Cindy Vallar's Blog, page 19

Revolutionary War Law and Lawyers by Thomas J. Shaw -- A Review

Revolutionary War Law and Lawyers: Issues, Cases, and Characters by Thomas J. Shaw Esq.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In school we learn that in the late 1700s American colonists rebelled against the injustices England imposed on them. Representatives from the thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and, after much debate, declared independence and established the United States of America. An army was formed, George Washington became its commander, and battles were fought. Sounds fairly simple until you read Thomas Shaw’s Revolutionary War Law and Lawyers. He takes you behind the scenes to show us, from a legal perspective, that our founding fathers did far more than just declare themselves no longer subject to British rule. They did not just snap their fingers and we became a new nation. Many different matters were taken into account and weighed in order for them to risk all that they held dear to make this new country viable enough to succeed.

Chapter 1 is concerned with legal issues that prompted the rebellion and led to independence. These are divided into three categories: how funds were raised, what rights individuals had, and what steps were taken to give this new nation a voice. Some of the laws and issues discussed here concern the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Tea Act, taxation without representation, forcing civilians to allow troops to live in their homes, smuggling, freedom of speech, seizing individuals against their wills, the Intolerable Acts, the Continental Congress, and declaring independence. Some of the cases and documents that illustrate and define these legal issues are John Hancock’s smuggling, the Boston Massacre, the Gaspee Affair, the Boston Tea Party, pressing American sailors to serve aboard British ships, Common Sense, Letters of Marque, and the Declaration of Independence.

The new nation also had to show it was a legitimate entity and define what powers it had versus what rights the states had. Since the states were no longer colonies, each had to create a new political framework in which to operate. The break with England necessitated new allies had to be forged. Money was essential to wage war, yet the newly-formed United States had no national treasury and no national currency. These key concepts are discussed in chapter two. Clarification of these legal issues is demonstrated through studies on Virginia, Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, the Howe Peace Initiative, the Carlisle Peace Commission, taxation, protests, and loans.

Chapter three focuses on traitors, espionage, and supplying the army with what it needed. Not all the colonists sided with the rebels. Some remained loyal to England, which created problems for the new government. It also had to address concerns regarding the logistics and administration of military supplies. Among the legal issues represented in this chapter are: war profiteering, military stores, oversight, proving loyalty, defections, sedition in both the United States and Great Britain, capturing spies, abetting a spy, and sabotage. Cases that illustrate these issues include regulating the quartermaster and ordnance departments, bills of attainder, treason in Virginia and Pennsylvania, banishing Quakers, John André, John the Painter, and Bathsheba Spooner.

Americans and Britons weren’t the only ones who participated in the Revolutionary War. Frenchmen, Spaniards, Germans, Canadians, and Native Americans also played significant roles. Chapter four pertains to the land war: armies and militias, military regulation, and conduct of the war. The legal issues involve raising militias, building an army from scratch, impressment, rules of military conduct, courts martial, oversight, and prisoners of war. Among the cases examined are African American and Native American recruits, conscientious objectors, caring for the wounded, articles of war, treatment of prisoners, martial law, trials at Valley Forge, mutinies, theft, and murder.

While the majority of battles took place on land, naval forces also played significant roles. This is the focus of chapter five. At the time, the United States had no navy and had to build one from scratch to fight a veteran enemy with warships that globally protected British interests. The states had some vessels to protect their waters, privateers played a significant role in waging war at sea. Legal issues discussed include fitting out ships, rules of engagement, mutiny, corruption in naval administration, commissions, articles of enlistment, deciding the legality of captures, courts of admiralty, owners suing captains, Crown rights versus Admiralty rights, surrender, and claims against the government. The cases and documents studied here include navy rules, privateering rules, the Battle of Block Island, Dudley Saltonstall, the Warren, Admiral Augustus Keppler’s and Vice-Admiral Hugh Palliser’s courts marital, the Gloucester, the Resolution, the Hibernia, Fort Washington, Saratoga, Charleston, and Yorktown.

Scattered throughout the book are short profiles of prominent lawyers and judges who were involved with the cases discussed within each chapter. Some are well-known, others aren’t. A short sampling of these men is Patrick Henry, William Blackstone, John Dickinson, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Josiah Bartlett, Silas Deane, Charles Carroll, William Cathcart, Caesar Rodney, Timothy Pickering, Samuel Chase, Stephen Hopkins, Nicholas Biddle, William Paca, James Marriott, James Madison, John Jay, John Marshall, James Monroe, and Alexander Hamilton. An inclusive list of these men can be found in the appendix as well. The book also has footnotes and an index.

