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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.

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172 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Naval and Military History

Page 7 of 9

A History of the Late Siege of Gibraltar
  • With a Description and Account of that Garrison, from the Earliest Periods
  • John Drinkwater
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1786
  • John Drinkwater (1762–1844) was stationed at Gibraltar with the Royal Manchester Volunteers from June 1779 to February 1783 while it was besieged by a Franco-Spanish force. He kept a careful record of events during the longest siege endured by British forces. Returning to England a captain, in 1785 he published his account of the unsuccessful siege, which went through four editions in five years. The siege by both land and naval forces put the garrison under great pressure, as food and fuel became scarce. Two successful naval expeditions in 1780 and 1781 evaded the blockade to bring provisions and extra troops, and to evacuate civilians. The siege was lifted, and Gibraltar remained a key British naval base in the Mediterranean. As well as giving his own eyewitness account, Drinkwater got assistance from other officers and men, and also provides illustrations of Gibraltar and plans of the siege.

The Navy of the Restoration from the Death of Cromwell to the Treaty of Breda
  • Its Work, Growth and Influence
  • Arthur William Tedder
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    31 October 2010
    First published in:
    1916
  • Arthur Tedder's 1916 study of the Royal Navy during the seventeenth century describes the Navy's cautious support for the restoration of the monarchy, its position as protector of commerce in the Mediterranean and its role in the Anglo-Dutch wars. It chronicles the constant struggle to staff, feed and equip the Navy and the challenges of plague, poor discipline and frequent skirmishes with the Dutch. It explores in detail the tactics of individual battles in the Anglo-Dutch wars as well as the practical difficulties that often hampered the English war effort. The author served in the RAF in WWI and became a member of the British high command during WWII; his tactical flair informs his analysis of the Royal Navy's progress during a turbulent period. His account also includes fascinating details of wage disputes, embezzlement of funds and the work of the infamous press gangs.

Campaigning in Kaffirland, or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851–2
  • William Ross King
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    02 June 2011
    First published in:
    1853
  • First published in 1853, this book chronicles the personal experience of the 'Kaffir' war of 1851–2 (now known as the eighth Xhosa or frontier war), between the European settlers and the native inhabitants of the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Serving as a lieutenant, William Ross King (1822–90) sailed to South Africa from Cork with the 74th Highlanders in March 1851 and remained there until late 1852. His memoir was not intended as a detailed history of military operations in the Kaffir war and in fact encompasses all of King's experiences in South Africa rather than focusing solely on the conflict. The book is especially notable for its extremely one-sided account of events: King exhibits a particularly scathing attitude towards the Xhosa people, who were 'committing the most deliberate outrages and murders' and displaying 'cowardly treachery' towards the European settlers.

The Elements and Practice of Rigging, Seamanship, and Naval Tactics
  • Volume 3, The Art of Rigging
  • David Steel
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1806
  • David Steel was one of the most respected and prolific naval publishers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His publications focused on naval strategy and shipbuilding techniques. This influential four-volume work, first published in 1794, was the first comprehensive English manual of best naval practice. Designed for aspiring young officers, it established Steel's reputation as a publisher. The book describes theoretical and practical aspects of masts, rigging, and sails, and the science of sailing. The combination of practical advice supported by scientific and mathematical explanations and numerous illustrations provides valuable insights into British seamanship during the Napoleonic wars. Volume 3, reissued here in the 1806 edition, explains the terminology of rigging, and describes methods of rigging different types of ship.

The Elements and Practice of Rigging, Seamanship, and Naval Tactics
  • Volume 4, Theory and Practice of Seamanship and Naval Tactics
  • David Steel
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    20 January 2011
    First published in:
    1807
  • David Steel was one of the most respected and prolific naval publishers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His publications focused on naval strategy and shipbuilding techniques. This influential four-volume work, first published in 1794, was the first comprehensive English manual of best naval practice. Designed for aspiring young officers, it established Steel's reputation as a publisher. The book describes theoretical and practical aspects of masts, rigging, and sails, and the science of sailing. The combination of practical advice supported by scientific and mathematical explanations and numerous illustrations provides valuable insights into British seamanship during the Napoleonic wars. Volume 4, reissued here in the 1807 edition, explains how to perform standard manoeuvres including anchoring, mooring, getting under sails, and tacking, as well as naval skills such as chasing and boarding other vessels.

