Pirates & Privateers: Books for Adults~History

The Battle of New Orleans: “But for a Piece of Wood”
By Ron Chapman
Pelican, 2014, ISBN 9781455620272, $19.95

8 January 2015, marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans. Most people think of this event as a single battle, but Chapman provides readers with a clear understanding that it is really a series of encounters between the British and Americans. While the majority of readers may think the first fight involved the gunboats in mid-December 1814, Chapman contends it actually begins much earlier, encompassing ten battles during a five-month period.

In his introduction, he makes a clear case for how pivotal the Battle of New Orleans was as regards the future of the young United States and the war’s outcome, for had the Americans lost the battle, the Treaty of Ghent might have been renegotiated before either side had the chance to ratify it. It’s important to keep in mind that until that ratification, the war was not over even though an accord had been reached the previous Christmas Eve. He quotes not only the treaty itself, but also documents from Andrew Jackson, James Monroe, and British proclamations to reinforce this point. He also makes an excellent case for what-if scenarios – had one incident or a combination of these changed, the final outcome of the battle and our nation as we know it would have been greatly altered. In fact, the subtitle of this book pertains to the failure of doing one simple task and how that impacted the outcome.

Chapter one provides an overview of the war and events leading up to the point in time when the two sides converge outside of New Orleans. It also looks at the two commanders, Major-General Sir Edward Pakenham and Major General Andrew Jackson, some of which is revealed through their own words. The second chapter details “The Southern Campaign”, which concerns West Florida, the Creek Wars, and attacks on Fort Bowyer and Mobile, as well as the activities of the Royal Navy under the leadership of Admiral Cochrane. The next chapter focuses on the situation in Louisiana and the conflicting cultures of the Creoles, Americans, refugees from Santo Domingo, Free Blacks, and slaves before and after Louisiana gains statehood in April 1812 just before the war begins. Also examined are the Baratarians and the Laffites, from whom the British attempt to solicit assistance. There are a few errors here: “The Temple” was not located on Grande Terre, the principal base of Jean Laffite’s operation; it was actually situated on the shore of Lake Salvador above Barataria Bay. The British offer to Laffite was for a captaincy in the army, not the navy.

The “Weapons of War” is the topic of chapter four. Also discussed are the differences in fighting techniques between the two armies, as well as the importance of the steamboats that Jackson used several times during the invasion. Chapter five covers the battle between the Royal Navy and the American gunboats, while the next chapter concerns the groups that make up the American army and the arrival of the invaders outside the gates of the city. Chapman also looks at the plantations, terrain, and conditions that affect the armies and the battles.

Chapter seven concerns the first encounter after the enemy reaches the Villeré plantation, the night attack, as well as the problems the British face. The arrival of Pakenham, his orders that result in the destruction of USS Carolina, which has been habitually harassing his troops from the river, the artillery duel on 28 December 1814, the British attack on New Year’s Day, and further steps Jackson takes to improve his defenses are also covered here.

The eighth and ninth chapters discuss that “piece of wood” and its impact on the battle on the west bank of the Mississippi. Chapman clearly delineates Pakenham’s strategy, what the American commanders do or do not do in defending this section, and the devastating outcome that could have resulted. While events on the east bank of the river are the primary focus of most accounts of the Battle of New Orleans, the west bank is one of the few successes of the British invasion. The final battle on the east bank, directly below New Orleans, is discussed in detail in chapter eight as well.

Chapter ten examines the assault on Fort St. Philip – one of the river defenses below the city – that takes place after the engagement on what is known today as the Chalmette Battlefield. Events in New Orleans after 8 January are also covered. What is a bit confusing concerns the exchange of prisoners. Chapman has this taking place on board a Royal Navy ship, yet most other books mention that the discussions took place before the British withdrew from their camp south of New Orleans. More information about the exchanges would eliminate this confusion. An epilogue follows with information about losses, courts-martial, and the building of monuments. The book also includes a bibliography, fourteen appendices (some maps, but mostly documents), and endnotes. There is no index, which would be a welcome addition for researchers.

