"Broadsides covers the naval side of the American Revolution, the twenty-two year struggle between Britain's hard-pressed Royal Navy and France that began in 1793, the foundation of the U.S. Navy and America's forgotten undeclared naval war with France along with their struggle against the Barbary pirates, and closes with the War of 1812. One man, the legendary Horatio Nelson, epitomizes this era, and his personal story is the keel of this book, although the tale continues for another decade following Nelson's tragic death at Trafalgar at the height of victory.". "Written with a sense of adventure and teeming with detail, Broadsides not only clearly reconstructs the naval battles of the era, but integrates them with the political and social forces that shaped our world. Broadsides also provides a textured look at the lives of the men and - in an astonishing number of cases - the women who served in the swift-sailing frigates and mighty ships of the line. Based on exhaustive research drawn from log books, official reports, letters, and memoirs, Miller presents an irresistible, brilliant exploration of the Age of Fighting Sail. The result is a adventure in which the steadfastness of those serving at sea in that long-ago era have much to teach us in the modern age."--BOOK JACKET.