English Seamen in the Sixteenth Century
  • Lectures Delivered at Oxford, Easter Terms, 1893–4
  • James Anthony Froude
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 May 2011
    First published in:
    1895
  • James Anthony Froude (1818–1894) was one of the foremost historians in Victorian England, famous for his controversial 1884 biography of Thomas Carlyle (also to be reissued in this series), and for many works on England during the Reformation period. In 1892 Froude was appointed Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford. This volume, first published posthumously in 1895, contains a series of lectures on the English navy in the sixteenth century which he gave at Oxford between 1893 and 1894. Informed by Froude's earlier research on the Reformation, the lectures focus on key leaders and events, as well as exploring the relationship between the growth of the English navy and the Reformation, and the role of Sir John Hawkins in exposing the Ridolfi plot to overthrow Elizabeth I. They provide many insights into the close connection between the court of Elizabeth I and the development of the navy.

The Invasion of the Crimea
  • Its Origin and an Account of its Progress Down to the Death of Lord Raglan
  • Volume 2
  • Alexander William Kinglake
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 December 2010
    First published in:
    1863
  • Alexander William Kinglake (1809–1891) was a travel writer and historian. He witnessed the battle of the Alma and the Charge of the Light Brigade, and became well acquainted with the British commander, Lord Raglan. This work was commissioned by Lady Raglan to repair her husband's reputation, and Kinglake was given access to Raglan's papers, and to private and confidential state records. The eight volumes were published between 1863 and 1887. They were extremely successful commercially, but received mixed critical reviews, owing to the bias and prejudice shown by the author, and serious questions were raised about his use of the sources to which he was given exclusive access. However, the breadth of his research, corresponding with or interviewing participants in the war, and use of French, Turkish and Russian sources as well as British, gives lasting value to the work. Volume 2 ends with the Battle of the Alma.

The Life and Opinions of General Sir Charles James Napier, G.C.B.
  • Volume 1
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    10 March 2011
    First published in:
    1857
  • Heroic, ambitious, opinionated and independent to the point of insubordination, Sir Charles James Napier (1782–1853) was an inspiring leader. Published in 1857 in four volumes, this is the story of Napier's remarkable, action-packed and often controversial life and military career, as told by his brother William. The biography places Napier's life in historical context, and contains portraits, extracts from his letters and entertaining anecdotes. William's admiration for his brother is evident throughout, and he describes how his brother's fiery character divided opinion. A close friend of Lord Byron, Napier also had a great admirer in Thomas Carlyle, who described him as 'more of a hero than any modern I have seen for a long time'. Volume 1 describes Napier's upbringing in Ireland - where, according to his brother, he was 'sickly as a child from the misconduct of a barbarous nurse' - and his early years abroad in combat.

The Naval Chronology of Great Britain
  • Or, An Historical Account of Naval and Maritime Events from 1803 to 1816
  • Volume 2
  • James Ralfe
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    25 November 2010
    First published in:
    1820
  • James Ralfe (fl. 1820–1829) was a historian best remembered for this comprehensive history of British naval involvement in the Napoleonic Wars. First published in 1820 and intended as a successor and continuation of Captain Isaac Schomberg's history of the navy, Naval Chronology, Ralfe's work is remarkably detailed, using first-hand accounts of naval engagements taken from interviews with officers and sailors in addition to contemporary official naval documents. Chronologically by year, Ralfe notes and explains major parliamentary proceedings relating to the navy, lists the serving flag officers for the given year, and describes naval battles and engagements, arranged according to location. The innovative structure of these volumes, with detailed descriptions of naval battles, provide a valuable reference for the study of the British navy during the Napoleonic Wars. Volume 2 covers 1807–1809.