There are a number of illustrations and maps interspersed throughout the chapters, but some of the latter are too small to make out what they show. One example of this is the map on page 149, which shows the disposition of the British and American troops. For those not familiar with the battlegrounds it’s unclear which army is located where. Had the text or caption made this clear, the reader may have a better understanding of the layout. Another instance is a British map showing the deployment of troops on page 166. The only clear markings on this are the river and the cypress swamps. The location of the soldiers is indecipherable. A third example on page 201 pertains to the caption – “The green line, which is the course he actually took is not to scale” – which means nothing to the reader since the map is depicted only in black-&-white. One drawback of not identifying in the table of contents what appears in the appendices is that the reader is unaware of the larger versions of some maps at the end of the book, but even some of these are too dark to clearly see.

There’s a lack of good copy editing and consistent formatting throughout the book. For example, “the” should never be used before the abbreviation "HMS", which stands for "His Majesty’s Ship," and “Westbank” should be two words rather than one. Missing punctuation and other misspellings are also a problem; some captions are italicized while others are not. Large gaps of white space lead readers to think that the chapter has ended, yet when the page is turned, the chapter continues. This stems from the placement of pictures, which could have been inserted on the opposite page from the text, rather than incorporated directly into the text. Appendix #14 isn’t identified as to who the sender or receiver of the letter was and the writing is difficult to read.

In spite of these drawbacks, there are intriguing historical tidbits to entice the reader. One example: Chapman draws an interesting conclusion as to why Jackson may have changed his mind and accepted Laffite’s help. Another is the revelation that Jackson actually asked to be replaced because of his ill health. The ramifications that occurred make the reader sit up and take note. Equally compelling are many instances of primary accounts that show what the combatants themselves thought and felt. The Battle of New Orleans is a more comprehensive examination of the environs, combatants, and battles than many other books, which makes this a good inclusion in any collection that focuses on the War of 1812 and/or the history of New Orleans.

Cover Art: Documentation of
the Indians of the Florida Keys
& Miami 1513-1765

Documentation of the Indians of the Florida Keys & Miami 1513-1765
By Gail Swanson
Infinity Publishing, 2003, ISBN 0-7414-1638-7, US $12.95

This book combines a chronology with historical articles on the early history of the Florida Keys and Miami over a period of 252 years. Part one summarizes historical documents, which are divided according to whether they were written in the 16th, 17th, or 18th century. Eleven of these summaries concern pirates, and the entries vary from a single sentence to more than a page in length. The first one appears in 1565, and concerns John Hawkins when four of his ships anchored at the Dry Tortugas. At the end of part one are maps, illustrations, photographs, and facsimiles of original documents pertaining to the information in the entries. Included in this collection is documentary evidence of a large gathering of pirates at Key West in 1681.

The second half of the book is devoted to miscellaneous articles. Each begins with a short introduction that identifies the translator and/or explains sources for the information contained in the article. Of particular interest to pirate readers are “Looking for Sir Francis Drake” and “The Maravillas: Sunken Treasure, Salvors, Pirates and the Florida Keys Indians.” There is also an extensive section of endnotes after the articles.

Many documents pertaining to the early history of Florida are written in Spanish, some of which are located in foreign archives not readily available to many readers. This compilation and explanation provides people interested in Floridian, Native American, or piratical history with a single source that is easily read and accessible.

The Gulf of Mexico: A Maritime History
By John S. Sledge
South Carolina Press, 2019, ISBN 978-1-64336-014-0, US $29.99

Since 1550, this body of water, which contains over 600 quadrillion gallons and ranks tenth in size worldwide, has been known as el Golfo de Mexico or the Gulf of Mexico. It began to form when the supercontinent Pangaea broke apart approximately 200,000,000 years ago, but the oval-like shape we recognize formed far more recently (5,000 to 10,000 years). Today, it covers 600,000 square miles and its shores include numerous lesser bodies of water (such as bays and lakes, as well as rivers that feed into it) and land (such as shorelines, deltas, and barrier islands). Elizabeth Custer likened the Gulf to “almost always a tempest in a teapot” when she accompanied her husband, Captain George Armstrong Custer, to his new assignment in New Orleans. (7)

