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This series includes accounts of sea and land campaigns by eye-witnesses and contemporaries, as well as landmark studies of their social, political and economic impacts. The series focuses mainly on the period from the Renaissance to the end of the Victorian era. It includes major concentrations of material on the American and French revolutions, the British campaigns in South Asia and nineteenth-century conflicts in Europe, such as the Peninsular and Crimean Wars. Although many of the accounts are semi-official narratives by senior officers and their relatives, the series also includes alternative viewpoints from dissenting leaders, servicemen in the lower ranks and military wives and civilians caught up in the theatre of war.

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172 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Naval and Military History

Page 1 of 9

Narrative of Services in the Liberation of Chili, Peru, and Brazil, from Spanish and Portuguese Domination
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Cochrane
  • Published online:
    05 December 2015
    Print publication:
    15 November 2012
    First published in:
    1859
  • The most renowned naval officer of the mid-nineteenth century, Thomas Cochrane, tenth Earl of Dundonald (1775–1860), led an eventful life. Due to a financial scandal, he left the Royal Navy for a period and became a celebrated mercenary. Volume 2 of this two-volume work, published in 1859, concerns the period, from 1823, of Cochrane's command of the Brazilian navy. It addresses the recruitment of seamen and the strengthening of the fleet, his negotiations with the government for payment, and his eventual resignation after independence had been secured in 1825. Cochrane did not achieve the same level of battle engagement and naval success as he had done in Chile; rather, his time in Brazil was largely characterised by infighting, bitterness and administrative machinations. Cochrane was the quintessential naval hero of the age, and his memoir remains of interest to both scholars and readers of maritime adventure.

Narrative of Services in the Liberation of Chili, Peru, and Brazil, from Spanish and Portuguese Domination
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Cochrane
  • Published online:
    05 December 2015
    Print publication:
    15 November 2012
    First published in:
    1859
  • The most renowned naval officer of the mid-nineteenth century, Thomas Cochrane, tenth Earl of Dundonald (1775–1860), led an eventful life. Due to a financial scandal, he left the Royal Navy for a period and became a celebrated mercenary. Volume 1 of this two-volume work, published in 1859, concerns his activity in the wars of independence of Chile and Peru, covering his taking command of the Chilean navy in 1818, his recruitment of British and American officers, attacks on Spanish shipping, littoral warfare on Spanish forts, seizure of booty, and his troubled relationship with the Chilean government. It goes on to recount his command of a Chilean expedition to liberate Peru from the Portuguese in 1820 and his departure from Chile in 1822 before further unrest. Cochrane was the quintessential naval hero of the age, and his memoir remains of interest to both scholars and readers of maritime adventure.

England in the Seven Years' War
  • A Study in Combined Strategy
  • Volume 1
  • Julian Stafford Corbett
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1907
  • Sir Julian Corbett (1854–1922) was an eminent British naval historian who focused on the analysis of historic naval strategy. After graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1876 Corbett practised as a barrister until 1882, when he turned to historical writing. He was appointed Lecturer in History to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in 1903, and was consulted on naval reforms during the First World War. These volumes, first published in 1907, contain Corbett's detailed analysis of naval warfare during the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). Focusing on the strategy of the British navy, Corbett recounts chronologically the major actions of the war, analysing in detail fleet movements and naval tactics in their political and diplomatic context. These volumes were the first scholarly work on this subject, and provide valuable information concerning the development of English naval strategy during this formative period. Volume 1 covers 1754–1759.

Sea-Power
  • And Other Studies
  • Cyprian Bridge
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1910
  • A naval officer from a generation that could spend an average of between 250 and 300 days a year at sea, Sir Cyprian Bridge (1839–1924) used this extensive experience and the knowledge he gained from wide reading to become a highly respected commander, firm in his beliefs and unafraid to voice them. In retirement he became a vocal critic of the drive to build bigger ships, believing that hardware should be subordinate to tactics. A regular contributor to newspapers, he wrote articles on naval history, tactics and strategy. This collection of articles was published in 1910, and includes his well-known paper, first delivered in 1902, setting out the difficulties in maintaining supplies and communications with a fleet based far from home. This work remains relevant to naval historians, and to those interested in how Britain maintained her maritime supremacy into the twentieth century.

