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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 4 of 9

Memoir of the Life of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington
  • Volume 1
  • Edward Codrington
  • Edited by Jane Bourchier
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1873
  • Edward Codrington (1770–1851) joined the navy at the age of thirteen. Having narrowly avoided freezing to death in Nova Scotia three years later, he went on to serve during some of the most important naval conflicts of his time. This two-volume biography was first published in 1873, and combines his own accounts with the research of his daughter Lady Bourchier. Volume 1 introduces his friend Bowen, noted for his pink umbrella, the shy and awkward commander of the fleet, Lord Howe, and the sheer terror of the 1793 third battle of Ushant, the British fleet's first major encounter with that of the new French Republic. Included are Codrington's private and public letters, which give anecdotes of his own adventures and hint at the uneasy inner politics of the Admiralty, making this both an entertaining read and a useful resource for students of naval history.

Imperial Defence
  • Charles Wentworth Dilke, Spenser Wilkinson
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    16 February 2012
    First published in:
    1892
  • The liberal Radical MP Sir Charles Wentworth Dilke (1843–1911) campaigned for (among many other causes) votes for women and labourers, legalisation of trade unions and universal education. His republican sentiments damaged his political reputation, and earned him the hostility of Queen Victoria. However, despite his views on the monarchy he was an imperialist, and his early work, Greater Britain (1868; also available in this series), was widely read. In the 1890s he became known as a parliamentary expert on military, colonial and foreign affairs. This 1892 work, co-written with Spenser Wilkinson (1853–1937), a journalist and military historian, together with Dilke's earlier work, Problems of Greater Britain, led to the founding of a parliamentary committee on imperial defence. The book argues that, while hoping to avert war by diplomacy, the Government has a duty to maintain a naval and military force to protect the interests of its citizens.

Memoir of the Life of Admiral Sir Edward Codrington
  • Volume 2
  • Edward Codrington
  • Edited by Jane Bourchier
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 March 2012
    First published in:
    1873
  • Edward Codrington (1770–1851) joined the navy at the age of thirteen. Having narrowly avoided freezing to death in Nova Scotia three years later, he went on to serve during some of the most important naval conflicts of his time. This two-volume biography was first published in 1873, and combines his own accounts with the research of his daughter Lady Bourchier. Volume 2 opens in 1827 as the English fleet, now under Codrington's command, faces the Turks at the battle of Navarino, now seen as a decisive moment in the struggle for Greek independence. It also includes accounts of the blockade of the Morea, Codrington's terse exchanges with the Ottoman commanders, and a vivid portrayal of the devastation that would ensue should his tactics fail. Structured around the first-hand accounts in Codrington's own correspondence, this is both an entertaining read and a useful resource for students of naval history.

Passages in the Early Military Life of General Sir George T. Napier, K.C.B.
  • George Thomas Napier
  • Edited by W. C. E. Napier
  • Published online:
    05 May 2012
    Print publication:
    08 December 2011
    First published in:
    1884
  • George Napier (1784–1855) was a brother of the famous soldiers Sir Charles and Sir William Napier, and himself had a distinguished career in the British Army as general and Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. He wrote these memoirs to guide and amuse his own children, not intending them to be widely circulated. In 1884, however, his son published them, earning a letter of congratulation from Queen Victoria. George Napier tells of his early army life, which took him around Europe from Sicily to Sweden to Bordeaux, and writes of his admiration for the Duke of Wellington, hailing him as 'one of the greatest captains that ever lived'. Napier's reflections on the responsibilities of an army officer (including the duty to obey and not to criticise), and his advice on how a regiment should be commanded, raise this work above a conventional autobiography.

A Voyage up the Mediterranean in His Majesty’s Ship the Swiftsure
  • With a Description of the Battle of the Nile on the First of August 1798
  • Cooper Willyams
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    16 September 2010
    First published in:
    1802
  • This book is an eye-witness account of the Battle of the Nile in 1798, Nelson's greatest triumph, written and illustrated by the Royal Navy chaplain Rev. Cooper Willyams. Educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Willyams took holy orders in 1784. The son of a navy commander and formerly chaplain to Admiral St. Vincent, Willyams was a veteran of several campaigns, having accompanied the expedition to the West Indies which ended in a British defeat of the French in 1794. The Battle of the Nile is considered by historians to have been Nelson's most complete victory and Willyams' account to be the most authentic. Willyams was a self-taught artist, and the work contains 43 plate-engravings of sketches he produced of the battle. It was published in London in 1802, soon after the battle. A German edition was published the following year.