Others have written about the Gulf of Mexico, but Sledge offers a history that is geared toward the general reader and encompasses far more than the narrow focus of the water itself. He includes information on the people whose livelihoods and existence depend on it, as well as the various boats and ships that have plied the water since the days when Mayans, Seminoles, Calusa, and other Native Americans lived near and relied on the fruits of the Gulf to survive. He discusses European explorers, pirates and smugglers, fishermen, loggers, and many others. Among those of particular note are William Dampier, William Bartram, Juan Ponce de Leon, René Robert Cavalier, Laurens de Graff, the Laffite Brothers, and Commodore David Porter. Also incorporated into the narrative are details on the flora and fauna, cultures, conflicts, memories (personal and firsthand), and historical events. Examples of the last topic cover conflicts – Seven Years’ War, Pastry War, Mexican War, and American Civil War to name a few – and natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The book is divided into eight chapters that present the history of the Gulf in a chronological sequence. These are comprised of Indian Shore, Spanish Sea, Colonial Crossroads, Pirates’ Haunts, King Cotton’s Pond, Violent Sea, American Sea, and Blowout! Maps, illustrations, and two sections of color plates enhance the reading experience. Notes, a bibliography, and an index provide readers with sources consulted and where to find additional information.

Readers seeking an all-encompassing, entertaining introduction to the Gulf of Mexico will enjoy Sledge’s book. No matter how much or how little you know, you come away from the experience having learned something new about the United States, Mexico, and Cuba, and gaining a new appreciation for a body of water that “is by turns beautiful, bountiful, frightening, and destructive.” (8)

Cover Art:
Mercenaries,
Pirates, Bandits,
and Empires

Mercenaries, Pirates, Bandits and Empires: Private Violence in Historical Context
edited by Alejandro Colás and Bryan Mabee
Columbia University, 2010, ISBN 978-0-231-70208-9, US $55.00

This scholarly tome on the field of study known as International Relations (IR) focuses on those groups on the periphery of public, state authority: bandits, mercenaries, pirates, privateers, smugglers, and warlords. The goal is to show the historical context of the development of private violence in hopes of better understanding this form of aggression and its evolution and effect on global concepts impacting IR today.

The book begins with an introduction entitled “Private Violence in Historical Context” and is written by the editors. The subsequent nine chapters are:

Distinctions, Distinctions: ‘Public’ and ‘Private’ Force? by Patricia Owens
State and Armed Force in International Context by Tarak Barkawi
Privateers of the North Sea: At Worlds End – French Privateers in Norwegian Waters by Halvard Leira and Benjamin de Carvalho
The Flow and Ebb of Private Seaborne Violence in Global Politics: Lessons from the Atlantic World, 1689-1815 by Alejandro Colás and Bryan Mabee
Violent Undertows: Smuggling as Dissent in Nineteenth-Century Southeast Asia by Eric Tagliacozzo
‘Tribes’ and Warlords in Southern Afghanistan, 1980-2005 by Antonio Giustozzi and Noor Ullah
The Criminal-State Symbiosis and the Yugoslav Wars of Succession by Kenneth Morrison
Private Security Companies in the Malacca Straits: Mapping New Patterns of Security Governance by Patrick Cullen
Securing the City: Private Security Companies and Non-State Authority in Global Governance by Rita Abrahamsen and Michael C. Williams

Three themes run through these chapters: a) global markets, b) how law assists in understanding private violence, and c) the character and dynamics of this type of aggression. The absence of a bibliography is mitigated by the presence of footnotes for each essay that identify resources and other pertinent details for those wishing to conduct further research on the topic. The book also contains a list of contributors and their qualifications, as well as an index.

The chapters of particular interest to readers interested in pirates are one, three, four, and eight. Owens examines the differences between public and private violence, explaining how pirates and privateers assisted in the defense of colonies and then were eventually eliminated from the state’s military defense. Leira and de Carvalho show how French state-building influenced privateering. Colás and Mabee argue that sea piracy is a marginal form of private violence today by studying implications of golden age piracy to help us better understand our current and future IR. Their focus is on “sociological and political-economic [approaches], rather than the normative-legal causes . . . .” (84) Finally, Cullen explores the use of private security companies, transnational security, and the inherent problems encountered when doing so in his examination of countering piracy in the Malacca Straits.