Military Operations at Cabul, which Ended in the Retreat and Destruction of the British Army, January 1842
  • With a Journal of Imprisonment in Affghanistan
  • Vincent Eyre
  • Published online:
    05 November 2015
    Print publication:
    07 June 2012
    First published in:
    1843
  • Vincent Eyre (1811–81) was an English officer in the East India Company from 1827 and took part in the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42), which ended in disaster for the British. He would later become a major-general and a Knight Commander of the Star of India, but in this work Eyre lucidly describes his experiences as a lieutenant in the war, during which he was severely wounded. In addition to providing a wealth of military detail, he also includes an account of how he was captured with his family by Akbar Khan in January 1842 and held hostage for nearly nine months. Eyre kept a diary throughout, and the manuscript was smuggled to a friend in India prior to publication in England in 1843. This updated third edition offers insights into both military and personal misfortune.

Steel’s Naval Remembrancer
  • From the Commencement of the War in 1793 to the End of the Year 1800
  • David Steel
  • Published online:
    05 October 2015
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1801
  • David Steel was one of the most respected and prolific naval publishers of the early nineteenth century. His published volumes focused on naval strategy and shipbuilding techniques, and he was the first to publish regular Navy Lists. This volume, first published in 1801, contains information concerning British naval battles and losses which occurred during the early part of the French Revolutionary Wars, 1793–1800. This volume lists all ships belonging to the major European powers involved in the war which had been destroyed, describes settlements and colonies which had been captured by the British Navy, lists ships with details concerning their crew which were captured by the British Navy, and provides a list of commanding officers who were killed during this period. This volume presents a valuable summary of the major actions and prizes the British Navy fought and captured during this early period of the Revolutionary Wars.

Napoleon in Exile
  • Or, A Voice from St. Helena: The Opinions and Reflections of Napoleon on the Most Important Events of his Life and Government in his Own Words
  • Volume 2
  • Barry E. O'Meara
  • Published online:
    05 September 2015
    Print publication:
    26 March 2015
    First published in:
    1822
  • These 'opinions and reflections of Napoleon … in his own words' were published in two volumes in 1822 (the year after the ex-emperor's death). Little is known about the early life and medical training of their author, Barry O'Meara (1770?–1836), but he happened to be on HMS Bellerophon when Napoleon came on board to surrender in August 1815. His medical experience and ability to speak Italian caused Bonaparte to ask him to act as his personal physician in his exile, and O'Meara obtained official permission to do so. However, relations between Napoleon's household and the governor of the island, Sir Hudson Lowe, deteriorated, and O'Meara was consequently required to leave in 1818. This fascinating and controversial work, which went into five editions, describes Napoleon's exile and records his opinions, but is also a polemic against Lowe's allegedly harsh treatment of his prisoner, later strongly denied by other witnesses.

Napoleon in Exile
  • Or, A Voice from St. Helena: The Opinions and Reflections of Napoleon on the Most Important Events of his Life and Government in his Own Words
  • Volume 1
  • Barry E. O'Meara
  • Published online:
    05 September 2015
    Print publication:
    26 March 2015
    First published in:
    1822
  • These 'opinions and reflections of Napoleon … in his own words' were published in two volumes in 1822 (the year after the ex-emperor's death). Little is known about the early life and medical training of their author, Barry O'Meara (1770?–1836), but he happened to be on HMS Bellerophon when Napoleon came on board to surrender in August 1815. His medical experience and ability to speak Italian caused Bonaparte to ask him to act as his personal physician in his exile, and O'Meara obtained official permission to do so. However, relations between Napoleon's household and the governor of the island, Sir Hudson Lowe, deteriorated, and O'Meara was consequently required to leave in 1818. This fascinating and controversial work, which went into five editions, describes Napoleon's exile and records his opinions, but is also a polemic against Lowe's allegedly harsh treatment of his prisoner, later strongly denied by other witnesses.

