On Seas of Glory: Heroic Men, Great Ships, and Epic Battles of the American Navy (Hardcover)

by John Lehman (Author) "THE BRITISH COLONIES established in North America in the 17th and 18th centuries were maritime enterprises..." (more)
Key Phrases: maritime superiority, naval person, blockade duty, United States, Royal Navy, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
A former secretary of the navy, Lehman (Command of the Seas and Making War) presents the epic story of the American navy from its origins during the American Revolution to the present. Purists looking for new details and a fresh approach will be disappointed, but Lehman did not intend to craft a definitive history of the navy. Rather, he has gleaned a variety of interesting stories of men, ships and battles and has woven a once over lightly approach to this massive subject. This is, simply put, old-fashioned drums and trumpets military writing. Lehman knows his subject, and his folksy writing style is easy to read and comprehend. There aren't any footnotes to his no-nonsense criticism of mistakes by admirals and the strategic and tactical problems resulting from political shortsightedness in times of peace. Lehman provides concise and penetrating biographies of naval officers from well-known men like Ernest King and John Paul Jones to relative unknowns like the mid-19th century's Uriah Levy (the first Jewish naval officer to achieve prominence). In addition to brief descriptions of naval battles, Lehman includes the role of technology in the rise of American naval power. Novice readers especially will find this an appealing introduction to a rich subject. (Oct.)Forecast: Lehman's background in addition to his service, he is the founding partner of an eponymous New York banking firm, and the chairman of the Princess Grace and OpSail foundations should lend a hook for magazine coverage and even further credibility to this effort. Also look for short, respectful reviews in major newspapers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
As a national security professional, naval aviator, Reagan's secretary of the navy, and descendant of Revolutionary War privateers, Lehman is well qualified for this chatty, popular overview of highlights of the U. S. Navy's first 200 years. Jumping from subject to subject like a grasshopper, and quite unlike a systematic historian, he emphasizes sometimes overlooked persons and weapons, such as Captain Nicholas Biddle of the continental navy, lost with his frigate Randolph; Uriah Phillips Levy, the first Jewish flag officer and an adamant opponent of flogging; improvised ships of the Civil War and World War II, including the converted landing craft-gunboats in which Lehman's father served; as well as much of the spadework involved in creating the 600-ship Reagan-era navy. Those who dislike Lehman's pogoing historiography may give the book a pass, but many others will enjoy it, even if slightly better editing would have made it even more enjoyable. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Free Press; First Printing edition (October 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684871769
• ISBN-13: 978-0684871769
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,337,374 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Broad Scope...Fascinating Details, December 6, 2001

By	Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

For non-military historians especially, Lehman provides an excellent briefing on the history of the U.S. Navy in terms of its "heroic men, great ships, and epic battles." I realize that there are already in print definitive biographies of many of the naval heroes (e.g. John Paul Jones, David Farragut, and Chester W. Nimitz) as well as definitive studies of various great ships and epic battles. For those who wish to consult such sources, most of them are included in a substantial Bibliography and they are grouped appropriately. Lehman's purpose in this volume is to focus on the evolution of a stirring as well as colorful naval tradition which extends from the Revolutionary War through the end of the Cold War. When concluding his Introduction, he observes: "the greatest victories of the naval tradition have not been the wars recounted here but the wars that were never fought because American seapower was so strong that to challenge it would be foolhardy. If we let it, the strength of that tradition will continue to underwrite peace in our land."

Obviously, even the strongest seapower could not have prevented events which occurred on September 11th but such seapower will always have an important role to play worldwide whenever human freedom must be defended or obtained. For me, a non-military historian, the greatest pleasure of this book was derived from learning about people and events of which I was previously unaware. For example, Samuel Leech (a 14-year old "powder monkey" aboard the H.M.S. frigate Macedonian) and his compelling account of his ship's defeat in battle by the frigate United States under the command of Stephen Decatur, Jr. during the War of 1812. For many readers, perhaps, Lehman provides about as much information about U.S. naval history as they may ever need or want. Other readers will be motivated to learn more about specific "heroic men, great ships, and epic battles." I am within the second group. Lehman is to be congratulated on a unique achievement: He has brought significant portions of American military history to life and done so with passion as well as erudition.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great starting point for navy history., October 24, 2001

By A Customer

This book is a wonderful look at what made and still makes the US Navy a great institution - people. And not just the the famous, though some of them do get their due, but regular people, from modern times back to the American Revolution. Much has been made, justifiably, of The Greatest Generation - but there were other generations that met the challenges of history with equal vigor - Lehman discusses a few here; for example some of the sailors and naval officers in the Civil War.
While this book will not provide the detail a history or naval buff might want, it can act as a pointer - there is a great deal of information readily available on most of the people, ships and battles presented in the book. And for the non-specialist, it is a great introduction to an aspect of US history and life that remains important to this day.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read for any history buff., October 16, 2001

By A Customer

Lehman has written a great book for any history buff. It is an intersting read for both scholars and for those who know very little about U.S. naval history.

The book takes us through the history of the navy from the revolution through the cold war through a series of stories about interesting men and ships. Some are well known, others are not. Lehman does not get bogged down in technical navy jargon, and let's the personalities and stories unfold in an easy manner. Fun to read!