Normally, I recommend reading the introduction so readers have a better understanding of the essays to come and the book’s focus, but this one is a bit pedantic and difficult to follow if the reader isn’t well versed in IR and what constitutes private versus public violence. (For readers unfamiliar with these concepts, it might be helpful to first read Janice Thomson’s Mercenaries, Pirates and Sovereigns (Princeton, 1994), which is critiqued and frequently referred to throughout this book.) The essays are far more interesting and easier to comprehend from a layman’s perspective and they challenge us to re-examine conclusions we may have drawn regarding global aggression and relationships today. Doing so from a historical perspective brings these issues and dilemmas into sharper focus.

Cover Art: Pirates, Raiders
& Invaders of the Gulf
Coast

Pirates, Raiders & Invaders of the Gulf Coast
by Ryan Starrett & Josh Foreman
History Press, 2023, ISBN 978-1-4671-5323-2, US $24.99

The Gulf Coast of the United States has a complex history populated with people from different walks of life and lands near and far. Between 1699 and 1819, six different nations flew their flags here: Spain, France, Great Britain, the State of Muskogee, the West Florida Republic, and the United States. It was a land inhabited by tough survivors and a region fought over more than once because its waterways provided access to land and opportunity.

Among the individual stories found within these pages are those of Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, who sought peace between the Choctaws and the Chickasaws. Jean Baptiste Story served as a galley slave. Governor Bernardo de Galvez upset the balance of power along the Gulf Coast when he captured Mobile. William Augustus Bowles went AWOL from the British army, tried his hand at mutiny, and established the State of Muskogee. Emigrés from Haiti sought refuge in New Orleans and its environs, only to experience a well-organized slave insurrection in their new homeland. Jean and Pierre Laffite established a smuggling operation and eventually helped the Americans during the Battle of New Orleans. Lieutenant Robert Gleig, a veteran of the Duke of Wellington’s forces in the Peninsular War, participated in that final battle of the War of 1812. There are also accounts of the Massacre of Fort Mims and the Seminole Wars.

The book is laid out in chronological order and the chapters cover specific periods and people. It opens with the French and Indian Wars, which cover 1702 through 1759, and goes through Manifest Destiny (1816-1835). The authors include a preface, a list of key people, an introduction, an epilogue, notes, and sources. There are many illustrations, but no index, which makes it more difficult to locate information on specific people since they may be discussed in more than one place.

This is an interesting introduction to the early history of the Gulf Coast. The title is something of a misnomer, as the only pirates discussed here are the Laffites, even though many others found safe havens along the coast between Tallahassee in the east and Galveston in the west. For those seeking a quick, enlightening initiation into the history and people of this area, Pirates, Raiders and Invaders of the Gulf Coast is a good place to start.

Cover
Art: Smugglers,
Pirates, and
Patriots

Smugglers, Pirates, and Patriots: Free Trade in the Age of Revolution
by Tyson Reeder
University of Pennsylvania, 2019, ISBN 978-0-8122-5138-8, US $45.00 / UK £39.00
Also available in other formats

The War for Independence in the American colonies during the second half of the 18th century issued in a new age, one that has become known as the Age of Revolution. That conflict inspired other nations to seek freedom from tyranny as well, and in the first decades of the following century, republicans in the United States felt that one way to fight against monarchies and their empires was through free trade. This is the focus of this book, which shows the interconnections between smugglers, pirates, and patriots, especially as it relates to the way Brazil gained its independence from Portugal in the 19th century.

The book is divided into four parts: Negotiating Empire, Regulation and Revolution, A Liberty of Trade, and “Connexions of Commerce and Liberation.” What soon becomes clear is that those who advocated free trade did so not just to help others achieve independence but to also influence the growth of commerce in ways that were to their best advantage. Americans believed their model was the right one, but not everyone agreed, and this is best shown in the struggle between Brazil and Portugal, especially since during part of the 19th century, the Portuguese monarch resided in Brazil and, in the end, the Brazilians chose a king over a president.

