“Any reader interested in the American Revolutionary War will nevertheless find this interesting work to offer a refreshingly different spotlight on the subject, and one that illuminates the maritime operations and issues of all sides involved.” -Nautical Research Journal While many books have been written on the naval history of the Revolution, this is one of the first to treat it in its entirety as an Atlantic-wide conflict. While its geographical scope is vast, it features overlooked aspects of the war in which sloops and barges fought, actions which proved to be as decisive as the familiar ship of the line confrontations. It is also history from the bottom up, emphasizing the role of the crew as much the not always heroic officers. From naval perspective the rebellious colonies did not gain a military victory, though Benjamin Franklin was able to secure their independence at the peace table in Europe. The final chapter on the Royal Navy’s evacuation of white and black loyalists, will be examined in more detail in the author’s forthcoming Pen & Sword book. “A work of thoroughly impressive scholarship that is thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation… highly recommended.” Midwest Book Review “Corbett makes it his goal to bring the story under one cover and without impudence. His matter-of-fact style leaves no room for nationalistic interpretation… Corbett proves that the maritime history of the war was, indeed, worthy of in-depth study, and that the war was much more than just what happened on the fields at Yorktown and Saratoga.” Sea History Magazine “…[readers] will find an immense amount of detail about British and American maritime infrastructure, operations and personalities not found in most standard accounts.” Journal of the American Revolution “Any reader interested in the American Revolutionary War will nevertheless find this interesting work to offer a refreshingly different spotlight on the subject, and one that illuminates the maritime operations and issues of all sides involved.” Nautical Research Journal “…a fine introduction to the topic.” The Northern Mariner Theodore Corbett is a scholar of the American Revolutionary War, an interest which grew during a career in teaching at several universities. He has published the award-winning No Turning Point, The Saratoga Campaign in Perspective and two community studies of the war, Revolutionary New Castle and Revolutionary Chestertown. For this maritime history, he has done research at the Caird Library, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Archives Centre, The Maritime Museum of Liverpool and the New York Historical Society as a Gilder Lehrman Fellow. He resides on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.