This is Shaw’s third book in a trilogy that examines 200 legal issues pertaining to global conflicts in which the United States participated. He brings together major legal issues, cases, and people who were involved in them in a single volume, but not with the intent of being either a history book or a legal monograph. Rather it is a book that gives readers a unique perspective on the war and the statutes and cases surrounding it. He also demonstrates that there are two sides to every issue with his inclusion of British laws and cases in addition to those of the United States. In his introduction, Shaw writes, “My intent with this book . . . is to entertain, educate and inform readers . . . .” (xvi) In this endeavor he succeeds. He deftly shows the complexity of war and the founding of a new nation while doing so in a manner that engages the reader.




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Inside the US Navy of 1812-1815 by William S Dudley: A Review

Inside the US Navy of 1812-1815 by William S. Dudley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Near the end of this book, Dudley writes: “The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the importance of logistics for the US Navy in the War of 1812. Logistics were important in all the far-flung campaign areas, and it was as true for the British forces as it was for the American. Those in charge had to have a proper grasp of logistics in order for the navy’s operations to succeed. Logistics included all the elements of naval war except the fighting – administration, communications, finance, shipbuilding, acquisition of timber, hemp, and sailcloth, recruitment, training, supply (requisitions, provisions, and material), transportation, ordnance (guns, powder, related equipment), medical necessities, and competent leadership.” (290)

When President Madison declares war in June of 1812, the United States is ill prepared. Six months earlier, the US Navy numbered just over 7,000 men. Comparing the number of their ships with those of the enemy is akin to a goldfish confronting a whale. Dudley, by viewing the war through a different lens, masterfully succeeds in demonstrating how and why administration and logistics were so key. He draws on period documents, some of which are quoted within the text, to showcase how Paul Hamilton and William Jones, the two civilians who hold the post of Secretary of the Navy during this period, do their jobs without sufficient staff and with limited funds. The task before them isn’t easy and each has his own challenges to deal with, but in spite of some losses and failures, the US Navy holds its own against a battle-hardened, veteran maritime force. By the time war ends, more than 15,000 men serve and the navy is on a far better footing than when hostilities began.

Paul Hamilton is Madison’s first Secretary of the Navy, serving as such from March 1809 until the end of 1812. His background – serving in the Revolutionary War and South Carolina’s legislature, as well as being governor of that state, and his knowledge of finances and having congressional friends – provides administrative experience, but he lacks actual expertise in ships and sailing. William Jones, on the other hand, is a former privateer during America’s first war with Britain, has sailed to a number of foreign ports as captain of merchant ships, and personally knows officers who serve in the navy.

The book is divided into fifteen chapters that interweave the logistics and administration of the navy with what occurs in the war. What follows is a summary of what each chapter encompasses.

“The Resources for Naval War” discusses the infancy of the US Navy and the establishment of the Navy Department, its participation in the Quasi-War with France and war with Tripoli, initial aspects of logistics – navy yards, ships, personnel, pay, rations, and weaponry – and contentious encounters that are harbingers of the War of 1812 (the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair and the Little Best Incident).

Paul Hamilton’s tenure as Secretary of the Navy is the focus of chapter two. Aside from medical needs of the navy and Jefferson’s gunboats, Hamilton’s interactions with his staff and Congress, Isaac Chauncey’s command of the navy yard at Sackets Harbor, and naval patrols between June 1812 and April 1813, are explored.

“William Jones’s Challenge” shows how he is chosen to serve as the chief administrator of the Us Navy and how he reforms his department. One quandary he has to face is that of a second front. Not only do his ships and men sail the seas, they also have to fight on the Great Lakes, including participation in two joint amphibious operations (York and Niagara).

Oliver Hazard Perry, the Battle of Lake Erie, and the Lake Huron Expedition are the primary foci of chapter four. The logistics of manning the navy’s ships, competition with privateers, and where munitions are obtained in order to arm naval vessels are discussed in the fifth chapter.

“The British Blockade of 1813-1814” analyzes the enemy’s experience with and effect of blockading American seaports along the Atlantic coast. Additional topics include smuggling and the cruise and loss of the USS Essex.

