Stephen Decatur

"This biography fills a significant gap in the published lives of early and immigrant American naval figures. Decatur was arguably the most admired and capable naval officer of his day. . . . Professor Allison's scholarly research and use of contemporary correspondence, newspapers, and other printed material are impressive."—George Emery, Vice Admiral, United States Navy (Ret.)

"Without question Stephen Decatur was a formidable and important figure in the United States Navy. . . . Professor Allison's work offers the best modern study of Decatur. . . . It is likely to appeal not only to a naval history audience but also to those interested in social history and those more broadly concerned with the early republic."—William Fowler, Director, Massachusetts Historical Society, and author of Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy, 1783–1815

"One of the central figures to emerge from the early national period, Stephen Decatur became a larger-than-life naval hero in his own time. His exploits in combat overshadowed his other contributions to the development of the U.S. Navy, but Allison (history, Suffolk Univ.; The Crescent Observed: The United States and the Muslim World. 1776-1815) offers a well-researched, well-balanced account of Decatur's role in shaping a U.S. national identity. Allison places Decatur in a calmer perspective by drawing upon such contemporaries as John Quincy Adams, James Madison, and Washington Irving, making this more than a naval biography; it is a good social history of the period. This is the best modern study of Decatur."—Library Journal

"Allison's is a useful and frequently fresh look at the life and career of an early American naval hero."—The Daybook

"Allison's investigation of Decatur and his era has much to offer the serious student of the early republic as well as students of naval history. Even readers not interested in scholarly investigation will find that Allison has produced an entrancing story of a bygone age. I strongly recommend Robert Allison's Stephen Decatur."—The Journal of American History

"Stephen Decatur may have been ignored by two generations of historians, but that oversight has been impressively corrected."—The Historian

"Decatur's story remains a tale of heroic naval adventure and the story of an admirable fighting leader."—International Historical Review