Essay - Naval History When We Think of the Defining Battles of...

Naval History

When we think of the defining battles ***** American history the image that comes to mind is likely to be battles like Lexington or Antietam - conflicts in which land soldiers played the most important roles. But the ***** of the United States would have been very different indeed had not the U.S. military proved to be as effective ***** and as innovative - ***** it was. Jack Sweetman, in his. American Naval His*****ry: 1775 to Present (2nd edition) discusses the key role that the U.S. Navy has ***** from the War ***** Independence through the current conflicts in ***** Gulf, listing the ***** events of in which the U.S. seagoing forces have ***** engaged in chronological order. The first edition was published in 1984; this current edition *****cludes information ***** the naval engagements (including both ***** U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps) that have occurred since ***** time. The text of the book is supplemented by numerous photographs along with a number ok key m*****ps.

***** bo***** is ***** a straightforward catalogue ***** sea-borne battles and an analysis of the significance ***** major events. Sweetman allows the reader to understand both what went into ***** U.S. defeat or victory in each battle as well ***** the political and economic consequences of that battle. Too ********** military chronicles are simply snapshots in ***** we learn about the strategy and personnel involved in a single battle without gaining a clear sense of why that battle is important either within the context of the war of which it ***** a part or the larger political and historical circumstances that were the basis ***** the conflict. For example, ***** excerpt from ***** book of events in 1776 both describes what was happening and offers an explanation of ***** these ***** were important in both the short term ***** ***** long term:

At Lake Champla*****, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold (not yet turned traitor) began a furious ship-building program to dispute command of the lake. Carleton, dependent on water-borne supplies, was compelled to halt and build a fleet of his own. This consumed the rem*****inder ***** the summer ***** ***** of the fall. By the time ***** British are ready to fight they have achieved a marked superiority, and Arnold's force, consisting of the sloop Enterprise, 12; the schooners Royal Savage, 12, Liberty, 8, Revenge, 8; eight gundalows; and five galleys, is destroyed in a running battle on Oc*****ber 11-13. The season is so far advanced, however, that Carleton *****s back to Canada to go into winter quarters, postponing the continuation ***** the offensive until the following spring. The delay ***** decisive.

***** one might think that such explanations ***** be most useful to us in ********** of the older engagements ***** Sweetman *****, they ***** in fact most often ********** for the most recent ***** *****cause *****se are events that we are more familiar with ***** ***** we think that ***** understand the context of. This ***** re*****s us that ***** because