Supplies, provisions, agents, pursers, and medical needs on ships at sea are spotlighted in chapter seven, while the subsequent chapter focuses on innovation and inventions, especially Robert Fulton and his experiments in undersea warfare.

“Chauncey’s War on Lake Ontario” returns to the Naval Base at Sackets Harbor and campaigns on the Great Lakes during 1814, as well as plans for continued fighting in the new year. Afterward, Thomas Macdonough’s activities on Lake Champlain, smuggling, and the two opposing naval forces are discussed in chapter ten.

The spotlight on the war moves from the Canadian theater to that of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington in chapter eleven. Primary emphasis is placed on Joshua Barney and the US Navy’s Chesapeake Flotilla, but the British invasion of Washington, the ransom of Alexandria, the successful defense of Baltimore, and the Royal Navy’s withdrawal are reviewed.

After the attacks on the nation’s capital and Baltimore, attention shifts to the southern seaports in chapter twelve. Particular attention is placed on Britain’s new objective – capturing New Orleans and controlling the Mississippi River – and the role the US Navy plays in protecting the area both before and during the Battle of New Orleans.

To better understand what it is like to serve on navy ships during this time period, “Sailors’ Life and Work” examines everyday life at sea, discipline and punishment, and casualties. Also covered are Blacks in the US Navy and what happens when sailors become prisoners of war.

The last two chapters – “War Finance and the Blockade” and “Renewal of the US Navy” – pertain to Albert Gallatin and the country’s war debts, the impact of the Royal Navy’s blockade, peace negotiations, Washington in the aftermath of the British invasion, William Jones’s legacy, demobilization, and the final naval engagements at sea.

Dudley includes illustrations, maps, and tables that help to put a human face on the US Navy in the second decade of the nineteenth century. Notes, which include full source citations, and an index complete the study. The only drawback in this addition to Johns Hopkins Books on the War of 1812 series, is the font; if it was larger or darker, it would cause readers less eye strain.

Inside the US Navy of 1812-1815 serves a vital function, illuminating an aspect of the war that is often glossed over in other studies. Dudley makes a compelling and engaging argument for the importance of administration and logistics, which, in turn, makes this book an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the second war between the United States and Great Britain.




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Spanish Galleons vs. English Galleons -- a review

Spanish Galleon vs English Galleon: 1550–1605 by Mark Lardas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Galleon. The word conjures a specific image in our minds, even though it represents the epitome of a fighting ship from a bygone era. This beautifully illustrated book explores the design and development of the galleons, their technical specifications, and the differences between their armament and the men who manned them. Lardas also examines and analyzes three specific engagements – Golden Hind’s encounter with Nuestro Señora de la Concepción, San Mateo during the Battle of Gravelines, and Revenge against five of Spain’s Twelve Apostles – to show how these warships were used and their effectiveness as fighting machines. However, to fully grasp their significance in world affairs, it is first essential to understand the relationship between Spain and England in the sixteenth century.

Spain stands at the zenith of her power. England, on the other hand, is just beginning her long trek to dominate the maritime world and become a superpower. Spain’s reach extends far beyond its European borders and the riches of its colonial empire entice other countries to seek their own wealth and property in distant lands. The need to protect and the yearning for great treasure requires shipwrights to devise vessels that can travel far distances, carry large cargoes, and defend themselves against raiders.

These must-haves lead to the galleon, a new class of warship that can cross oceans and deliver broadsides to any who dare attack them. What distinguishes a galleon from her predecessors is that she has multiple decks, including a lower gun deck, and three or four masts capable of carrying square and lateen sails. She has high fore- and sterncastles, but she is not always a large ship. Each is financed by a syndicate, rather than a navy, and she is built to carry cargo even though she is well-armed and has the power to seriously damage an opponent’s hull. Spain’s galleon and England’s race-built galleon are sturdy vessels that can survive tumultuous seas and weather, but hazards and shipboard life remain dangerous to a man’s health. Magellan leaves Spain in 1519 with 270 men; when his ship returns home, only eighteen remain alive, but Magellan is not one of them. Drake’s 1577 expedition consists of 150 men, of which only about one third survive.

This comparison between Spanish and English galleons concludes with a brief summary of why they faded from use and how we pay homage to them today with replicas. In addition, Lardas provides a bibliography, index, and chronology of historical events from Christopher Columbus’s landfall in the Bahamas in 1492 until Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa’s death in 1608. Contemporary artwork, color photographs, paintings, maps, and diagrams are found on nearly every page, while special highlights are scattered throughout to provide further investigation into specific subjects, such as cannon, how a galleon maneuvered, navigation, and two ships – the Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and the Golden Hind – and two captains – Sir Francis Drake and Sarmiento de Gamboa.

