Elihu Ashley (1750–1817) was a twenty-three-year-old medical apprentice in Deerfield; Massachusetts; when he began keeping a personal journal in March 1773. Over the next two-and-a-half years; he recorded; in clear and simple prose; just about everything he did and everyone he saw. Although carefully preserved; the journal was later suppressed by the town historian; presumably because he found some of the entries morally objectionable. Rediscovered by Amelia F. Miller; and coedited by Miller and A. R. Riggs; this document now appears in print for the first time; accompanied by related letters of Ashley's extended family as well as brief biographies of more than 750 people mentioned by the young doctor in his writings.With flashes of humor and close attention to detail; Ashley describes a broad range of activities and experiences in the small village of Deerfield and the surrounding towns of the Connecticut River valley. Articulate as well as observant; this former schoolteacher conveys a sense of immediacy that brings even the most mundane daily events to life. He discusses medical theory and practice; revolutionary politics; farming; his family; his circle of friends; and amusements ranging from singing and dancing to sleigh riding and bouts of drunkenness. He also writes about his love life; including a dalliance with the older sister of his fiancee; Polly Williams; while the latter is away visiting relatives in the Berkshires.For Ashley; personal relationships and politics were the prominent issues of 1773 and 1774; as events in Massachusetts drew the province toward rebellion. He discusses the gathering of angry mobs in response to the so-called Intolerable Acts; the stoppage of the courts in Hampshire County; the anarchy that ensued; and the persecution of loyalists; with or without the sanction of law. When the revolution breaks out in April 1775; he describes the departure of companies of minutemen as they set out for Boston to challenge the British Army. Six months later; in November 1775; the journal abruptly ends. By then; however; Elihu Ashley had already bequeathed to posterity an extraordinary firsthand account of life in rural New England in the years immediately preceding the War of Independence.
#2243482 in Books Naval Institute Press 2000-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .88 x 9.87 x 11.69l; #File Name: 1557502889192 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Helpful dataBy G. ToddBuilding a 1:36 scale model of a Lively class frigate was made a little easier thanks to this book.As said though by another reviewer - it should have been titled BRITISH Frigate of the Napoleonic Wars.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Effectively just one section out of a much larger hypothetical bookBy Michael K. SmithA frigate during the "age of fighting sail" is roughly the 18th and early 19th century equivalent of the modern naval destroyer; the ideal command in the minds of most zealous captains; then and now -- small enough not to be expected to stand in the line of battle; large enough to be capable of formidable and dashing independent service. And that meant one-on-one actions against the enemy and the prospect of prize money. Unfortunately for modern naval historians and fans of Patrick O'Brian and C. S. Forester; no standard-size frigates of the Napoleonic period have survived; only ships of the line like VICTORY. (The CONSTITUTION; though called a "frigate;" is much larger than the classic design; a compromise resulting from the American need for a navy with the lack of funds to build a large one.) This is the author's third book about frigates and was meant to be part of a series; but was recast as a stand-alone volume. Except that it still seems to pick up in the middle of the subject; the first chapter is even called "The Return to Moderate Dimensions;" with no indication what the earlier dimensions of a frigate were. And coverage is exclusively on British-built ships; except for refitted captured vessels. Six chapters on overall frigate design up through 1815 are followed by six more on the design; construction; performance; and armament of individual ships -- or of ship classes; actually; as there were far too many frigates built to discuss the details of their numerous variations individually. The writing itself is academically precise and quite technical; wending among a large number of tables; hull design drafts; and specialists' working drawings. No effort is made to define or explain terms like "spar-deck armament;" "hollow waterline;" or even "scantlings" (to a comparison of which considerable discussion is devoted). This is definitely not a book for the beginner; even one familiar with square-rigged ships. I must say that many of the included original designers' plans are also less than useful because the cutlines often refer to points discussed in the holographic notes in the drawings which are reproduced at a size too small to be read. For me; the best part of the book is at the very end; Chapter 12; "Frigates in Action;" which discusses the application and result of all that abstruse architecture and skilled building; with sections on the frigate's role in independent; squadron; and fleet action; the function of such ships in reconnaissance and in intelligence-gathering and in blockade duty