Naval Chronology
  • Or, an Historical Summary of Naval and Maritime Events from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace 1802
  • Volume 2
  • Isaac Schomberg
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    29 January 2015
  • Isaac Schomberg (1753–1813) had a controversial career in the Royal Navy. Although he distinguished himself at the relief of Gibraltar and the battles of St Kitts and the Saintes, his aggressive temperament and scholarly interests meant he was a poor choice to serve as first lieutenant under the petulant, pleasure-seeking future William IV. Schomberg's career never recovered after they clashed. Retiring to Wiltshire in 1796, he began this long-planned chronology of the Royal Navy. Published in 1802, with detailed descriptions of engagements, events on board, and politics at home, as well as an appendix of facts and figures stretching back to the origins of the Senior Service, this five-volume work remains a classic source of naval history. Volume 2 covers the period 1780–96, and includes the 1795 list of county quotas for supplying naval personnel, as well as details of the American Revolutionary War and the Bounty mutiny.

Naval Chronology
  • Or, an Historical Summary of Naval and Maritime Events from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace 1802
  • Volume 5
  • Isaac Schomberg
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    29 January 2015
  • Isaac Schomberg (1753–1813) had a controversial career in the Royal Navy. Although he distinguished himself at the relief of Gibraltar and the battles of St Kitts and the Saintes, his aggressive temperament and scholarly interests meant he was a poor choice to serve as first lieutenant under the petulant, pleasure-seeking future William IV. Schomberg's career never recovered after they clashed. Retiring to Wiltshire in 1796, he began this long-planned chronology of the Royal Navy. Published in 1802, with detailed descriptions of engagements, events on board, and politics at home, as well as an appendix of facts and figures stretching back to the origins of the Senior Service, this five-volume work remains a classic source of naval history. Concluding the appendix, Volume 5 lists naval losses from 1688, the holders of high naval office since the time of King Alfred, and admirals and captains since the middle of the seventeenth century.

Naval Chronology
  • Or, an Historical Summary of Naval and Maritime Events from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace 1802
  • Volume 1
  • Isaac Schomberg
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    29 January 2015
  • Isaac Schomberg (1753–1813) had a controversial career in the Royal Navy. Although he distinguished himself at the relief of Gibraltar and the battles of St Kitts and the Saintes, his aggressive temperament and scholarly interests meant he was a poor choice to serve as first lieutenant under the petulant, pleasure-seeking future William IV. Schomberg's career never recovered after they clashed. Retiring to Wiltshire in 1796, he began this long-planned chronology of the Royal Navy. Published in 1802, with detailed descriptions of engagements, events on board, and politics at home, as well as an appendix of facts and figures stretching back to the origins of the Senior Service, this five-volume work remains a classic source of naval history. Volume 1 begins with an overview of naval forces under the Romans and early English monarchs, before presenting a year-by-year chronology up to 1779.

Naval Chronology
  • Or, an Historical Summary of Naval and Maritime Events from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace 1802
  • Volume 3
  • Isaac Schomberg
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    29 January 2015
  • Isaac Schomberg (1753–1813) had a controversial career in the Royal Navy. Although he distinguished himself at the relief of Gibraltar and the battles of St Kitts and the Saintes, his aggressive temperament and scholarly interests meant he was a poor choice to serve as first lieutenant under the petulant, pleasure-seeking future William IV. Schomberg's career never recovered after they clashed. Retiring to Wiltshire in 1796, he began this long-planned chronology of the Royal Navy. Published in 1802, with detailed descriptions of engagements, events on board, and politics at home, as well as an appendix of facts and figures stretching back to the origins of the Senior Service, this five-volume work remains a classic source of naval history. Volume 3 covers a golden era for the Royal Navy, 1797–1802. Horatio Nelson came to the fore, but the period also saw the infamous mutinies at the Nore and on the Hermione.