Most books about galleons focus on Spanish vessels, but Lardas provides a clear, concise, and well-encapsulated overview of the differences and similarities between both nations’ ships. The narrative is enlightening, easy to read, and engaging. The highlighted engagements between the ships are an added bonus that provide readers with a good understanding of the differences in fighting techniques and the dynamics of their evolution. This is an excellent introduction to galleons, as well as a first-class addition to any maritime collection.




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Captain Redlegs Greaves -- a review

Captain Redlegs Greaves - A Pirate by Mistake by Juliet Mofford

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Victors inflict harsh changes on those who lose. Such is the fate for more than 7,000 Scots – men, women, and children – following the Battle of Worcester in 1651, when they are transported to Barbados. Although the law guarantees them light at the end of seven years, a dead Scot is far better than a live one and they are treated so harshly that few of these exiled Royalists – who become known as “redlegs” – ever regain their freedom. This is the tale of one who did.

The concept of liberty is foreign to fourteen-year-old Daniel Greaves, who has only known servitude, but freedom is a dream that his father refuses to surrender. This is why the pair are on the run when the story opens in 1663. The hope is to get aboard a ship that will take them to Scotland. But plantation owners are notorious for not surrendering property, especially the cruel and heartless Reginald Pickett. When caught, Daniel suffers ten lashes. His father’s punishment is far worse, for this is his third escape attempt, which means he is branded a fugitive traitor in addition to being flogged. Infection sets in, which combined with the loss of hope, leads to death. Before his father succumbs, Daniel promises to one day gain his freedom. He keeps a low profile, while watching and waiting for that day to come.

Fortune shines on Daniel when Pickett sells him to a new owner. William Chandler, a kind man in need of an apprentice for his shipping business. Daniel is treated more like an adopted son than a slave, and he becomes adept in his new trade. As he comes of age, he falls in love with Clarissa, Chandler’s daughter. He also befriends a cabin boy from a mysterious ship that sometimes visits the island. Daniel teaches him to read in exchange for learning to tie knots. When a tragic loss leads to debts which leads to more tragedy, Daniel learns he is to be sold back to Pickett – a situation he cannot and will not tolerate. Left with no other choice, he bids a poignant farewell to Clarissa, who promises to wait for him, and flees the island. But the ship on which he stows away isn’t a merchant ship. Nor is she bound for Scotland. It is the cabin boy’s vessel and when the mean-spirited captain, who is often drunk, discovers him, Daniel can either be thrown overboard or join the pirates.

This biographical novel tells the story of Captain Redlegs Greaves, a gentleman pirate who is an ancestor of the author’s husband. Greaves has a moral compass that influences his choices as a pirate and eventually leads him to retire a rich man, who takes the king’s pardon. Before then, he finds himself embroiled in a mutiny, commanding a pirate ship, facing the hangman’s noose, experiencing the sea quake that decimated the first settlement on Nevis in 1680, and serving aboard a New England whaler.

The author achieves her goal of depicting a pirate tale based on fact rather than romance. The epilogue reads more like an author’s note, letting readers know what happens to Greaves after he reunites with Clarissa, but fails to identify what elements of Daniel’s story are fact and what are fiction. The reader isn’t always fully engaged in the story because information dumps occasionally interrupt its flow and the dialect in dialogue is sometimes difficult to decipher. No explanation is given as to how Greaves manages to meld back into society while retaining his real name throughout his life. Clarissa also seems to get over her horror of his piracy too easily.

In spite of these shortcomings, Mofford’s depiction of what Greaves endures and how he overcomes the hurdles he encounters is commendable. She pulls no punches, yet entwines a thread of hope compelling readers to keep turning pages. The potency of this tale that makes it intriguing is her use of a pirate protagonist often overlooked in histories of Caribbean piracy. This book may be fiction, but it is based on facts that have rarely been shared with others, which is why it is worth reading.




