captain Josiah Peabody, commanding the U.S.S. Delaware, during the War of 1812. For all those who think this period in American history is not worthy of your attention, think again. The War of 1812 represents the emergence of the Navy as presence -- albeit a limited one -- on the high seas.

This tale will fill your topsails and speed you along with gale force winds. For those who have enjoyed Forester's Hornblower books and crave more, settle down with 'Captain' and prepared to be thrilled. All the basic elements Forester employs are here, and used with great effect: action, adventure, war, death, romance -- and, above all, fighting ships helmed by iron-willed captains.

It is obvious to this reader that Forester's storytelling skills had been honed to a fine edge when he wrote 'Captain From Connecticut.' The plot is taut, the protagonist heroic, and the action scenes described with a breathless quality. And as with most Forester books, there is the mixture of the historical with the fictional.

The added extra bonus of the book is that one finds himself overcome by patriotic feelings while rooting for the 'good guys' of the U.S. Navy. Long live Captain Peabody.

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!

This book, long out of print, tells the story of the Captain of an American frigate late in the War of 1812. He breaks out of Long Island in the midst of a snowstorm, wrecks havoc in southern waters, fights a duel, hunts down a pirate, deals with a family disgrace and upholds the honor of the U.S. Navy. In other words, this is Hornblower born as an American. Much better than O'brien, right up there with the best of Hornblower, read the book

This book has all the makings of a series that could have been created to parallel Hornblower but in the American Theatre and with an American captian.

The plot is tight, the book well written and the problems of neutrality and family that face Peabody and his foe are interesting and keep you reading further.

Peabody has a totally different set of bias, beliefs and weaknesses than Hornblower. They are played out very well throughout the entire book.

It is a shame that we haven't seen more of the captain, but then no author lives forever.

Before you buy however I would point out that first editions of this book are fairly easy to come by, at least here in NE. But whatever edition you buy, buy it.

I respectfully disagree with the other reviewers who say this is just as good or even better than Forester's Hornblower novels. It's pretty clear Forester was having an off year in his writing. First, the research is atypically flawed: The American captain Peabody knows Long Island Sound well because he served in the "Coastguard Service," something that did not exist at the time (there was a Revenue service, but a "Coast Guard"--two words, not one in British style--didn't exist until 1915). Second, the writing is just clunkier than in the Hornblower novels; at one point Forester uses "fathoms" as a unit of distance rather than depth. Third, Peabody is mildly interesting as a character but is a long way from being as fascinating as Hornblower was even in his first appearance. Whereas Hornblower is constantly in turmoil over his shortcomings, Peabody is a rather predictable fatalist (and the many and annoying references to Providence underscore Forester's own personal disdain for religion).

Still, I found the novel entertaining and worth a read. Just don't expect 'an American Hornblower.'

This book takes place in the war of 1812 and is about the story of an intelligent, brave American captain who manages to break the Brittish blocade. He goes on a journey of harrassment of trade and of raiding and destruction. It is a very interesting book that shows what a life of an American Captain at that time must have been like and also shows us an interesting story with lots of action to keep you entertained as well as a believable plot.

The Captain from Connecticut is a magnificent novel by the great C.S. Forester which deals with the War of 1812. The young America is at war with Great Britain, the greatest sea power that the world, at that time, had ever known. America is near bankrupt, reeling from a military conflict for which she was not prepared. Nonetheless, at great cost, America manages to put to sea the big frigate Delaware, under the command of Captain Josiah Peabody, a grimly competent New England seaman of redoubtable skill. Peabody's mission is to inflict sufficient losses upon British shipping to cause an outcry from British commercial interests, who hopefully will cry for peace. The story proceeds at a wonderful pace, and few readers will fail to appreciate the qualities of this splendid novel. Not only does Forester tell a fine and charming yarn, but this is an excellent story that illustrates the importance to even the most peace-loving nation of maintaining a credible military deterrent.

This is an engrossing novel by one of the greats of naval war fiction. Forester is the author of the famed, and unmatched, Horatio Hornblower saga. While this novel is not part of that series, it is, if anything, even better. It is terrific that this superb novel is now available on Kindle. Snap it up! Highly recommended without reserve. RJB.

Cecil Scott Forester is, of course, best known as the creator of the Horatio Hornblower adventures in the era of fighting sail. The majority of the heroes of C.S. Forester's books, not just Hornblower, were British fighting men.

However, he also wrote several stories, of which this was the first, with Americans as the central figure. So "The Captain from Connecticut," Josiah Peabody of the U.S. Frigate Delaware, is by no means alone in being an American: however, he is the only hero of a Forester book who actually has to fight the Royal Navy.

The book is set during the war of 1812: the first challenge which faces Peabody and the Delaware is to escape the Royal Navy's blockade of Long Island in terrible weather. Then Peabody has to deal with pirates, a traitor very close to home, and a British squadron which outnumbers him three to one and is commanded by a very dangerous opponent.

Peabody also encounters, and nearly accidentally attacks, a Royalist French governor appointed by Louis XVIII after Napoleon's first downfall. The governor has a ticklish sense of French honour and neutrality, and is accompanied by his attractive sister and beautiful daughter.

Although this isn't quite up to the standard of the best of Forester's Hornblower books, it is an entertaining and exciting story of war at sea in the era of sail, which holds your attention right up to the surprise ending and the twist on the last page.