Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
  1. Home
  2. Series
  3. Cambridge Library Collection - Naval and Military History

This series includes accounts of sea and land campaigns by eye-witnesses and contemporaries, as well as landmark studies of their social, political and economic impacts. The series focuses mainly on the period from the Renaissance to the end of the Victorian era. It includes major concentrations of material on the American and French revolutions, the British campaigns in South Asia and nineteenth-century conflicts in Europe, such as the Peninsular and Crimean Wars. Although many of the accounts are semi-official narratives by senior officers and their relatives, the series also includes alternative viewpoints from dissenting leaders, servicemen in the lower ranks and military wives and civilians caught up in the theatre of war.

Refine search

Refine search

Content type:
Publication date:
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

172 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Naval and Military History

Page 6 of 9

The Dispatches and Letters of Vice Admiral Lord Viscount Nelson
  • Volume 4
  • Horatio Nelson
  • Edited by Nicholas Harris Nicolas
  • Published online:
    05 December 2011
    Print publication:
    10 November 2011
    First published in:
    1845
  • First published between 1844 and 1846, this seven-volume collection of the letters of Lord Nelson (1758–1805) was assembled and edited by antiquarian, historian and former naval lieutenant Sir Nicholas Harris Nicolas (1799–1848), using letters supplied to him by many of Nelson's correspondents. Nicolas was better known for his many works on genealogy and heraldry, but his own naval background drew him to this work. In Volume 1 he asserts that 'the life of a man is best described by himself' and Nelson is subsequently revealed to be a skilled and engaging correspondent. The books document Nelson's long and celebrated career in the Royal Navy, from his appointment as a lieutenant in 1777 to his death at Trafalgar in 1805. Published in 1845, Volume 4 covers Nelson's career from September 1799 to December 1801, when he was serving first in Naples and Palermo, and then in the Baltic.

History of the Zulu War and its Origin
  • Frances Colenso
  • Assisted by Edward Durnford
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    22 September 2011
    First published in:
    1880
  • First published in 1880, just a year after the titular conflict took place, this account by Frances Colenso (1849–87) of the 1879 war between British settlers and the Zulu population in South Africa is remarkable in its defence of the Zulu people, a very unusual view for a British writer at this time. Colenso was the daughter of controversial bible scholar John William Colenso, the first Anglican bishop of Natal. This book was intended to support her father's criticism of British policy, but while she credits her father's influence and opinions in shaping her book, Colenso is careful to state that the work is her own. Beginning with the causes of the conflict, which she identifies as an unjust and barbaric British invasion, Colenso describes the Zulu war chronologically to its conclusion. The military details of the war were provided by Lieutenant-Colonel Edward Durnford, a close friend of Colenso's.

The Seaman's Medical Advocate
  • Or, an Attempt to Shew that Five Thousand Seamen Are, Annually, During War, Lost to the British Nation through the Yellow Fever
  • Elliot Arthy
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    11 April 2011
    First published in:
    1798
  • Written by a naval surgeon in 1798, this medical treatise provides a frank and harrowing account of life in the British navy. Elliot Arthy started his career as a surgeon's mate in the Africa and West Indies merchant service. He eventually became a surgeon, and worked on a slave ship for many years. In this publication he shows that at least 5,000 seamen were lost to Britain annually through yellow fever and other illnesses, a loss the nation could little afford during wartime. Stressing the 'absolute necessity' for naval surgeons, Arthy's treatise is divided into six parts: the first examines the nature and causes of yellow fever; the second discusses how seamen come into contact with the disease; the third focuses on other causes of the loss of seamen on board ships of war; the fourth on statistics. The fifth and sixth parts suggest methods of prevention.

Biographia Navalis
  • Or, Impartial Memoirs of the Lives and Characters of Officers of the Navy of Great Britain, from the Year 1660 to the Present Time
  • Volume 6
  • John Charnock
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    24 February 2011
    First published in:
    1798
  • John Charnock (1756–1807) was a professional naval biographer and historian. After completing his studies at Trinity College, Oxford, he joined the Navy as a volunteer and began to research historical and contemporary naval affairs. This six-volume work, first published between 1794 and 1798, contains biographies of over two thousand post-captains and admirals who served in the Navy between 1660 and 1793. Charnock researched this monumental project using historical naval biographies made available by his friend Captain William Locker, lieutenant-governor of Greenwich Hospital. He also drew on his own experiences and his contacts among serving officers to provide valuable insights into contemporary events. However, his sometimes uncritical approach to sources means his work is best consulted together with other evidence. The biographies are arranged by year of first appointment, and alphabetically within each year. Volume 6 covers officers appointed between 1747 and 1763, and admirals to 1793.