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Review of Andres Resendez's Conquering the Pacific

Conquering the Pacific: An Unknown Mariner and the Final Great Voyage of the Age of Discovery by Andrés Reséndez

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One great desire of the sixteenth century was to find a faster passage to Asia in hopes of dominating the European trade of exotic spices and goods. Ferdinand Magellan and his men made significant inroads in accomplishing this when they circumnavigated the world for Spain, but this accomplishment created a dilemma. That journey took about two years to accomplish and only eighteen of the original 270 voyagers make it home. Surely, with all her American colonies, there had to be a way to greatly shorten this timeframe and the Spanish king was determined to find the elusive pieces to the puzzle that would allow his galleons to travel from the East Indies to Mexico, where the cargoes could be offloaded, shipped across to the east coast, and embarked on galleons bound for Spain.

The dilemma sounds easy to solve, but at the time, no European knows where to find the winds and currents that will allow ships to sail from west to east. The Pacific Ocean complicates this because it is so vast that it can accommodate every continent and island the world has if gathered together in one spot. Or, if one is foolhardy enough to swim across this blue expanse from one continent to another, it will take fantastical luck and a swimmer willing to go twenty-hours a day, every day for six months to accomplish the feat.

Conquering the Pacific is the story of finding this west-east route, how it was accomplished, who was involved, and what the aftermath of opening this passage meant for the men involved and for future generations. In 1557, a cluster of ramshackle abodes dotted the landscape near a lagoon and bay on the west coast of Mexico. Secluded Navidad is a good place to build in secret, yet its remoteness makes it a logistical nightmare for getting necessary supplies and people there and the location isn’t the healthiest. Don Luis de Velasco, the viceroy of Mexico, is tasked with carrying out King Felipe II’s plan. It’s a monumental undertaking for someone with no nautical expertise; nor is he without faults. Two men, both of whom have crossed the Pacific Ocean prior to this endeavor, serve as advisors: Juan Pablo de Carrión, a resourceful and legendary adventurer, and Friar Andrés de Urdaneta, once an explorer with firsthand navigational experience and now a priest. They don’t see eye-to-eye on many points, especially when it comes to the route that will be followed. Carrión suggests the Philippines, which lies on the same latitude as Mexico, but Urdaneta favors a more southern course to land at New Guinea. And who will command this expedition? The viceroy favors neither of these men, choosing instead Miguel López de Legazpi, a scribe in charge of accountants at the Minting House in Mexico City. He’s not an explorer and has no navigational knowledge. To further complicate matters, a royal emissary investigating the viceroy’s excesses and the members of the ruling Audiencia get involved.

Finally, in the fall of 1564, the two galleons built at Navidad – 500-ton San Pedro and 400-ton San Pablo – are ready to set sail. Two other vessels complete the fleet, the San Juan, which carries forty people, and the San Lucas, a tender capable of carrying half that number. The expedition consists of 380 handpicked men of different class, nationality, and race with a variety of occupational skills. Among them is an Afro-Portuguese man named Lope Martín, an extraordinary man, skilled in mathematics, astronomy, and cartography, who is a licensed pilot. His job is to guide the San Lucas from Navidad to the East Indies and back again. All goes according to plan until the Audiencia’s secret orders are revealed and Legazpi orders the San Lucas to scout ahead of the fleet.

Reséndez weaves a fascinating account of who became the first to find the west-east transpacific route. It devolves into a race marked by human and natural hazards, exotic locales, unfamiliar customs, tenuous relations between islanders and crews, short supplies, mutinies, maroonings, and accusations of embezzlement, treason, and murder. Scientific theory and concepts are explained in easily understood language with modern-day examples readers will comprehend. He also discusses how Spain and Portugal come to “own” the lands outside of Europe, as well as how this causes a dilemma regarding ownership of the Philippines, the history of navigation, and what knowledge pilots need to go from point A to B. Twenty-five maps are strategically placed throughout the book. Also included are twenty-two illustrations, a note about dates and measurements, end notes, and an analytical index. (The last was not available for viewing in the galley I previewed.) Highly recommended for any maritime history collection that deals with the ages of exploration and sail.




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Review of Taryn Plumb's Shipwrecks and Other Maritime Disasters of the Maine Coast

Shipwrecks and Other Maritime Disasters of the Maine Coast by Taryn Plumb

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Shipwrecks fascinate us. They stir our curiosity, raising questions, some of which can never be answered. The first is unknown, although the oldest one found dates to 400 BC. They are evidence that no matter how hard we try to tame the ocean, powerful forces disabuse us of this. We still continue to try.