The Life and Opinions of General Sir Charles James Napier, G.C.B.
  • Volume 2
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    10 March 2011
    First published in:
    1857
  • Heroic, ambitious, opinionated and independent to the point of insubordination, Sir Charles James Napier (1782–1853) was an inspiring leader. Published in 1857 in four volumes, this is the story of Napier's remarkable, action-packed and often controversial life and military career, as told by his brother William. The biography places Napier's life in historical context, and contains portraits, extracts from his letters and entertaining anecdotes. William's admiration for his brother is evident throughout, and he describes how Charles's fiery character divided opinion. A close friend of Lord Byron, Napier also had a great admirer in Thomas Carlyle, who described him as 'more of a hero than any modern I have seen for a long time'. Volume 2 includes Napier's influential response to the Chartist unrest in northern England, where his supporters claimed he prevented a civil war, and his appointment as commander of the British army in Sind.

The Invasion of the Crimea
  • Its Origin and an Account of its Progress Down to the Death of Lord Raglan
  • Volume 4
  • Alexander William Kinglake
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    17 February 2011
    First published in:
    1868
  • Alexander William Kinglake (1809–1891) was a travel writer and historian. He witnessed the battle of the Alma and the Charge of the Light Brigade, and became well acquainted with the British commander, Lord Raglan. This work was commissioned by Lady Raglan to repair her husband's reputation, and Kinglake was given access to Raglan's papers, and to private and confidential state records. The eight volumes were published between 1863 and 1887. They were extremely successful commercially, but received mixed critical reviews, owing to the bias and prejudice shown by the author, and serious questions were raised about his use of the sources to which he was given exclusive access. However, the breadth of his research, corresponding with or interviewing participants in the war, and use of French, Turkish and Russian sources as well as British, gives lasting value to the work. Volume 4 ends with the Battle of Balaclava.

The Life and Opinions of General Sir Charles James Napier, G.C.B.
  • Volume 3
  • William Francis Patrick Napier
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    10 March 2011
    First published in:
    1857
  • Heroic, ambitious, opinionated and independent to the point of insubordination, Sir Charles James Napier (1782–1853) was an inspiring leader. Published in 1857 in four volumes, this is the story of Napier's remarkable, action-packed and often controversial life and military career, as told by his brother William. The biography places Napier's life in historical context, and contains portraits, extracts from his letters and entertaining anecdotes. William's admiration for his brother is evident throughout, and he describes how Charles's fiery character divided opinion. A close friend of Lord Byron, Napier also had a great admirer in Thomas Carlyle, who described him as 'more of a hero than any modern I have seen for a long time'. Volume 3 covers Napier's period as Governor of Sind from 1843, the challenges of disease, climate and political rivalry he faced there, and his significant achievements.

The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington
  • During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France
  • Volume 4
  • Arthur Wellesley
  • Edited by John Gurwood
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was one of the most successful military figures of the early nineteenth century. After fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in India, his successes during the Peninsular War (1809–1814) and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) established his reputation as a brilliant military tactician. These volumes, first published between 1834 and 1839, contain the letters, dispatches, instructions and general military orders Wellington wrote throughout his military career. Edited by his private secretary, Colonel John Gurwood (1790–1845), they offer a wealth of fascinating details concerning Wellington's campaigns in India and Europe, from mundane administrative tasks to discussions of tactics, personnel and intelligence-gathering. These volumes are reissued from the 1844 revised edition, and provide invaluable information for the study of warfare during this period. Volume 4 covers his Peninsular campaigns between 1810 and 1811.

Kaye's and Malleson's History of the Indian Mutiny of 1857–8
  • Volume 5
  • John Kaye, George Bruce Malleson
  • Edited by George Bruce Malleson
  • Published online:
    07 September 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 first-hand 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 5 narrates the ending of the Mutiny, concluding, as Kaye had initially proposed, that the events of the period illustrate British strength of character and fortitude.