These struggles focus on both commercial changes and networks, as well as politics. Empires institute a number of laws and edicts to limit trade, which then result in the growth of smuggling contraband. When the monarchy chooses to lift some, if not all, of these restrictions, free trade prospers and smuggling dies. This plays a crucial role in why history unfolds as it does in Brazil, as Reeder aptly demonstrates. He provides numerous examples of commodities, both illicit and legal, such as wine, sugar, gold, flour, and slaves. Aside from smugglers, pirates and privateers are also discussed, in particular those who sail under letters of marque from the revolutionary leader José Gervasio Artigas. Since his government never acquires recognition from other nations, these men ply their trade in the murkiness of legal privateer or illegal pirate.

Scattered throughout the book are maps, graphs, tables, and illustrations to show points Reeder makes in the narrative. The Notes section provides citations for sources consulted or quoted, as well as additional information on particular topics mentioned in the main text. The extensive bibliography lists manuscript collections in Brazil, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States; newspapers and periodicals; primary sources; and published works. There is also an index.

Readers with a special interest in Brazil and its relationships with the early United States, as well as those seeking information on maritime commerce, will find this book particularly interesting. Those seeking a rousing account of maritime piracy and privateering may want to look elsewhere. Reeder does discuss both throughout the narrative, especially in chapter eight, and does mention North African corsairs (91) and the suppression of piracy in the 1820s (211), but his primary focus is on trade, traders, and trade networks and their effects on the shaping of Brazil as it strives toward independence. He does an excellent job of providing readers with a good understanding of the Monroe Doctrine and how it evolves.

The Spanish Main 1492-1800
by René Chartrand
illustrated by Donato Spedaliere
Osprey, 2006, ISBN 1-84603-005-6, US $16.95 / CAN $23.95

The wealth Spain discovered in the New World brought pirates to the Caribbean. The buccaneers didn’t confine their attacks to the treasure galleons. They also raided land bases. This threat impacted how the Spanish protected their towns and citizens. The Spanish Main examines the fortresses, some of which can be visited today, and how they evolved over the centuries.

“Administrative organization” covers the viceroys, captains-general, and king’s engineers. “Castles in America” concentrates on the establishment of the various fortresses and town planning. “Corsairs, pirates and convoys” examines the treasure fleet convoy system, defense squadrons, the French Huguenots, and English pirates. Subsequent chapters look at the fortification plan of 1588, the Spanish Main in the 17th century, defense of the territory in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the garrisons that manned the defenses. Also included are a chronology, a brief look at the forts today, a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. Diagrams, maps, and pictures accompany the text throughout.

This book isn’t for those searching for information on life in colonial Spain, but rather a concise examination of Spain’s defenses – design, technology, and history – in the New World. While pirates are not the primary focus, their activities greatly impacted how she protected her towns, people, and treasure, and they are examined in this context. The Spanish Main presents Latin American history from a different perspective than that usually found in books focusing on pirates. The colorful diagrams provide excellent glimpses into places lost or changed over time. This is a worthy read for those interested in the “other side.”

True Yankees: The South Seas & the Discovery of American Identity
by Dane A. Morrison
Johns Hopkins University, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4214-1542-0, US $34.95

review by Irwin Bryan

True Yankees is an excellent book contributing valuable information on America’s early story. Published as part of a series of the university’s Studies in Historical and Political Sciences, True Yankees is certainly an admirable addition to the collection. Morrison provides firsthand accounts from diaries and letters written primarily by merchants including Samuel Shaw, Amaso Delano, and Robert Bennett Forbes. These men leave our new nation in search of Eastern markets for American goods. Together, they tell the tale of their welcome by the members of other nations and their hosts. Before sharing the experiences, the author details how each traveler develops into an “American” and what that even means at the time. Anyone interested in the birth of our nation and how we entered into the world of commerce will find this a detailed resource.

