“Perilous Fight” is a thoroughly readable historical account of our fledgling nation’s intrepid war with Great Britain over the issue of free trade and “impressment” of American seaman into the service of the Royal Navy. It is a well-written, deeply detailed account of the birth of our Navy against huge odds and little popular support.
This account alters previous perceptions of commanders like Decatur, Bainbridge, Porter and Hull beyond the cartoonist notions given in our somewhat deficient history classes. They were just men with frailties, faults and failings who managed to rise to the occasion when necessary, seemingly with the intervention of “divine providence” in both Joshua Humphries ship design and numerous fortuitous turns of fortune.
Budiansky mentions an American seventy-four gun “ship of the line,” The Independence” on which John Adams in his eighth decade, declared, “These ships are the bulwarks of OUR religion!” Never really knowing that the U. S. Navy actually had “ships of the line” I found a photograph of the “Independence” taken in 1912 at Mare Island shortly before being scrapped. The ship was being used as a receiving barracks and was burned shortly thereafter to recover her metal fittings. The “Independence” was 98 years old. Only the U. S. S. Constitution survives from that period.
Four stars from this old codger for a fine sojourn to our founding struggles. ( )