Shipbuilding, trade, and travel have long been tied to Maine’s history, yet the state’s coastal waters are also the final resting place for many vessels. One thousand six hundred are documented, but we may never know the full count because prior to 1874, it wasn’t necessary to report such sea disasters and witness accounts didn’t always agree. The 3,500 miles of shoreline is treacherous, with many hidden dangers, and the names of offshore islands – Deadman Ledge, Devil’s Island, Hell Gate, Burial Island – portend this peril. Then there are the structural failures, human error, manmade dangers, and the whims of Mother Nature that are also responsible for endangering lives and ships that venture near these shores.

An integral part of the history of shipwrecks is man’s attempts to prevent them. The first lighthouse in Maine began operating in 1791. The US Life-Saving Service, a forerunner of the US Coast Guard, helped rescue crew, passengers, and property beginning in 1848. The seventeen chapters of this book recount “stories of tragedy and triumph, loss and salvation, [and] can serve as cautionary tales and reminders of the sea’s mighty dominance and will.” (xv)

Following her introduction, Plumb shares the earliest account of a Maine shipwreck, which Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony recorded in 1624. She also chronicles losses during the Great Colonial Hurricane in 1635 and the story of the James, which found herself in the midst of a hurricane. Among her passengers was the Reverend Richard Mather, whose offspring would become famous Boston theologians.

Plumb writes a history of shipwrecks and other maritime disasters that is at times gripping, at times hopeful, and often poignant. Those familiar with Maine’s history may be familiar with many of these tales, such as that of Katherine Bright who kept the light on Boon Island burning for five days after a storm killed her husband, or the Penobscot Expedition during the Revolutionary War, which ranked as the US Navy’s worst defeat until Pearl Harbor, or the 1813 battle between HMS Boxer and the USS Enterprise, in which both captains died. Many readers, however, are introduced to new accounts of cannibalism, heroism, deplorable exploitation, puzzling disappearances, ghosts, nightmares foretelling doom, frozen lovers, a concrete ship, and a German U-boat on the hunt. There’s even the story of the Royal Tar, an early steamship that caught fire while transporting a circus.

This is a worthy addition to any maritime collection. A list of sources is provided and, although there is no index, the recounting of shipwrecks and disasters unfold mostly in chronological order. A great, yet haunting, read on a dark and stormy night.




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Review of Rebecca Simon's Why We Love Pirates

Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever by Rebecca Simon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Have you ever read a book that holds your attention from beginning to end, but from time to time a statement strikes you as odd or wrong or leaves you wanting more clarification? Think about this while I introduce this recent addition to pirate lore.

Buried treasure. Eye patches. Peg legs. Walking the plank. These are but a few of the tropes we associate with pirates. Particularly those of the golden age of piracy. For the most part, these piratical associations are fictional and stem from a late 19th-century book – Treasure Island. So who were the real sea bandits and what did people think of them when they were most prevalent? How do they differ from their pop culture image? Is there one pirate, above all the rest, who most influenced those who came after him?

Dr. Simon believes Captain William Kidd “is responsible for pirates’ eternal fame in popular culture.” (20) He was ruthless, especially toward his own men, going so far as to kill one of them for defying him. He was a snappy dresser. He considered himself an honest man who got a bum rap. His actions, the worldwide manhunt he instigated, and the plethora of publications and rumors of buried treasure that he inspired serve as the intertwining thread of Why We Love Pirates. Simon’s goals are to investigate “piracy through the lens of Captain Kidd’s pirate life . . . discover exactly who pirates were and why people chose this profession . . . uncover the true story of Captain Kidd, and of how and why the British government sought to exterminate pirates at all costs . . . unbury how exploding print industry influenced public opinion about pirates and how cultural and social norms of the era made us love pirates so much. And . . . how their deaths gave them permanent infamy.” (21-22)

She begins by showing the complexity of one question: Who Were Pirates? This topic is not as simple as black and white. It depends on who was asked and what interaction they had, if any, with these marauders, as well as the historical events occurring at a specific time and place. From there, she delves into Captain Kidd, who he was, what he did, how he “became a martyr for the pirate community,” and the myths and legends that his exploits inspired. (57) Chapter three discusses government attempts to suppress piracy, as well as who the pirates were who came after Kidd. Subsequent chapters cover pirate codes, relationships, executions, alcohol, fake news and twisting facts to suit a purpose, execution sermons and last words, and portrayals in literature, film, and other media. The book also includes a Timeline of the Golden Age of Piracy, Cast of Characters, maps, illustrations, bibliography, and endnotes, but no index.