There are endnotes found at the end documenting sources. Also included is a detailed index. Several black-&-white portraits and illustrations are found throughout the book. These are not listed separately.

Unfortunately, True Yankees: The South Seas & the Discovery of American Identity is not everything it seems to be. By referring to the Near and Far East as the “South Seas” in the title, it reasonably makes one think it may be a sea story, which it certainly is not. The first ship to Macao, aptly named Empress of China, travels “some 18,000 miles over six months” without any mention of experiences during the voyage in 1784. (14) Only when the ship arrives somewhere is there mention of having saluted the fort or raising the first American flag. To be fair, there is mention that traveling during the summer monsoons in the Indian Ocean is “tedious.” (13) Even though the second person featured, Amaso Delano, has been a privateer and writes an interesting book about his voyages, it is only his contacts with members of other peoples that appear in True Yankees. His early seagoing history is solely used to explain Delano’s own brand of being an American.

In addition to the chapters which detail an individual’s experiences on the world stage, the author provides four “Interludes” on different themes. The first discusses how American merchants send ships to every possible location during a time of war in Europe and consequent blockades and embargoes, and privateers. Others travel to the many island nations and outposts of the British, Dutch, and Portuguese empires. With all of these ships returning with goods, the young government is quick to reestablish Customs and tariffs to help make a dent in the young nation’s debts.

The next “Interlude” discusses the spread of Americans across the Appalachian Mountains into the Ohio Valley. Some settle in the far off lands where trade is taking place. This provides a homegrown welcome to visiting American merchants and sea captains. Needless to say, this also facilitates meeting the people of other countries who are also at the port. Soon unheard of goods start filling up homes. Even some of the foreign words and expressions, including “chop,” find their way into American vocabulary.

Edmund Fanning’s Voyages Round the World is tapped to continue the author’s exploration of the book’s theme. Some attention is made to Fanning’s own life on the sea, including anecdotes of his experiences in the sealing trade. For those unaware, this is the killing of seals to obtain their valuable fur in a less-enlightened time period when whales are also hunted for their oil to light our cities.

Expanding wars in Europe turn American attention to greater profits for greater risks. After an earlier vessel is captured and brought into Falmouth, England, Fanning’s men are pressed aboard a Royal Navy frigate. In describing his ability to confront the officers and gain his men’s release, he claims they know he is “a True Yankee.” (102) Strong nationalist identity replaces feelings of timid pride men like Shaw had when traveling forth in the world.

Fanning writes about all manner of things he and his men see and experience in places rarely visited. He describes the sights of each place, the new plants and animals they see, and even items of scientific knowledge.

More central to this book is the way Fanning views the voyage as one of increasing nationalism, where he and his twenty-seven mariners become “trustees of an American identity.” (114) The way they change the rig of their vessel, Betsy, and the carpenter’s fashioning of fake cannons (called Quakers) to deter Malay pirates are examples of what Fanning terms “exceptionalism.” His view of Americans as superior to others shows how far the sense of our nation has changed since the end of the Revolution.

A third “Interlude” tells how numerous voyages are made across the Pacific in search of discoveries and commerce. The new nation finds its way into “Europe’s academies of science” with contributions of natural history and geography. (140) Two naval expeditions into the Pacific further shift how Americans view their place in the world from one of a “dispassionate observer” to “the bravado of a more arrogant . . . American.” (146)

This takes the reader to Second Generation Americans, the first of which, Harriett Low, is also the only non-merchant whose writings are discussed in True Yankees. Harriet’s own feelings as an American are more of disdain to the native peoples she encounters. Yet this is a true example of the prejudices she and other travelers to the East have at the time. Further exposures of newer peoples and longer association does nothing to make these travelers any more tolerant. In her time at Macao, she even develops a disapproving attitude to the Europeans she encounters.

This attitude, as the final “Interlude” mentions, is wholly in keeping with the racial and religious prejudices that develop in the years leading up to America’s antebellum period. Ambivalence to Indians and other peoples strengthen into ethnocentrism for Americans.