The Naval History of Great Britain
  • A New Edition, with Additions and Notes, and an Account of the Burmese War and the Battle of Navarino
  • Volume 6
  • William James
  • Edited by Frederick Chamier
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1859
  • William James (1780–1827) was a lawyer and naval historian best known for this magisterial history of the Royal Navy between 1793 and 1827. James began to research the role of the Royal Navy in the Revolutionary Wars, publishing five volumes between 1822 and 1824. This was expanded up to 1827 in later editions. In one of the most comprehensive histories of the Navy in the Napoleonic Wars ever published, James' rigorous research methodology using various contemporary sources provides detailed descriptions of the operations of the Royal Navy in the period. Fleet campaigns and minor engagements are discussed, with technical and tactical details of ships and battles also provided. These volumes (here reissued from the 1859 edition) remain an invaluable source of information for the history of the Royal Navy during this fascinating period. Volume 6 covers 1811–1827 and includes the War of 1812.

The Dispatches and Letters of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson
  • Volume 1
  • Horatio Nelson
  • Edited by Nicholas Harris Nicolas
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    10 November 2011
    First published in:
    1844
  • First published between 1844 and 1846, this seven-volume collection of the letters of Lord Nelson (1758–1805) was assembled and edited by antiquarian, historian and former naval lieutenant Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1799–1848), using letters supplied to him by many of Nelson's correspondents. Nicolas was better known for his many works on genealogy and heraldry, but his own naval background drew him to this work. In Volume 1 he asserts that 'the life of a man is best described by himself' and Nelson is subsequently revealed to be a skilled and engaging correspondent. The books document Nelson's long and celebrated career in the Royal Navy, from his appointment as a lieutenant in 1777 to his death at Trafalgar in 1805. Published in 1844, Volume 1 covers Nelson's career from 1777 to 1794, from service in the Caribbean to his Mediterranean posting following France's declaration of war in 1793.

History of the Buccaneers of America
  • James Burney
  • Published online:
    05 April 2012
    Print publication:
    23 December 2010
    First published in:
    1907
  • Captain James Burney (1750–1821), the son of the musicologist Dr Charles Burney and brother of the novelist Fanny Burney, was a well-travelled sailor, best known for A Chronological History of the Discoveries in the South Sea or Pacific Ocean (1803–1817), of which this work formed a part. It was subsequently republished separately, and is here taken from the edition of 1907. Burney concentrates on the activities of the buccaneers on the Pacific coast of South America and in the East Indies, as well as in the Caribbean, describing how their piracy was tolerated, and even encouraged, by the English and French because it was generally aimed at Spanish possessions. The book covers the period from the first European settlements in the Caribbean up to 1700, and includes anecdotes about the activities and lifestyle of the buccaneers, and the relationships between the European powers and their new colonies.

History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France
  • From the Year 1807 to the Year 1814
  • Volume 3
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1833
  • 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 3 is prefixed with the author's answers to criticisms of the first edition, and covers the period from Talavera to the Battle of Albuera in May 1811. Napier is highly critical of General Beresford's conduct of the battle, but it led to a French retreat.

The British Navy
  • Its Strength, Resources, and Administration
  • Volume 1
  • Thomas Brassey
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    16 December 2010
    First published in:
    1882
  • Sir Thomas Brassey (1836–1918), later Earl Brassey, was a politician with a particular interest in maritime affairs. He was a keen sailor, and his wife's accounts of their many voyages (also reissued in this series) were bestsellers. He subsequently became a Lord of the Admiralty and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Brassey's Naval Annual was for many years the authoritative survey of worldwide navies. This five-volume survey of the state of the British Navy was published between 1882 and 1883. Brassey was much involved with questions of the modernisation and reform of the Navy, at a time when international relations were marked by a maritime arms race. The books provide much technical detail about the different types of ship and weapons available to the Navy. Volume 1 surveys the development of armoured ships and mastless ships.