If you seek an introduction to the buccaneers and the pirates who followed them, this is an entertaining and engaging pirate history with contemporary quotes to illustrate the narrative. If you want to stimulate a lively discussion, Why People Love Pirates provides food for thought.

So why my opening question? There are several reasons. Some of Simon’s statements come across as facts when, in reality, they are assumptions that cannot be proven one way or the other. One example: she asserts that Anne Bonny and Mary Read were gay. There’s no historical proof of this. It’s a hypothesis that some historians believe and others do not. A few other sentences left me scratching my head. For example, she writes that Stede Bonnet “suffered a leg injury during his first battle alongside Blackbeard and was lame for the rest of his life.” (109) No other resource I’ve read over the past twenty years mentions this fact, and Simon doesn’t provide her source for this information.

Another reason for my reservations pertains to inaccurate statements, especially those pertaining to Captain Kidd, the underlying theme for this book. Most readers won’t pick up on these, but those familiar with pirate history will. Captain Kidd did not work for the British East India Company, although his commission to hunt pirates included those who preyed on their ships and one of his financial backers was the director of the New East India Company. After Kidd attacked the Quedagh Merchant, the book says that “as a compromise [the crew] let some of the hostage crew leave on the Adventure Galley. The ship immediately set sail to England to deliver the news.” (68) Kidd and his men sailed Adventure Galley back to Madagascar, where she was beached and burned because she was no longer seaworthy. Nor was he immediately arrested when he arrived in Boston in1699. He got there on 1 July, heard the Reverend Cotton Mather’s sermon on 2 July, met with Lord Bellomont on 3 July, and was finally taken prisoner on 6 July. His commission did not allow him to attack Dutch ships as stated on page 73; at the time, England’s king was Dutch and the two countries were allies. The commission gave Kidd the authority to attack French ships, which is why the passes he confiscated from the Quedagh Merchant were so important for his defense. Robert Culliford did not hang “for being associated with Kidd.” (150) Culliford got off scot-free after testifying against another pirate and disappeared from the historical record. Kidd was executed with one of his men and two French pirates.

Still, Simon achieves the goals outlined in her introduction. You may not agree with all her conclusions, but she is persuasive and spurs you to delve deeper into the real history of pirates.




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Review of Ashley Oliphant's and Beth Yarbrough's Jeanl Laffite Revealed

Jean Lafitte Revealed: Unraveling One of America’s Longest-Running Mysteries by Ashley Oliphant

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Jean Laffite was a master of deception. He muddied the water to such an extent that separating truth from fiction is a monumental undertaking – one that often leads to disagreement among historians as to which “truth” is real. His time in New Orleans and Galveston is well documented, but even 200 years later some mysteries remain, especially as regards his life once he departed Texas. The authors of Jean Laffite Revealed believe that they have unearthed the truth about this period and it is up to readers to read and weigh the evidence in order to determine whether their hypothesis is correct.

Their search for Jean Laffite actually sprang not from an interest in this “gentleman pirate,” but from tales of another man, Lorenzo Ferrer, who lived in Lincolnton, North Carolina, from 1839 until his death in 1875 at the age of 96. Supposedly, this man was really Laffite. This book is a culmination of their research, detailing how they backtracked his true identity and what documentary evidence they uncovered to support their suppositions.

To conduct their research, they followed the protocol of any scholarly research, but they chose to write in the vernacular of a wider audience. As they pen in their preface, “Prepare yourself for one of the most unbelievable yet verifiably true stories you can imagine, a tale complete with international Freemason plots, double agents, explorers charging into open frontier, jail breaks, miraculous rescues, faked deaths, shady financial scams, and murder – all of it hinging upon control of the Gulf of Mexico and the sustainability of one of the most effective black market operations the United States has ever known. Parts of our hypothesis contradict commonly accepted Laffite historical chronology and challenge long-held beliefs about what ultimately happened to him. . . . Hang on to your hat because this is not our mama’s sleepy history book.” (xii)

Their investigation is divided into three parts. Part I summarizes the known facts about Laffite during his years as a pirate/privateer. They sift through two centuries of the best published resources to recount his life in Louisiana, Texas, and the Gulf of Mexico. Part II concerns when Ferrer first appears in Mississippi, since before then they find no documentary evidence to prove his existence. This section also discusses connections he made that eventually bring him to North Carolina, which is the subject of Part III. Here is where they delve into their theory and demonstrate that contemporaries of Ferrer’s began speculating about his true identity in the nineteenth century.

