The time of the French Revolution/Napoleonic Wars/War of 1812 was one of Great Britain's nearly total control of the seas, and assured British supremacy of the seas that would last for a century. It was also the nearing the end of the time of wooden ships and iron men. During these times, ships were often away from port and direct Admiralty authority for years on end, and so required things of a ship's captain that one just doesn't see in today's modern era of instant world-wide communication.

The way that one entered the Royal Navy during those times is not the same as it is today or even as it would be in the mid-1800s. The captain was required to man his ship in any way possible as the Admiralty did not provide a master with his crew. Often times, men for a ship's crews were hijacked from incoming merchant ships or rounded up by press gangs. There were volunteers as well, but those men made up only a portion of the crew.

Unlike the Army, the requirements for seamanship made it impossible for an officer to buy a commission. Working up through the ranks was a long and arduous process, often only made possible by the death of those senior in time. This also meant that if one lived long enough, one would eventually become an admiral. Under what were very different ways of doing things, if a captain's ship was destroyed or decommissioned, there was no guarantee of a new ship awaiting him and he may be land bound for the rest of his life.

In this latest edition to the Warrior series, author Gregory Fremont-Barnes takes a most interesting look at what it meant to be an officer in the Royal Navy at this time. It looks at how these men (actually boys) got their start as midshipmen, how they progressed through the ranks, the training they received, and how they dressed. It looks at every day life at sea from what they ate, how they were paid and how they were punished or provided punishment.

It then looks at each rank, from Midshipman to Admiral, and what their particular responsibilities were on ship and especially what they did during times of war. It also provides a look at what the experience of war did to these men and how it affected them. Thanks to a goodly number of period art work (much of which, understandably, involves Horatio Nelson and his time of ascendency), and the the excellent illustrations of Steve Noon, we can get an insight as to how things were during these times. And they were quite different from what many of us might imagine.

I found this to be a particularly good read. I learned a great deal and had several of my earlier conceptions about this time and these people changed. It is a book that I most highly recommend to you.

August 2009

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