Biographia Navalis
  • Or, Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain, from the Year 1660 to the Present Time
  • Volume 3
  • John Charnock
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    24 February 2011
    First published in:
    1795
  • John Charnock (1756–1807) was a professional naval biographer and historian. After completing his studies at Trinity College, Oxford, he joined the Navy as a volunteer and began to research historical and contemporary naval affairs. This six-volume work, first published between 1794 and 1798, contains biographies of over two thousand post-captains and admirals who served in the Navy between 1660 and 1793. Charnock researched this monumental project using collections of historical naval biographies made available by his friend Captain William Locker, lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital. He also drew on his own experiences and his contacts among serving officers to provide valuable insights into contemporary events. However, his sometimes uncritical approach to sources means his work is best consulted together with other evidence. The biographies are arranged by year of first appointment, and alphabetically within each year. Volume 3 contains biographies of officers appointed between 1693 and 1708.

The Elements and Practice of Rigging, Seamanship, and Naval Tactics
  • Volume 1, The Art of Making Masts, Yards, Gaffs, Booms, Blocks, and Oars
  • David Steel
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1800
  • David Steel was one of the most respected and prolific naval publishers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His publications focused on naval strategy and shipbuilding techniques. This influential four-volume work, first published in 1794, was the first comprehensive English manual of best naval practice. Designed for aspiring young officers, it established Steel's reputation as a publisher. The book describes theoretical and practical aspects of masts, rigging, and sails, and the science of sailing. The combination of practical advice supported by scientific and mathematical explanations and numerous illustrations provides valuable insights into British seamanship during the Napoleonic wars. Volume 1, reissued here in the 1800 edition, explains the technical terms relating to the making of masts, bowsprits, yards, blocks and oars, and describes the tools required and the methods used.

The British Navy
  • Its Strength, Resources, and Administration
  • Volume 2
  • Thomas Brassey
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    16 December 2010
    First published in:
    1882
  • Sir Thomas Brassey (1836–1918), later Earl Brassey, was a politician with a particular interest in maritime affairs. He was a keen sailor, and his wife's accounts of their many voyages (also reissued in this series) were bestsellers. He subsequently became a Lord of the Admiralty and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Brassey's Naval Annual was for many years the authoritative survey of worldwide navies. This five-volume survey of the state of the British Navy was published between 1882 and 1883. Brassey was much involved with questions of the modernisation and reform of the Navy, at a time when international relations were marked by a maritime arms race. The books provide much technical detail about the different types of ship and weapons available to the Navy. Volume 2 examines armour, guns and torpedoes, and the comparative strength of naval powers.

Royal Naval Biography
  • Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders
  • Volume 1, Part 1
  • John Marshall
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1823
  • John Marshall (c.1784–1837) was a naval officer and biographer. He first went to sea at the age of nine, and by the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 had reached the rank of lieutenant. After the war, he started to research the lives of contemporary high-ranking naval officers, some of whose service reached as far back as 1760. These volumes, first published between 1823 and 1830, contain the results of this monumental research, and demonstrate the new 'cult' of the navy in the early nineteenth century. Some of the biographies were contributed by the officers themselves, with others containing private or official letters and other records. Organised according to seniority in rank, these volumes contain a wealth of fascinating information on the careers of naval officers and battles and wars in which they took part. Volume 1, Part 1 contains biographies of flag officers.

Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812
  • Volume 2
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    03 February 2011
    First published in:
    1905
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. His series of books examining the role of sea power in history influenced the rapid growth of international navies in the period before World War I. This two-volume study of the Anglo-American war of 1812 was first published in 1905. Mahan examines the causes of the conflict, arguing that its roots went back to the seventeenth century. Although naval battles in the war of 1812 were small-scale rather than large fleet actions, Mahan shows that they were nevertheless crucial to the outcome. Volume 2 covers events on the Atlantic coast and the Canadian frontier.