Last to be referenced, Robert Bennett Forbes has “acquired Jacksonian democracy’s obsession with individualism, materialism, and racial superiority.” (194) Rather than adapting to his surroundings, Forbes wants the East to adapt to his own beliefs. His belief in his right to conduct business even at the expense of others leads to his involvement in starting the First Opium War. This serves as a final example of the way feelings of Americanism alter during the time period presented by the author.

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Cover Art:
The War of the
Spanish Succession
1701-1714

The War of the Spanish Succession 1701-1714
by James Falkner
Pen & Sword, 2018, ISBN 978-1-78159-031-7, UK £25.00 / US $49.95
Also available in other formats

One of the most compelling questions on every monarch’s mind in the last decade of the 17th century was: Who will succeed King Carlos II of Spain? His empire stretched from the Iberian Peninsula to the Americas and included lands in the Low Countries (Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg today), North Africa, and the Philippines. To rule these required a firm hand, yet he had neither offspring nor siblings to ascend the throne.

Although lesser claimants existed, two men from two different countries could make strong cases as to why they should be the next king of Spain. One was Philippe, Duc d’Anjou and grandson of King Louis XIV of France. The other was Archduke Charles of Austria. At the time, no one wanted to go to war and eventually, many ruling monarchs agreed that Philippe would become the next king of Spain. But succession questions where no direct heirs exist were never an easy thing to resolve, especially when the contenders and neighboring countries had their own goals and desires.

Then Louis, who rarely made unwise choices, sent soldiers into the Spanish Netherlands in February 1701. The move was supposedly to protect his grandson, who was now Philip V of Spain, but the Dutch were highly incensed over this move. In early September, England, Holland, and Austria joined together to form the Grand Alliance; soon after Denmark and the German states agreed to assist them. Two additional moves on Louis’s part tipped the scale on the side of war. He refused to allow English manufactured goods to be imported to France, and he recognized the Catholic son of the deposed James II as the rightful ruler of England and Scotland. The Grand Alliance declared war in May 1702.

What became known as the War of the Spanish Succession was a conflict that encompassed much of Europe, the West Indies, and even Canada. While most of the war occurred on land, the navies engaged in sea battles and privateering played a significant role. Although peace negotiations began early, nothing was resolved until 1713, 1714, and 1715, years in which the various parties eventually signed treaties. During more than ten years of fighting, numerous elements impacted its outcome: issues of who would command the armies, harmony amongst allies and commanders, conditions of the troops, court rivalries, and distractions at home (such as insurrection in southern France and the bitterly cold winter of 1709). In the end, all parties got what they initially wished and the Spanish people, who never had a voice in the matter, gained a king worthy of their respect and trust.

James Falkner, who specializes in this time period and this conflict, covers all this and more in a volume that presents an unbiased overview of the diplomacy, politics, and military initiatives that took place during the War of the Spanish Succession. He includes numerous maps, illustrations, and a chronological time line to assist readers. There are three appendices. The first two provide the main terms of the 1702 Treaty of Grand Alliance and the Treaties of Utrecht, Baden and Rastadt, and Madrid (1713-1715). The third appendix provides brief biographies of Key Military Figures, their careers, and what became of them. Among those included are James FitzJames, Duke of Berwick; Prince Eugene de Savoy-Carignan; Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt; John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough; Camille d’Houston, Duc de Tallard, Marshal of France; Louis-Joseph de Bourbon, Duc de Vendôme; Claude-Louise-Hector de Villars, Marshal of France; and François de Neufville, Duc de Villeroi, Marshal of France. The book concludes with endnotes, a bibliography, and an index.

Falkner provides a good grounding for readers about how the question of succession becomes an issue, who the principal claimants are, and why their claims are the strongest. Those seeking detailed analysis of the various battles and sieges, however, need to look elsewhere, for The War of the Spanish Succession merely summarizes these actions. Also missing are events that take place outside of Europe and the Mediterranean. Privateers garner only a scant mention, yet the plethora of these men will have a major impact on history once the war ends. Although the text is highly readable, it doesn’t always hold the reader’s interest and lay readers may become easily confused as to who’s who and for which side they fight. Readers with a particular interest in this war and military history during the 18th century will delight in this one-volume overview.

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