Every Man Will Do His Duty : An Anthology of First-Hand Accounts from the Age of Nelson 1793-1815

by Dean King

There is no higher expression of the Royal Navy's spirit than Admiral Lord Nelson's exhortation to the fleet before the Battle of "England expects that every man will do his duty." Every Man Will Do His Duty presents the voices of the officers and seamen during the wars of the Age of Nelson (1793-1815), when the Royal Navy gained a naval supremacy that would last more than a century. The remarkable eyewitness accounts in this meticulously researched work offer insights into life aboard a man-of-war. There are battles, fire-ship and cutting-out missions, shipwrecks, press gangs, and deadly encounters with cannibals, told in the words of the men who lived through them.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Nautical, Naval History, Military Fiction, War, Biography

Paperback

First published December 31, 1997

About the author

I like to read, wander cross-country, travel in cultures I don't understand, cycle, play squash, and I'm a foodie. But most of all I like to be in the throes of writing a book. This is invigorating work. The moment when the hard-won research combines with a bit of sweat and blood and occasionally a tear to become a fluid paragraph is like no other. What I hope to achieve is to suspend time and disbelief for the reader and carry her or him into another world, where they live more fully and in the moment.

Reviews

[Anna Wiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and informative read. The excerpts were varied and well-chosen for the most part, though not all of the writers could boast equal skill with the pen as perhaps they could with a sextant. I found some of the passages difficult to get through, particularly the Nagle excerpts, as the editors were not permitted to standardize his spelling or grammar at all; the authenticity was interesting, at least. There were chapters that I found very engaging, though, and there are parts of this that I would certainly return to for research, if not entirely for pleasure.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

First person history during the age of sail. You learn a lot via the details.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book's description is of "Twenty-two enthralling stories of the Royal Navy, bringing to vivid life the greatest battles and daily struggles of seafaring in the Napoleonic era." Unfortunately, this anthology did not captivate me in the same way as Tin Can Soldiers - or at all.

Many of the anecdotes are presented in their original form; the men who wrote them were sailors, not writers. And in any age when every man was free to render his words with whatever spelling he liked, no less. It was enough to drive this modern reader to distraction. Even those which were clearly written lacked the pizzazz and passion of Hornfisher's stories (a high bar, I know), and it often felt like, "and then this happened and then this happened and then that happened." Ultimately, I gave up about half-way through.

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This compilation of twenty-two first hand accounts of naval operations during the height of British power (The Age of Nelson) brings together astonishing stories of the life and times of men at sea.

I recommend this compilation to anyone who loves naval historical fiction or the Napoleanic age in general.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's nothing like first hand accounts of history to give you a feel for what people experienced. This book brings to life the journals of sailors, officers and others during the Napoleonic Wars. Excellent resource, and highly entertaining as well.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

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[Vasha7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, well-chosen collection of original accounts of naval life in the early 19th century.

[Dr E C MacMullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

intriguing