UMass Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press

Robert J. Allison

An engaging biography of a popular, flamboyant naval captain

Born to an immigrant Philadelphia family in 1779, Stephen Decatur became at age twenty-five 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.

Decatur's friendships with James Madison, John Quincy Adams, and others made him a rising star in national politics. He and his wife Susan built an elegant home near the White House, which became a center of Washington society. The capital and the nation were shocked when Decatur was killed at the age of forty-one in a duel with a rival navy captain.

Although he died prematurely, Decatur played a significant role in the shaping of the nation's identity at a time when the American people were deciding what kind of nation they would become.

"One of the central figures to emerge from the early national period, Stephen Decatur became a larger-than-life naval hero in his own time. . . . Allison offers a well-researched, well-balanced account of Decatur's role in shaping a U.S. national identity. Allison places Decatur in a calmer perspective by drawing upon such contemporaries as John Quincy Adams, James Madison, and Washington Irving, making this more than a naval biography; it is a good social history of the period. This is the best modern study of Decatur."

Library Journal

"Allison's excellent research and strong narrative bring both Decatur and the early republic to life. It is fascinating to see how the republican values prevalent in the upper echelons of Decatur's society—among them love of country, the quest for personal fame, and the readiness to sacrifice all in the defense of both personal and national honor-shaped the slight young man into a figure of heroic proportions."

Journal of American History

"This biography fills a significant gap. . . . Allison's scholarly research and use of contemporary correspondence, newspapers, and other printed material are impressive."

George Emery, Vice Admiral, United States Navy (Ret.)

"Professor Allison's book 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."

William Fowler, author of Jack Tars and Commodores:
The American Navy, 1783–1815

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.

American History / Military History
280 pp.
$22.95t paper, ISBN 978-1-55849-583-8
New in paperback March 2007

about placing orders on our secure server
ADD TO CART | VIEW CART | CHECKOUT