Named a "Notable Naval Book of 2012" by Proceedings Magazine
The U.S. Navy’s campaign against the Barbary pirates is one of the greatest sea stories in naval history. This book tells the story of Commodore Edward Preble and the legendary efforts of “Preble’s Boys” to subdue the pirate leader of Tripoli, who declared war on the United States in 1801. To cull myth from fact, Chipp Reid uses the words of the men in the campaign—Preble, Stephen Decatur, Richard Somers, Charles Stewart, James Lawrence—to tell the story. Whether it is the daring raid to burn the captured American frigate Philadelphia, the escape attempts of American prisoners, or the loss of Intrepid, his book offers rare insights into the lives of these early American naval officers, heroes who come to life in this entertaining history.
Chipp Reid, an award-winning journalist, has covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and investigated homeland security issues, among other subjects. He works in Washington and lives in Annapolis, MD.
~ Praise for Intrepid Sailors ~
“Readers with an eye for adventure and an appreciation of American military history will find Intrepid Sailors a fetching addition to their library.”
— Sea History
“The Preble story is obviously not new, but Reid’s manner of approaching history is both refreshing and astute. Reid serves his subject well with interesting insights and an eye for detail that makes compelling reading. All-in-all, a most welcome treatment of a long-forgotten war that established so much of our illustrious Naval tradition.”
— Sea Classics
“Highly recommend, especially for public library nautical and military history collections.”
— Midwest Book Review, January 2013
“Packed with action, Chipp Reid’s Intrepid Sailors is impossible to put down. Thoroughly researched, beautifully written, it casts new light on Commodore Edward Preble’s attacks on Tripoli in 1804, showing how these seminal events shaped a generation of naval heroes, including Stephen Decatur Jr., Isaac Hull, Charles Stewart, Thomas Macdonough, James Lawrence, and Charles Morris.”
—George C. Daughan, author of 1812: The Navy’s War and If by Sea: The Forging of the American Navy—From the Revolution to the War of 1812
“Commodore Edward Preble’s campaign against Tripoli in 1804 constituted a school in audacious naval tactics for a band of young officers who would distinguish themselves in the War of 1812. Chipp Reid’s lively account of the exploits of ‘Preble’s Boys’ provides an interesting introduction to one of the most fondly remembered generations of American naval leaders that includes Stephen Decatur, Isaac Hull, and Thomas Macdonough.”
—David Curtis Skaggs, author of Thomas Macdonough: Master of Command in the Early U.S. Navy and Oliver Hazard Perry: Honor, Courage, and Patriotism in the Early U.S. Navy
[3]
