Commodore Abraham Whipple of the Continental Navy

“A welcome literary tapestry, a vivid depiction of events woven together with threads of strong scholarship and attention to detail. . . . An overlooked and somewhat tragic naval figure, one largely lost in the sea smoke of the history of the Continental Navy.” - New England Quarterly

“A brilliantly penned biography.” - Sea History

“Yankee privateer, Rhode Island Son of Liberty, Continental Naval Officer and Ohio pioneer - this was Abraham Whipple. Finally, after more than two centuries of living in the shadow of other revolutionaries whose reputations have been extolled and exaggerated, this intriguing character comes to life in the capable hands of biographer Sheldon Cohen. The result is neither hagiography nor muckraking, but a carefully crafted biography that gives us new insights into the American Revolution and the early days of the Republic.” - William M. Fowler Jr., Northeastern University

“Comprehensive and exhausts what it is possible to know about Abraham Whipple from the available sources, it is likely to remain the definitive biography well into the future.” - Michael J. Crawford, Naval Historical Center

Sheldon S. Cohen, professor emeritus of history at Loyola University, Chicago, is author of numerous articles and books, including Yankee Sailors in British Gaols and British Supporters of the American Revolution, 1775-1783.

A volume in the series New Perspectives on Maritime History and Nautical Archaeology, edited by James C. Bradford and Gene Allen Smith