The Life and Services of Horatio Viscount Nelson
  • From His Lordship’s Manuscripts
  • Volume 2
  • James Stanier Clarke, John McArthur
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1840
  • Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805) is considered one of the greatest naval commanders in British history, having establishing Britain's naval dominance with victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His death at the height of the Battle of Trafalgar ensured that his memory became revered. These volumes, first published in 1809 (and reissued here from the 1840 edition), contain Nelson's official biography, published with the blessing of his family. The authors Clarke and McArthur trace Nelson's life from his childhood until his dramatic death at Trafalgar, using Nelson's own reminiscences, his letters to his wife, and interviews and statements from close friends and colleagues. This biography remains a valuable source for Nelson's early career and character, and provides insights into how the cult of Nelson was created and sustained. Volume 2 covers Nelson's life between 1797 and 1803.

Founded Upon the Seas
  • A Narrative of Some English Maritime and Overseas Enterprises During the Period 1550 to 1616
  • Walter Oakeshott
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    02 September 2010
    First published in:
    1942
  • Sir Walter Oakeshott was a British scholar who is best known as the discoverer of the Winchester Manuscript of Malory's Morte d'Arthur while he was an assistant master at Winchester College. He later became Rector of Lincoln College, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1962 to 1964. Oakeshott had a scholarly interest in Elizabethan exploration, which he examines in this volume, first published in 1942. He describes the military and exploratory achievements of the Elizabethan and Stuart navy, including attempts to find the Northwest Passage, the settlement of Virginia and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Oakeshott also discusses the role of Renaissance thought and contemporary politics in these achievements, through changes in naval tactics and advances in cartography. The personalities of leading explorers including Sir Francis Drake, Sir John Hawkins and Sir Walter Raleigh are also vividly described in this clear and concise historical account.

Caucasian Battlefields
  • A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828–1921
  • William Edward David Allen, Paul Muratoff
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1953
  • The Caucasus region, which forms a natural boundary between Asia and Europe, has always been of great strategic importance. Russia's expansion into the region in the late eighteenth century brought conflict with the Ottoman Empire, creating a new area of contention between these two states, and the borderlands remained in a state of intermittent conflict until the end of the First World War. This volume, first published in 1953, discusses the four major conflicts which took place in the region during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Focusing on military strategy, the book describes in great detail battles, skirmishes and logistical problems of warfare in a mountainous and remote region. Illustrated with thirty-nine maps, it provides a wealth of information for military historians and remains an authoritative account.

The Life and Services of Horatio Viscount Nelson
  • From His Lordship’s Manuscripts
  • Volume 3
  • James Stanier Clarke, John McArthur
  • Published online:
    05 November 2011
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1840
  • Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson (1758–1805) is considered one of the greatest naval commanders in British history, having establishing Britain's naval dominance with victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. His death at the height of the Battle of Trafalgar ensured that his memory became revered. These volumes, first published in 1809 (and reissued here from the 1840 edition), contain Nelson's official biography, published with the blessing of his family. The authors Clarke and McArthur trace Nelson's life from his childhood until his dramatic death at Trafalgar, using Nelson's own reminiscences, his letters to his wife, and interviews and statements from close friends and colleagues. This biography remains a valuable source for Nelson's early career and character, and provides insights into how the cult of Nelson was created and sustained. Volume 3 covers the final years of Nelson's life, and the circumstances of his death.

The Life of Nelson
  • The Embodiment of the Sea Power of Great Britain
  • Volume 2
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1897
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. In this highly influential two-volume biography, first published in 1897, Mahan focuses on Nelson's professional life and provides a detailed historical and tactical analysis of his naval career based on Nelson's personal correspondence. Through this analysis Mahan also explains and explores his concept of 'sea power', a strategic concept which was closely studied and subsequently adopted by early twentieth-century military powers. His book provides both a fascinating discussion of Nelson's achievements and an invaluable analysis of the most influential developments in naval strategy a century later. Volume 2 covers Nelson's career from 1799 to his death in 1805.

