Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820
Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur at age twenty-five became the youngest man ever to serve as a captain in the U.S. Navy. His intrepid heroism, leadership, and devotion to duty made him a perfect symbol of the aspirations of the growing nation. Leading men to victory in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian war of 1815, and coining the phrase "Our country, right or wrong," Decatur created an enduring legend of bravery, celebrated in poetry, song, paintings, and the naming of dozens of towns—from Georgia to Alabama to Illinois.

After the War of 1812, Decatur moved to Washington to help direct naval policy. His close friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and other political leaders soon made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan made their elegant home on Lafayette Square near the White House a center of Washington society. The capital and the entire nation were shocked in 1820 when Decatur died at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain.

In this carefully researched and well-written biography, historian Robert Allison tells the story of Decatur's eventful life at a time when the young republic was developing its own identity—when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become. Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of that national identity.
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Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820
Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur at age twenty-five became the youngest man ever to serve as a captain in the U.S. Navy. His intrepid heroism, leadership, and devotion to duty made him a perfect symbol of the aspirations of the growing nation. Leading men to victory in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian war of 1815, and coining the phrase "Our country, right or wrong," Decatur created an enduring legend of bravery, celebrated in poetry, song, paintings, and the naming of dozens of towns—from Georgia to Alabama to Illinois.

After the War of 1812, Decatur moved to Washington to help direct naval policy. His close friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and other political leaders soon made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan made their elegant home on Lafayette Square near the White House a center of Washington society. The capital and the entire nation were shocked in 1820 when Decatur died at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain.

In this carefully researched and well-written biography, historian Robert Allison tells the story of Decatur's eventful life at a time when the young republic was developing its own identity—when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become. Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of that national identity.
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Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820

Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820

by Robert J. Allison
Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820

Stephen Decatur: American Naval Hero, 1779-1820

by Robert J. Allison

Paperback(First Edition)

$32.95 
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Overview

Born to a prominent Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur at age twenty-five became the youngest man ever to serve as a captain in the U.S. Navy. His intrepid heroism, leadership, and devotion to duty made him a perfect symbol of the aspirations of the growing nation. Leading men to victory in Tripoli, the War of 1812, and the Algerian war of 1815, and coining the phrase "Our country, right or wrong," Decatur created an enduring legend of bravery, celebrated in poetry, song, paintings, and the naming of dozens of towns—from Georgia to Alabama to Illinois.

After the War of 1812, Decatur moved to Washington to help direct naval policy. His close friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and other political leaders soon made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan made their elegant home on Lafayette Square near the White House a center of Washington society. The capital and the entire nation were shocked in 1820 when Decatur died at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain.

In this carefully researched and well-written biography, historian Robert Allison tells the story of Decatur's eventful life at a time when the young republic was developing its own identity—when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become. Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of that national identity.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781558495838
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Publication date: 03/07/2007
Edition description: First Edition
Pages: 280
Product dimensions: (w) x (h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Robert J. Allison is professor of history at Suffolk University and author of The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim World, 1776–1815.

Table of Contents


Prologue: "The navy has lost its mainmast"     1
"To raise his voice to defend the right"     9
"You knew the French Republic were at war"     17
"Those Yankees will never stand the smell of powder"     28
"If it had not been for the Capture of the Philadelphia"     39
"The great smoke cloud spreads its wings"     47
"I find hand to hand is not child's play"     55
"The character of a great and rising nation"     66
"I neglected the opportunities of improvement"     75
"Give us a man to lead us to glory"     84
"I cannot suffer men to be taken from me by force"     93
"No ship has better men than she now has"     104
"Aim at the yellow streak"     110
"The trophies won by the Athenians"     121
"A caged eagle"     129
"To die well"     138
"Every sword should be prepared"     145
"Let us go down like men"     152
"Emerging from the cloud"     160
"Without the assistance of Bainbridge"     169
"Honor to the Name of Commodore Decatur"     177
"You will have to pass over my dead body"     186
"A duty I owe to the service"     200
"I never was your enemy,sir"     212
Afterword     216
Notes     223
Acknowledgments     245
Index     347

What People are Saying About This

William Fowler

Without question Stephen Decatur was a formidable and important figure in the United States Navy.... Professor Allison's work offers the best modern study of Decatur.... It is likely to appeal not only to a naval history audience but also to those interested in social history and those more broadly concerned with the early republic.

George Emery

This biography fills a significant gap in the published lives of early and immigrant American naval figures. Decatur was arguably the most admired and capable naval officer of his day.... Professor Allison's scholarly research and use of contemporary correspondence, newspapers, and other printed material are impressive.

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