Naval Chronology
  • Or, an Historical Summary of Naval and Maritime Events from the Time of the Romans, to the Treaty of Peace 1802
  • Volume 4
  • Isaac Schomberg
  • Published online:
    05 June 2015
    Print publication:
    29 January 2015
  • Isaac Schomberg (1753–1813) had a controversial career in the Royal Navy. Although he distinguished himself at the relief of Gibraltar and the battles of St Kitts and the Saintes, his aggressive temperament and scholarly interests meant he was a poor choice to serve as first lieutenant under the petulant, pleasure-seeking future William IV. Schomberg's career never recovered after they clashed. Retiring to Wiltshire in 1796, he began this long-planned chronology of the Royal Navy. Published in 1802, with detailed descriptions of engagements, events on board, and politics at home, as well as an appendix of facts and figures stretching back to the origins of the Senior Service, this five-volume work remains a classic source of naval history. Forming a thorough appendix, Volume 4 presents numerous lists, including information on the number of vessels in the Royal Navy and how many guns and men were aboard each ship.

The Spirit of the Modern System of War
  • Dietrich Heinrich von Bülow
  • Edited and translated by C. Malorti de Martemont
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    26 September 2013
    First published in:
    1806
  • Dietrich Heinrich von Bülow (1757–1807) served for sixteen years in the Prussian army, but for the remainder of his life lived a varied existence as a theatrical manager, preacher, writer, businessman, debtor and finally prisoner. It was not until after his death that this work, written in 1799 and reissued here in its 1806 English translation, began to find favour. He advocates the use of mathematical principles in devising swift and decisive tactics, and was one of the first theoreticians to regard tactics and strategy as separate concerns. At a time when Germany and Italy were yet to be unified, he writes that expansion to 'optimum' size would result in a Europe of only twelve states. The book's theories were criticised by Napoleon and Clausewitz, but had a considerable influence on the Prussian and Austrian armies of the late nineteenth century, and it is regarded as one of the founding texts of modern geopolitics.

Notes on the Late Expedition against the Russian Settlements in Eastern Siberia
  • And of a Visit to Japan and to the Shores of Tartary, and of the Sea of Okhostk
  • Bernard Whittingham
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    21 November 2013
  • In April 1855, Bernard Whittingham (fl.1850), a captain of the Royal Engineers, set off from Hong Kong aboard H.M.S. Sibylle. He had volunteered to join an Allied squadron attempting 'to discover the progress of Russian aggrandisement in North-eastern Asia, and to ascertain how far the reports of her successful encroachment on the sea frontiers of China and Japan were true'. In the context of the Crimean War's Pacific theatre, he was also keen to see avenged the Royal Navy's defeat by the Russians at Petropavlovsk the previous year. Whittingham's notes, published in 1856, give a personal and uniquely British account of an understudied time and place with far-reaching influence on later events. The book is also a rich source of anecdotes, not least that relating to the capture of crew members of the ill-fated Russian frigate Diana.

The Sailor's Word-Book
  • An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms
  • William Henry Smyth
  • Revised by Edward Belcher
  • Published online:
    05 October 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1867
  • Admiral William Henry Smyth (1780–1865) went to sea at an early age, becoming a sailor and surveyor with the East India Company, and later moving to Mediterranean waters. A founding member of the Royal Geographical Society in 1830, he spent much of his free time engaged in scientific pursuits. One of his final projects was this 'word-book' of nautical terminology, which he had been compiling throughout his career, and whose publication was eagerly anticipated by his fellow naval officers. Although Smyth died before it was published in 1867, his notes were edited by his family and revised by Sir Edward Belcher (1799–1877). Ranging from technical terminology to sailors' slang, Smyth's glossary contains more than 700 pages of definitions, arranged alphabetically, making it an indispensable source on nineteenth-century nautical vocabulary for both maritime historians and sailing aficionados.