The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington
  • During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France
  • Volume 8
  • Arthur Wellesley
  • Edited by John Gurwood
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was one of the most successful military figures of the early nineteenth century. After fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in India, his successes during the Peninsular War (1809–1814) and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) established his reputation as a brilliant military tactician. These volumes, first published between 1834 and 1839, contain the letters, dispatches, instructions and general military orders Wellington wrote throughout his military career. Edited by his private secretary, Colonel John Gurwood (1790–1845), they offer a wealth of fascinating details concerning Wellington's campaigns in India and Europe, from mundane administrative tasks to discussions of tactics, personnel and intelligence-gathering. These volumes are reissued from the 1844 revised edition, and provide invaluable information for the study of warfare during this period. Volume 8 covers his final campaigns and later administrative documents.

The Naval Chronology of Great Britain
  • Or, An Historical Account of Naval and Maritime Events from 1803 to 1816
  • Volume 1
  • James Ralfe
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1820
  • James Ralfe (fl. 1820–1829) was a historian best remembered for this comprehensive history of British naval involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. First published in 1820 and intended as a successor and continuation of Captain Isaac Schomberg's history of the navy, Naval Chronology, Ralfe's work is remarkably detailed, using first-hand accounts of naval engagements taken from interviews with officers and sailors in addition to contemporary official naval documents. Chronologically by year, Ralfe notes and explains major parliamentary proceedings relating to the navy, lists the serving flag officers for the given year, and describes naval battles and engagements, arranged according to location. The innovative structure of these volumes, with detailed descriptions of naval battles, provide a valuable reference for the study of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Volume 1 covers 1803–1806.

Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812
  • Volume 1
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    03 February 2011
    First published in:
    1905
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. His series of books examining the role of sea power in history influenced the rapid growth of international navies in the period before World War I. This two-volume study of the Anglo-American war of 1812 was first published in 1905. Mahan examines the causes of the conflict, arguing that its roots went back to the seventeenth century. Although naval battles in the war of 1812 were small-scale rather than large fleet actions, Mahan shows that they were nevertheless crucial to the outcome. Volume 1 covers the background to the war - commercial relations, and Britain's war with France.

The British Navy
  • Its Strength, Resources, and Administration
  • Volume 4
  • Thomas Brassey
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    16 December 2010
    First published in:
    1883
  • Sir Thomas Brassey (1836–1918), later Earl Brassey, was a politician with a particular interest in maritime affairs. He was a keen sailor, and his wife's accounts of their many voyages (also reissued in this series) were bestsellers. He subsequently became a Lord of the Admiralty and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and Brassey's Naval Annual was for many years the authoritative survey of worldwide navies. This five-volume survey of the state of the British Navy was published between 1882 and 1883. Brassey was much involved with questions of the modernisation and reform of the Navy, at a time when international relations were marked by a maritime arms race. The books provide much technical detail about the different types of ship and weapons available to the Navy. Volume 4 discusses the administration of the Navy and Admiralty, and of reserve forces.

The Buccaneers of America
  • A True Account of the Most Remarkable Assaults Committed of Late Years Upon the Coasts of the West Indies by the Buccaneers of Jamaica and Tortuga
  • John Esquemeling
  • Edited by Henry Powell
  • Published online:
    05 March 2012
    Print publication:
    23 December 2010
    First published in:
    1893
  • John Esquemeling (better known as Alexandre Olivier Exquemelin) (c. 1645–1707) was a French barber-surgeon best remembered for this classic account of the buccaneer pirates of the West Indies. After travelling to Tortuga in 1666, Esquemeling joined the buccaneer company of Henry Morgan, one of the most successful and notorious privateers of the period. This volume, first published in English in 1684, and now reissued from the 1893 reprint, contains Esquemeling's detailed account of Morgan's dramatic exploits and adventures. Covering the period 1668–1674, Esquemeling recounts in fascinating detail Morgan's infamous attacks on Spanish-controlled ports in Cuba, Hispaniola and Costa Rica, and vividly describes the sack of the city of Panama and its aftermath in 1671. This work was the first account published in English of the lives of the buccaneers, and remains one of the most important sources for descriptions of seventeenth-century piracy.

Page 4 of 9