The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington
  • During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France
  • Volume 1
  • Arthur Wellesley
  • Edited by John Gurwood
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was one of the most successful military figures of the early nineteenth century. After fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in India, his successes during the Peninsular War (1809–1814) and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) established his reputation as a brilliant military tactician. These volumes, first published between 1834 and 1839, contain the letters, dispatches, instructions and general military orders Wellington wrote throughout his military career. Edited by his private secretary, Colonel John Gurwood (1790–1845), they offer a wealth of fascinating details concerning Wellington's campaigns in India and Europe, from mundane administrative tasks to discussions of tactics, personnel and intelligence-gathering. These volumes are reissued from the 1844 revised edition, and provide invaluable information for the study of warfare during this period. Volume 1 covers his campaigns in India between 1798 and 1803.

The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington
  • During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France
  • Volume 5
  • Arthur Wellesley
  • Edited by John Gurwood
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was one of the most successful military figures of the early nineteenth century. After fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in India, his successes during the Peninsular War (1809–1814) and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) established his reputation as a brilliant military tactician. These volumes, first published between 1834 and 1839, contain the letters, dispatches, instructions and general military orders Wellington wrote throughout his military career. Edited by his private secretary, Colonel John Gurwood (1790–1845), they offer a wealth of fascinating details concerning Wellington's campaigns in India and Europe, from mundane administrative tasks to discussions of tactics, personnel and intelligence-gathering. These volumes are reissued from the 1844 revised edition, and provide invaluable information for the study of warfare during this period. Volume 5 covers his Peninsular campaigns between 1811 and 1812.

The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington
  • During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France
  • Volume 7
  • Arthur Wellesley
  • Edited by John Gurwood
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was one of the most successful military figures of the early nineteenth century. After fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in India, his successes during the Peninsular War (1809–1814) and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) established his reputation as a brilliant military tactician. These volumes, first published between 1834 and 1839, contain the letters, dispatches, instructions and general military orders Wellington wrote throughout his military career. Edited by his private secretary, Colonel John Gurwood (1790–1845), they offer a wealth of fascinating details concerning Wellington's campaigns in India and Europe, from mundane administrative tasks to discussions of tactics, personnel and intelligence-gathering. These volumes are reissued from the 1844 revised edition, and provide invaluable information for the study of warfare during this period. Volume 7 covers his campaigns between 1813 and 1815.

The Dispatches of Field Marshal the Duke of Wellington
  • During his Various Campaigns in India, Denmark, Portugal, Spain, the Low Countries, and France
  • Volume 3
  • Arthur Wellesley
  • Edited by John Gurwood
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1844
  • Arthur Wellesley (1769–1852), the first Duke of Wellington, was one of the most successful military figures of the early nineteenth century. After fighting in the fourth Anglo-Mysore war in India, his successes during the Peninsular War (1809–1814) and his victory at the Battle of Waterloo (1815) established his reputation as a brilliant military tactician. These volumes, first published between 1834 and 1839, contain the letters, dispatches, instructions and general military orders Wellington wrote throughout his military career. Edited by his private secretary, Colonel John Gurwood (1790–1845), they offer a wealth of fascinating details concerning Wellington's campaigns in India and Europe, from mundane administrative tasks to discussions of tactics, personnel and intelligence-gathering. These volumes are reissued from the 1844 revised edition, and provide invaluable information for the study of warfare during this period. Volume 3 covers his Peninsular campaigns between 1808 and 1810.

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 1
  • John Charnock
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    24 February 2011
    First published in:
    1794
  • 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 collections of 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 1 contains biographies of officers appointed between 1660 and 1673.

Royal Naval Biography Supplement
  • Or, Memoirs of the Services of All the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders
  • Part 3
  • John Marshall
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    18 November 2010
    First published in:
    1829
  • John Marshall (c.1784–1837) was a naval officer and biographer. He first went to sea at the age of nine, and by the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 had reached the rank of lieutenant. After the war, he started to research the lives of contemporary high-ranking naval officers, some of whose service reached as far back as 1760. These volumes, first published between 1823 and 1830, contain the results of this monumental research, and demonstrate the new 'cult' of the navy in the early nineteenth century. Some of the biographies were contributed by the officers themselves, with others containing private or official letters and other records. Organised according to seniority in rank, these volumes contain a wealth of fascinating information on the careers of naval officers and the battles in which they took part. Part 3 of this Supplement contains biographies of Post-Captains, 1812–1814.

Page 7 of 9