Narrative of Events during the Invasion of Russia by Napoleon Bonaparte
  • And the Retreat of the French Army, 1812
  • Robert Thomas Wilson
  • Edited by Herbert Randolph
  • Published online:
    05 September 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1860
  • A colourful British general, Robert Wilson (1777–1849) was knighted many times over by crowned heads, but never by his own monarch. Described by Wellington as 'a very slippery fellow', he fought in the Peninsular and Napoleonic wars, and his published account of the Egyptian campaign resulted in Napoleon complaining to the British government about accusations of his cruelty towards prisoners and his own men. Following the invasion of Russia, Wilson was seconded to Kutuzov's army, and was present at all the major engagements. Edited by his nephew and published in 1860, this second edition of Wilson's journal includes personal and official correspondence from Tsar Alexander I and his generals, and gives not only detailed accounts of troop movements and strategy, but also vivid descriptions of the savagery meted out by both sides. It remains an essential source of information on one of history's most famous military retreats.

History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France
  • From the Year 1807 to the Year 1814
  • Volume 2
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    05 August 2014
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1829
  • Published between 1828 and 1840, Napier's History of the War in the Peninsula was a tremendously influential, if controversial, work. Napier had been actively involved in the campaigns, turning to history in peacetime, in part to refute Southey's account of Sir John Moore. The first volume had a mixed reception, getting both high praise and bitter criticism from participants in the wars. He published several works rebutting his critics while producing the later volumes. Because of his obvious lack of impartiality, modern military historians treat the work with caution, but it remains widely read in the many editions and abridgements subsequently produced. Volume 2 covers the period from the beginning of 1809 to the British retreat back to Portugal after the Battle of Talavera in July. Significant events include the departure of Napoleon to France, and Wellesley's return to Portugal as commander of the Anglo-Portuguese forces.

The War: From the Death of Lord Raglan to the Evacuation of the Crimea
  • William Howard Russell
  • Published online:
    05 May 2014
    Print publication:
    22 August 2013
    First published in:
    1856
  • William Howard Russell (1820–1907) is today credited with having shaped the image and role of the modern war correspondent. His dispatches for The Times during the Crimean War were so influential that they led to military reforms and the fall of the Aberdeen Government. Moreover, his unflinching accounts of the appalling and insanitary conditions endured by ill-provisioned troops helped inspire the work of Florence Nightingale. He was not afraid to highlight poor leadership and planning, and was quick to praise the heroism of the 'common' soldier. Wearing military-style clothes, he obtained his information through his easy relationships with junior officers, helped by his fondness for brandy and cigars. This volume, published in 1856, includes his last Crimean dispatches, concluding with poignant descriptions of visits by the soldiers to the battlefields to erect memorials to their fallen comrades.

Airships in Peace and War
  • Being the Second Edition of Aerial Warfare
  • R. P. Hearne
  • Introduction by Hiram Stevens Maxim
  • Published online:
    05 March 2014
    Print publication:
    27 June 2013
    First published in:
    1910
  • In 1908, the motoring journalist R. P. Hearne published Aerial Warfare, the first book on the subject to reach an audience beyond military strategists. Enormous advances in aviation resulted in the publication of this substantially revised edition in 1910. At a time of intense European military rivalry, the book highlighted differences in the way countries were adopting new aerial technology. Hearne makes the assumption that conflict with Germany at some point is inevitable, and identifies the airship as 'practically an invisible enemy'. At this point Germany had ten airships compared to Britain's one, and while the British regarded them as useful only for reconnaissance, the Germans had identified potential offensive uses. Reviews commended the book for its depth and numerous illustrations, but also suggested it was alarmist and anti-German. However, it brought the subject to wider attention, and was a factor behind the government's decision to invest properly in aviation research.

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