Voyage to the Southern Ocean: The Letters of Lieutenant William Reynolds from the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 [Hardcover]

William Reynolds (Author), Anne H. Cleaver (Editor), E. Jeffrey Stann (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1988

Few sagas of the sea embody more adventure and romance than the story of America's first major exploring expedition -- the search to prove the existence of the Antarctic continent -- as put forth by the young Lieutenant William Reynolds in some twenty-one lively letters home to his sister and mother.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (October 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870213008
• ISBN-13: 978-0870213007
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,079,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Life in the pre-Civil War Navy, September 24, 1998

By 

Glenn B. Knight - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voyage to the Southern Ocean: The Letters of Lieutenant William Reynolds from the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 (Hardcover)

William Reynolds was the older brother of Maj. Gen. John Fulton Reynolds who, while commander of the left wing of the Army of the Potomac on July 1, 1863, became the first general officer killed at Gettysburg. Brother William was then a Navy commander and senior officer afloat at Port Royal, SC under Admiral Dahlgren. He was to go on to become an admiral and even acting Secretary of the Navy--twice. This book contains his letters home during the 4-year U. S. Navy Exploring Expedition (the Wilkes Expedition). It also interweaves entries from both his official and personal journal and responses from home--mostly from sister Lydia. Anyone with an interest in the pre-Civil War Navy or even social life (in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, his home) will find this book extremely informative.