In addition to the narrative, the authors include a sampling of the documents they collected during their search. Unfortunately, the poor quality of some of these copies makes it difficult to see what they saw. Several appendices and endnotes are included, as is a list of the works they cite. The preface does include a cast of characters. What is missing is an index, which would make it easier for other researchers to find information.

This book requires readers to make a leap of faith, yet there is one segment for which there is no documentation in support of their hypothesis. It is this gap that is the most telling. Whether Laffite died at sea following a battle or he survived and lived a long life remains a matter of debate and conjecture. Since they have been unable to find any proof of Ferrer’s existence prior to his arrival in Mississippi, they believe he is Laffite. Yet there is no definitive evidence to prove this. They do point out similarities between these two men, who may well have known some of the same people. They did turn up an interesting clue in one letter that could be a code name for Laffite.

Jean Laffite Revealed is an interesting addition to Laffite history. Each reader must decide the veracity of what is proposed. The strengths of this book are the depth of research that the authors conducted and that they recognize this as a starting point for other seekers who wish to prove their hypothesis. This is also a great resource for those seeking information on North Carolina history and genealogy.




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Review of Ashley Oliphant's and Beth Yarbrough

Review of Melissa Hope's Sea of Kings

Sea of Kings by Melissa Hope

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


At thirteen, Prince Noa Blackburn has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and, per his father’s decree, believes magic and mythical creatures are figments of imagination. His younger brother, Dagan, is the polar opposite. He loves adventure, which is just what the two discover when they explore a forbidden beach and find a noose hanging from a tree and a pendant under a skull.

Their discoveries raise questions, but finding answers won’t be easy. They live in Aztrius, a realm comprised of six islands, each with its own king. Their father, King Titus, hates surprises and has instituted rules that he expects his sons to obey. One is that no child is permitted to leave the island. Another is that Noa and Dagan must be escorted everywhere, which is why they make up an imaginary guardian who allows them to go to places they’re not supposed to, such as the forbidden beach.

The arrival of King Edjlin from a neighboring kingdom interrupts the boys’ further investigation into the mysterious pendant. He’s come for the birthday festivities for their sister. During a conch game, Noa witnesses Edjlin meeting with a stranger rather than paying attention to the game. He also overhears a conversation between his father and Edjlin about a map and a battle involving the Death King and his venom.

Shortly before his sister’s birthday ball – a time during which the entire population will be in the castle – Noa and his father argue. Heated words are exchanged and the pendant is confiscated. Angry, Noa flees the castle to find his friend Ayla, the blacksmith’s daughter. An unfamiliar noise raises their curiosity and they find a longboat where it should not be. Then they spy two ships in the harbor, both flying the black flags of pirates! They run to the castle to alert his father, but the attack has already launched and the pirates are closing in. King Titus shoves a map into Noa’s hands and tells him to follow it. There’s no other way to save his father, his sister, and his people. But how can he leave the island and sail into the unknown? How can stop the pirates?

With little choice, Noa and Ayla hurry back to town where they meet Dagan, as well as some boys who favor gambling to hobnobbing with grownups. Together, they devise a plan to elude the pirates and escape the island. There’s just one problem: not all of the boys are Noa’s friends. Some are competitors, who take exception to Noa being in charge. For the risky and daring plan to succeed, they must work together. A slight mistiming results in one of them becoming a sacrificial lamb. Upon discovering Noa’s escape, the pirates are determined to get their hands on the magical map by whatever means necessary.

Sea of Kings is a high-action fantasy for young pirates ages 8-14. There is something for everyone: lies, betrayal, magic, blue men (a type of kelpie), electric octopuses, furry creatures, a vicious one-eyed pirate, a despicable tyrant, fearsome storms, a sea battle, a stowaway, near mutiny, a shipwreck, and an underwater, upside down castle. Humor is also woven into the story, and the stowaway’s sayings – such as “Slap me with cilantro” or “Flour my bottom and stick me in the oven” – will make readers smile. Rather than using many synonyms to refer to the pendant that Noa finds, it would have been better to just use one. This is a small quibble, though, in an otherwise well-paced, absorbing tale that melds magic and knowledge with seemingly-impossible dilemmas from which Noa and his friends must extricate themselves, including being declared pirates themselves.




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