off the French coast; and the key part they played in coastal and amphibious operations generally; where ships of the line were simply too large and too inefficient in their seakeeping to be trustworthy. Still; I suspect this book will be most useful to students of naval architecture and to builders of detailed; large-scale models.23 of 23 people found the following review helpful. OutstandingBy Mike DaplynI think a fair summary of Gardiner's book would be: It's ALL there - but some of it takes a little finding. Rather like the odd upperworks of a rasée 74; its shape betrays a process of conversion. According to the foreword; it was originally intended as the sequel to his 1995 book on heavy frigates; and to carry the story well beyond 1815. For various reasons it ended up dealing with all frigates; and restricted to the Napoleonic period. Gardiner says he used the enforced delay in publication to do more research: I would humbly submit that he could have made his readers' lives easier by using some of the time to review the flow of his book. I confess to having been myself a little daunted at first sight.As examples: the very first chapter heading; "The Return to Moderate Dimensions" only makes sense if one is familiar; from Gardiner's earlier book or other sources; of the Royal Navy's flirtation with large frigates in the 1790s; and the chapter charges straight into the subject without a word of recapitulation. The internal structuring of the book is also a little odd. The whole first section of the book is titled 'Design History'; but what it really covers is the procurement history of the Royal Navy's frigates. The real history of design evolution is covered in the second chapter - confusingly; also titled 'Design' - of the second section of the book. The first chapter of the second section covers construction techniques; since these are the means by which design is translated into tangible form; the design chapter might have been better placed first.All this; however; is mere quibbling; for; again like the rasée 74; the end product packs a huge punch; whatever its shape. It is magnificently comprehensive; scholarly in the very best sense of the word (everything backed up by chapter and verse; evidence carefully sifted; no concealed suppositions); and well (often wittily) written. Every individual chapter is excellently done; and one has only to dive in; in order to find a wealth of information logically ordered and intelligently discussed.Section 1 (what I would term the procurement history) has comprehensive tabulations and illustrations of every class of frigate built for the Navy; or taken in as prizes; while the text gives an excellent analysis of the conflicting factors - strategic requirements; cost; foibles of First Lords of the Admiralty - which governed the number and type of frigates constructed. This interesting stuff; though some readers might find it a trifle dry - speaking strictly for me; there is a limit to the number of sheer plans I can digest.The book really takes off and flies in the second section. The chapters here cover construction; design; wartime modifications; armament; sailing performance; and the use of the frigates in action. All are packed with goodies. The overall picture is of a strong impetus towards innovation - in construction methods; gun design; water stowage; boats; hen-coops ... the list is almost endless; and Gardiner discusses them all; with excellent illustrations; nearly all contemporary. He describes entertainingly the technical debates; which ran fast and furious on many of these issues; with professional reputations rapidly made and as rapidly broken; and lawsuits flying like grapeshot between rival inventors. The Admiralty (which was directly responsible and politically accountable for meeting strategic needs) generally favoured innovation; and was open to suggestions both from serving officers and outsiders; while its supporting technical Boards (the Navy Board which designed and built the ships; and the Ordnance Board which armed them) tended to be more conservative. Neither side was was right all the time.It all comes together in the last chapter; which not merely describes; but analyses; all the multifarious tasks the frigates had to perform. Strategic and tactical reconnaissance (well illustrated by the examples of the Trafalgar and Nile campaigns); the increasing involvement of frigates in fleet and squadron actions (facilitated by their rapid rise in size relative to the 74s); blockade; coastal and amphibious operations; sea control; dogsbody work like hauling live cattle to provision the fleet - it is a wonderful corrective to the works; both fact and fiction; which see the solo cruise and single-ship combat as the essence of a frigate's work. The independent cruise is not neglected; with examples from famous exponents including Pellew and Cochrane; but again these are properly put in context: it was not by random search; but by expert analysis of wind systems and sailing times; that the successful cruising captains found their targets. It is only a shame that space has limited this chapter to one or two examples of each type of frigate work. The subject really demands a book-length treatment done with the thoroughness that Gardiner can give it. I sincerely hope he gets round to writing it one day.
