Customer Reviews

Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson

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This splendidly enjoyable anthology - an ideal bedside book - includes some twenty-two first-hand narratives, from British and American sources, of naval life and death in the French Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. Though some are extracts from memoirs written many years after the events described, others stem from closer to the action and so have an immediacy and freshness that sweeps away the two intervening centuries so that the reader all but feels the presence of the story-teller. Accounts by officers, some to achieve yet higher rank, such as Cochrane and Porter, alternate with less-polished descriptions from the lower deck, some frank in the extreme, particularly as to scrapes ashore. Of particular interest is Surgeon William Beatty's account of Trafalgar and of the death of Nelson, which is often referred to in other texts but is quoted here in full - even today, it is impossible to read it without emotion. Every aspect of the naval officer's and seaman's life, whether afloat or ashore, is covered here, but a consistent theme throughout is the cheerful courage, camaraderie, humanity and sense of honour in the face of unrelenting hardship and adversity that characterised all levels in the service. Devotees of the naval fiction of Forrester, Kent, Pope and O'Brian may on occasion wonder whether the reality can have been as consistently violent and hazardous as their novels portray but this volume confirms that if they err, it is on the side of moderation. William Henry Dillon's view of the Glorious First of June from the gun-deck of HMS Defence and Samuel Leech's account of the HMS Macedonian vs. USS United States duel are as grim and blood-spattered as anything in such fiction. Cochrane's swashbuckling depredations of enemy shipping in the Mediterranean in HMS Speedy would deemed too unlikely for any novel and George Vernon Jackson's extended escape efforts in Napoleonic France rival those of Colditz detainees in a later conflict by their resourcefulness and persistence. Throughout all these accounts however one is struck by the humanity and decency that characterised relations between enemy forces outside actual combat in the age before militant nationalism added a new bitterness to warfare. William Robinson's account of the aftermath of Trafalgar proves that Nelson's prayer that magnanimity in victory might characterise the Royal Navy struck a chord with officers and men alike, Jackson's account is full of kindnesses received from ordinary French people while "on the run" and Porter's account of the courtesies that preceded and followed the USS Essex's murderous show-down with HMS Phoebe off Valpariso show that honour was not merely a word, but a way of life, to the officers of the time. In summary this anthology is a delight to be savoured over a long period, a well to be dipped into with pleasure for many years to come.

This is a magnificant piece of editing. All the accounts are threaded together so well that the book reads like a novel, except in this case it is factual, first-hand history. The maps and editorial notes help as well. Some of the accounts are riveting, putting the reader squarely in the action. I highly recommend this book.

I read this book after I was given a copy by a local radio station. I have read all the O'brien books, all the Forester, and most of the books on this period. this is one of the best books I have come across, both because it is real, and because it is exciting. the other interesting thing is that you see where the novels came from, and you understand that truth is stranger than fiction.

"Every Man Will Do His Duty" is an anthology of 22 excerpts from actual diaries and journals of men who served in the the British and American navies during the late 18th century and early 19th century.

I loved this book. Each selection was entertaining and well chosen, both for the glimpses the provide into the lives of the officers and men who served on such ships, and for their historical context (Such as Dr. William Beatty's account of the death of Horatio Nelson).

I'd strongly suggest it to anyone who enjoys Naval History, or historical fiction (Such as Forrester or O'Brian) on the subject. Give it a read, it's worth it.

"Every Man Will Do His Duty" is an anthology of 22 excerpts from actual diaries and journals of men who served in the the British and American navies during the late 18th century and early 19th century.

I loved this book. Each selection was entertaining and well chosen, both for the glimpses the provide into the lives of the officers and men who served on such ships, and for their historical context (Such as Dr. William Beatty's account of the death of Horatio Nelson).

I'd suggest it to anyone who enjoys Naval History, or historical fiction (Such as Forrester or O'Brian) on the subject.

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If all you read in this book is "The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy", you will have gotten your money's worth.

If the only stories you read are the two chapters from the Nagle Journel, "For the Good of My Soul, 1795," and "Mad Dickey's Amusement, 1798-1800", you will have gotten your money's worth.

But you get more than this. You get a total of 22 stories picked from many to capture the history and character of the times.

If you like Patrick O'Brien, and C.S. Forester, you will enjoy the history that gave seed to these stories. You will recognize the events of Lucky Jack Aubrey's fiirst cruise in the cruise of the Speedy, and be amazed.

Index of stories:

1. In the King's Service, 1793-1794

2. Commence the Work of Destruction: The Glorious First of June, 1794

3. The Noted Pimp of Lisbon and an Unwanted Promotion in Bull Bay, 1794

4. For the Good of My Own Soul, 1795

5. The Would as Soon Have Faced the Devil Himself as Nelson, 1796

6. The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797

7. Mad Diskey's Amusement, 1798-1800

8. The Fortune of War, 1799

9. The Audacious Cruise of the Speedy, 1800-1801

10. Bermuda in the Peace, 1802-1803

11. The Battle of Trafalgar, 1805

12. The Death of Lord Nelson, 1805

13. An Unequal Match, 1807-1808

14. With Stopford in the Basque Roads, 1808-1809

15. When I Beheld These Men Spring from the Ground, 1809

16. "Damn'em, Jackson, They've Spoilt My Dancing," 1809-1812

17. The Woodwind Is Mightier than the Sword, 1809-1812

18. HMS Macedonian vs. USS United States, 1812

19. An Unjustifiable and Outrageous Pursuit, 1812-1813

20. A Yankee Cruiser in the South Pacific, 1813

21. Showdown at Valparaiso, 1814

22. We Discussed a Bottle of Chateau Margot Together, 1812-1815

I bought this book because I started down the slippery slope which begins with Patrick O'Brian's *Master* *and* *Commander* and ends with a wall covered with naval prints and trips to Nelson-phile conventions.

This book is an anthology of first hand accounts of naval life in the age of sail. The stories are dramatic and gripping, though I wished the they were longer. The editors have helpfully added some diagrams and maps, though I would have prefered even more.

It is very interesting to see the overlap with the O'Brian books. As O'Brian points out in one of his forwards, at least sometimes he did not need to invent the plot, but merely re-arrange and sort out the pacing.