A Call to the Sea: Captain Charles Stewart of the USS Constitution

This book will expand eveyrones understanding of our Navy at sea and the deployments they undertake. A great historical book for a young inexperienced Navy Officer or Enlisted to read prior to deployment overseas.

In their meticulously researched first biography of Charles Stewart, USN, the authors give us a long overdue account of this extraordinary patriot as well as insight into the political workings of our early Navy. Imagine someone who as a small boy saw George Washington and as an old man was a pallbearer at Abraham Lincoln's funeral! In between, he served in every US war from the quasi-war with France to the Civil War - a sixty-three career that ended with a grumble at the age of 83. As skipper of the USS Constitution, Stewart won perhaps the most celebrated ship v. ship action when during the War of 1812, he simultaneously defeated two British warships, "Cyane" AND "Levant", in a single action. We read of his triumphs and embarrassments, a failed marriage and his success in business. We also appreciate his courage and fierce sense of honor which fortunately was common among officers of his day. Well done!

A conventional, well-written biography, but nothing compelling or especially insightful is offered.

This book reads like an age of sail novel- but it's all true. It's a very informative and very exciting biography. You'll also learn alot about early U.S. Naval history. It amazes me that we have known so little about Charles Stewart!! The auhors have done a great job. I agree with the other Amazon reviewers- you won't be able to put this one down. Extraordinary!!

Carefully researched and written by two Naval officers, this book is a biography of one man, Charles Stewart, but it tells you almost as much about the Navy as it existed in the early years of our country.Stewart served in the navy for sixty-three years, from age 19 to 83. He commanded eleven United States Navy ships, more than any other person.There have been three ships in the navy named for Capt. Stewart. The first USS Stewart (DD-13) was a Bainbridge-class destroyer which served from 1902 until 1919.The second USS Stewart (DD-224) was a Clemson-class destroyer which was commissioned in 1920. In early 1942 she was damaged by an Japanese air attack. She was further damaged while in dry dock for repairs. Demolition charges were then set off inside the ship and she was hit by another Japanese bomb. She and the drydock sank. The Japanese Navy raised her, repaired her and renamed her Patrol Boat No. 102. She served through the rest of the war, and re-entered the US Navy after the war, at which time there were two USS Stewarts in the Navy. DD-224 was later used as a target ship for aircraft and was sunk in 1946.The third Stewart (DE-238) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort that served from 1943 to 1947 - She later became a museum ship and was in Galveston, Texas, where she still may be.But back to the book. These authors have written this book so well that it almost reads like a novel. The thing to keep in mind, however, is that this story is true.

I finally read this book that had been a Christmas present from my son. I was hesitant to read something marketed as a "real life Jack Aubrey" since I'm a fan of that series, but I was pleasantly surprised that it lived up to the book jacket.I found three minor faults with the work. First, as another reviewer mentioned, there were a few name/date inaccuracies; for example, in a discussion of the gunboat battle of the Barbary War, the book has 1803 instead of 1804. There were a few occasions in the book when the authors actually discuss various sources and their merits and they actually argue through why some sources and dates don't seem right. That leads me to believe it was either minor oversights or a failure in editing. Second, the authors overused the term "old schoolyard friends" when referring to Stewart, Decatur or Somers. Once or twice would have sufficed. Third, in the narratives about Stewart's facing off against two British fleets (Warren's and Collier's), it would have been helpful to have researched and explored the British perspectives more.That said, I thought this was a very strong biography in a traditional sense. As a retired Navy officer, I also found it refreshing for a naval biography to be written by two naval officers. They used extensive primary sources and they tell a great story. I had only barely heard of Stewart before reading this, but he led an incredible life. I was familiar with the Barbary Wars and War of 1812, but their telling of his time in the Pacific was entirely new to me - in fact I have not seen it told elsewhere except tangentially by Nathaniel Philbrick in "the Tale of the Whaleship Essex" - and the problems Stewart had with a State Department agent and his wife were almost hilarious had they not been so bad.If you want to read about the first six decades of the U.S. Navy told through the eyes of one officer's career, this book is it.

Gave this book to my Dad, USNA grad, autographed by Capt. Rodgaard. Excellent read, superbly written, shedding clear historical light on a founding father of the naval kind, who gave our nation its sea legs very early on.

This book has it all...a great cast of characters (who actually were real), political intrigue, and detailed accounts of U.S. Navy operations.Before I began reading this book, I thought it would be another dry and methodical account of the life of a notable personality from our nation's past. However, as I neared the end of the first few chapters, I felt like I was reading the print version of a big screen action movie. Amphibious landings, battles at sea, personal sacrifices for the betterment of America, were just a few of the recorded events that resulted in me being unable to book this book down.I can only imagine the amount of research that went into the writing of this book. I learned a great deal about Charles Stewart, the robust operations of the U.S. Navy from the period and about the families who sacrificed greatly for our nation.The authors did a great job!

A good read. Interesting link to Charles Stewart Parnell.