Kaye's and Malleson's History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857–8
  • Volume 6
  • John Kaye, George Bruce Malleson
  • Edited by George Bruce Malleson
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    16 December 2010
    First published in:
    1897
  • This six-volume History of the Indian Mutiny was first produced in 1890 by Colonel George Malleson (1825–1898), who combined Sir John Kaye's History of the Sepoy War in India with his own later work. Kaye (1814–1876) was a prolific writer of biography and history who started the Calcutta Review in 1844. His use of evidence collected from personal and professional contacts supports (perhaps predictably) his assertion that the rebellion is a story of British 'national character', and the narrative is illustrated with biographical and personal anecdotes. Malleson's contributions however are derived from his controversial 'Red Pamphlet' (1857) and other writings, in which he is unafraid to criticise or praise British troops and administration as the occasion demands. Volume 6 examines the non-military aspects of the Mutiny, and the response of Anglo-Indian civilians to the revolt and to its aftermath. It also contains a comprehensive index.

The Navy in the Civil War
  • The Gulf and Inland Waters
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    03 February 2011
    First published in:
    1898
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. His series of books examining the role of sea power in history influenced the rapid growth of international navies in the period before World War I. This book, first published in 1883 and reissued here in its 1898 London edition, examines the role of the navy in the American Civil War of 1861–1865. It covers actions in the Gulf of Mexico and along the length of the Mississippi, where the Union's blockade starved the Confederate army of vital resources. Mahan himself had served on the Union side, and interviewed veterans in order to supplement the official naval records.

Memoirs of the Rise and Progress of the Royal Navy
  • Charles Derrick
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1806
  • Following the British naval successes of the early French Revolutionary Wars, which culminated in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, public interest in the history and growth of the Royal Navy increased dramatically, inspiring the publication of scholarly works relating to naval history. This volume, written by Naval Office clerk Charles Derrick and first published in 1806, contains a detailed account of the changes in the state of the Royal Navy between 1485 and 1805. Derrick focuses on the decline and growth of the number of ships in the Navy during the reign of each monarch through this period, listing the number of ships and tonnage at the start of each reign and describing innovations and new ships built during the period. Including copies of contemporary naval reports on ship numbers, tonnage and shipbuilding techniques, this clear and concise study remains a valuable reference for the study of naval history.

Types of Naval Officers Drawn from the History of the British Navy
  • With Some Account of the Conditions of Naval Warfare
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1902
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and served as President of the institution between 1886 and 1889. This book, first published in 1901, contains detailed comparative biographies of six leading British admirals from the late eighteenth century including Sir James Saumarez and Sir Edward Pellew. Mahan illustrates the marked differences in professional manner by pairing the biographies of the admirals, highlighting the contrasts between his subjects' command styles and tactics. Mahan also clearly demonstrates the marked and dramatic changes in British naval warfare during the late eighteenth century through the achievements and capabilities of the six admirals. This influential study provides fascinating insights into a key period of British naval history.

History of the Liverpool Privateers and Letters of Marque
  • With an Account of the Liverpool Slave Trade
  • Gomer Williams
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    03 February 2011
    First published in:
    1897
  • This book, first published in 1897, examines two important factors in the growth of Liverpool as a major port: privateering and the slave trade. It incorporates a large amount of primary source material, including extracts from letters and newspaper reports. Privateeering developed as Britain became a global maritime power through merchant shipping and exploration, privateers being ships and individuals authorised by the government through Letters of Marque to attack and capture foreign ships for profit. Williams recounts the exploits of several notorious privateers sailing from Liverpool, and describes how the industry functioned and flourished during the French revolution, the Seven Years' War and the American wars. He provides much practical detail, including how best to capture ships while causing them minimal damage. The second part of his book is still regarded as a classic history of the Liverpool slave trade, and clearly reveals the author's anti-imperialist views.

A History of American Privateers
  • Edgar Stanton Maclay
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    03 February 2011
    First published in:
    1899
  • American privateers played a significant role during the American War of Independence and the Anglo-American war of 1812, as the American regular navy was very small. Reinforcement by privateers sailing under the government's jurisdiction carrying Letters of Marque was essential, and in fact both sides made use of privateers, capturing each other's merchant ships as prizes. Many successful sailors began their careers as privateers before taking up commissions in the regular navy. The stories of some of these men are individually explored in this 1899 book by Edgar Stanton Maclay, who two years later was at the centre of a controversy arising from remarks in his History of the United States Navy. Maclay here includes accounts from sailors of all ranks about their experiences during the conflicts and as prisoners of war. The actions of some notorious British privateers are also documented in this fascinating work of maritime history.

