Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820

Contents

 prologue “The navy has lost its mainmast” 1 chapter 1 “To raise his voice to defend the right” 9 chapter 2 “You knew the French Republic were at war” 17 chapter 3 “Those Yankees will never stand the smell of powder” 28 chapter 4 “If it had not been for the Capture of the Philadelphia” 39 chapter 5 “The great smoke cloud spreads its wings” 47 chapter 6 “I find hand to hand is not child’s play” 55 chapter 7 “The character of a great and rising nation” 66 chapter 8 “I neglected the opportunities of improvement” 75 chapter 9 “Give us a man to lead us to glory” 84 chapter 10 “I cannot suffer men to be taken from me by force” 93 chapter 11 “No ship has better men than she now has” 104 chapter 12 “Aim at the yellow streak” 110 chapter 13 “The trophies won by the Athenians” 121 chapter 14 “A caged eagle” 129 chapter 15 “To die well” 138 chapter 16 “Every sword should be prepared” 145 chapter 17 “Let us go down like men” 152 chapter 18 “Emerging from the cloud” 160 chapter 19 “Without the assistance of Bainbridge” 169 chapter 20 “Honor to the Name of Commodore Decatur” 177 chapter 21 “You will have to pass over my dead body” 186 viii contents chapter 22 “A duty I owe to the service” 200 chapter 23 “I never was your enemy, sir” 212 afterword 216 notes 223 acknowledgments 245 index 247 Illustrations follow page 120 S D ...