“In this important work of naval history, Claude Berube and John Rodgaard have combined the fast-paced thrill of fiction with the reality of history in their biography of Captain Charles Stewart.”—Jim Farley, Journal of the Early Republic "The strength of A Call to the Sea, the first and long-overdue full-scale biography of Charles Stewart, is the balanced treatment it gives ... Read moreto every period of this influential naval officer’s distinguished career, from his commissioning as lieutenant during the presidency of John Adams to his death as rear admiral during that of Ulysses S. Grant
while giving due attention to his command of USS Constitution during one of her famous victories in the War of 1812, for which he is best known. Berube and Rodgaard have limned a revealing portrait of a fascinating man in his private as well as public life."—Michael J. Crawford, naval historian and editor of The Autobiography of a Yankee Mariner: Christopher Prince and the American Revolution "No naval officer has served the nation longer or more faithfully than Charles Stewart. His biography is a virtual history of the Navy, from its founding in the Age of Sail to steam power in the Civil War. For more than six decades, this extraordinary officer served his nation, living in the lee of his more famous contemporaries. Finally, Claude Berube and John Rodgaard have given this hero his due. His epic battle against Cyane and Levant, during which he skillfully maneuvered Constitution as if the great frigate was a sailboat on a pond, is a classic in naval history."—William Fowler, coauthor of America and the Sea: A Maritime History "Readers of O'Brien, Forester, and Pope who are unfamiliar with the lives of the great sailors whose lives inspired those novels have much to look forward to. They could well start with Berube and Rodgaard's life of Charles Stewart, an American naval hero whose battles and political dramas spanned the French, Barbary, 1812, and Civil wars.The authors have done the research yet not lost the spirit of a great tale of adventure."—The Hon. John F. Lehman, former Secretary of the Navy "[The authors'] description of Stewart's command of the USS Constitution is essential to understanding the man and the development of the U.S. Navy."—Reference & Research Book News "The book is well written and takes a 'life and times' approach. Not only is there a detailed treatment of Stewart's service in several wars and sea fights
and he was in a remarkable number of both, including the most celebrated of fights of the frigate Constitution
but it also provides an excellent look at the naval service from the age of fighting sail to the onset of ironclad warships. . . . A valuable book for anyone interested in the history of the Navy and America's wars, from the Quasi-War with France to the Civil War."—NYMAS Review Show Less