Privateers and Privateering
  • Edward Phillips Statham
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    27 January 2011
    First published in:
    1910
  • In this book, first published in 1910 at the height of Britain's naval arms race with Germany, E. P. Statham (b. 1848) presented the lives and exploits of, in his words, 'licensed plunderers'. Insisting his tales were 'without embroidery' but were intended 'to amuse and entertain', Statham clearly had a fondness for adventure and an almost grudging admiration for his subjects. A retired Royal Navy officer at the time of publication, Statham was also the author of a number of medieval histories, and at one point was the superintendent of a School Ship, which when moored in the River Mersey (Statham was born in Liverpool) was twice burnt down by its pupils. In his conclusion, Statham questions the possible role of privateering in the wars yet to come. Engaging and colourful, the stories perhaps reveal as much about the buccaneering spirit of the author as they do about their subjects.

The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783
  • A. T. Mahan
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    02 December 2010
    First published in:
    1889
  • Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914) was an American naval officer, considered one of the most important naval strategists of the nineteenth century. In 1885 he was appointed Lecturer in Naval History and Tactics at the US Naval War College, and became President of the institution between 1886–1889. This highly influential volume, first published in 1890, contains Mahan's analysis of naval warfare and tactics between 1660–1783. Mahan discusses and analyses the factors which led to Britain's naval domination during the eighteenth century, and recommends various naval strategies based on these factors. His work was closely studied by contemporary military powers, with his tactics adopted by many major navies in the years preceding the First World War. This volume is considered one of the most influential published works on naval strategy, and is invaluable for the study of naval warfare both before and during the First World War.

History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France
  • From the Year 1807 to the Year 1814
  • Volume 6
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1840
  • Published between 1828 and 1840, Napier's History of the War in the Peninsula was a tremendously influential, if controversial, work. Napier had been actively involved in the campaigns, turning to history in peacetime, in part to refute Southey's account of Sir John Moore. The first volume had a mixed reception, getting both high praise and bitter criticism from participants in the wars. He published several works rebutting his critics while producing the later volumes. Because of his obvious lack of impartiality, modern military historians treat the work with caution, but it remains widely read in the many editions and abridgements subsequently produced. Volume 6 deals with the aftermath of the battle of Vitoria, the withdrawal of the French from Spain and the entry of the Allied troops into France. This period culminated in the second battle of Toulouse, in April 1814, between Wellington and Soult, and the abdication of Napoleon.

England in the Seven Years' War
  • A Study in Combined Strategy
  • Volume 2
  • Julian Stafford Corbett
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1907
  • Sir Julian Corbett (1854–1922) was an eminent British naval historian who focused on the analysis of historic naval strategy. After graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1876 Corbett practised as a barrister until 1882, when he turned to historical writing. He was appointed Lecturer in History to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in 1903, and was consulted on naval reforms during the First World War. These volumes, first published in 1907, contain Corbett's detailed analysis of naval warfare during the Seven Years' War (1756–1763). Focusing on the strategy of the British navy, Corbett recounts chronologically the major actions of the war, analysing in detail fleet movements and naval tactics in their political and diplomatic context. These volumes were the first scholarly work on this subject, and provide valuable information concerning the development of English naval strategy during this formative period. Volume 2 covers 1759–1763.

History of the War in the Peninsula and in the South of France
  • From the Year 1807 to the Year 1814
  • Volume 5
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1836
  • Published between 1828 and 1840, Napier's History of the War in the Peninsula was a tremendously influential, if controversial, work. Napier had been actively involved in the campaigns, turning to history in peacetime, in part to refute Southey's account of Sir John Moore. The first volume had a mixed reception, getting both high praise and bitter criticism from participants in the wars. He published several works rebutting his critics while producing the later volumes. Because of his obvious lack of impartiality, modern military historians treat the work with caution, but it remains widely read in the many editions and abridgements subsequently produced. Volume 5 is prefixed by further refutations of published criticisms. It then covers the period from the siege of Badajoz and the Allies' military setbacks of late 1812 to the battle of Vitoria in June 1813, a crucial victory which ultimately led to French troops retiring from Spain.

Page 6 of 9