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In William H. White’s new historical novel, we sail with Oliver Baldwin, recently back from the Barbary Wars, in the United States Frigate Chesapeake as she leaves Hampton Roads, VA en route to the Mediterranean, carrying Commodore James Barron, newly appointed squadron commander, to his fleet. The voyage is barely begun when the ship is confronted by the fifty gun HMS Leopard outside the Virginia Capes. The British ship is seeking Royal Navy deserters and, when Commodore James Barron refuses the British captain’s orders to produce them, fires into the ill-prepared American frigate with disastrous results. The lop-sided fight, the Chesapeake/Leopard Incident, was one of the major contributors to the War of 1812 which started five years later.

Following the ensuing court martial, Stephen Decatur takes command of Chesapeake to enforce the Jeffersonian Embargoes on the Atlantic seaboard with Oliver, Henry Allen, and others from The Greater The Honor. Oliver will meet his future wife, sister of Oliver Hazard Perry, at a ball in Newport RI and experience more – though less disastrous -  encounters with ships of the Royal Navy, and ultimately, the start of the War of 1812.

In October of that year, sailing in the American Frigate United States, Oliver, now a lieutenant, and Henry Allen, under the command of Barbary Wars hero Stephen Decatur, cross tacks with HMS Macedonian. A bloody battle ensues, concluding with the capture of the British frigate.

White’s portrayal of the significant early naval encounters of the war, told by his well-constructed characters, brings to life a period not well known but of crucial importance to the development of the fledgling United States and her Navy.

"William White's newest seafaring novel deals with the U.S. Navy as it emerged from the Barbary Wars and enters the difficult period leading into the War of 1812. We see the action through the eyes of Midshipman Oliver Baldwin who had entered the Navy in 1803 and was serving on the ill-starred USS Chesapeake as she put to sea from Norfolk. He is eyewitness to HMS Leopard's bombardment of Chesapeake and its aftermath in the court martial of Commodore James Barron and others in the immediate chain of command. Through his observations and those of his shipmates we are privy to the turbulent emotions wrought by that event and the desire for revenge on the British felt generally throughout the Navy. The protagonist gains further seasoning serving with and under a variety of officers over the next few years. Under the command of Captain Stephen Decatur, Jr., in USS United States, Baldwin participates in the battle with HMS Macedonian and brings her safely back to Newport as a member of the prize crew. White cleverly recreates the language and manners of days long past while sticking closely to the basic historical facts. He weaves his fictional and historic personages seamlessly into the context of the times and vividly brings to life a time when the U.S. Navy was emerging from infancy to adolescence."  

William Dudley, PhD
Chairman Emeritus Navy Historical Center

“If you yearn to smell the salt air, hear the wind sing through the rigging, and feel the roll of the sea beneath your feet, but you don't have a ship of your own, step aboard In Pursuit of Glory. If you want to duck British cannonballs and ride out storms at sea, all from the safety of your favorite armchair, set sail with William White. If you do, he'll take you on a fascinating voyage into American naval history, and you'll make port edified and entertained.”

William Martin
NY Times Best-selling Author of:
Cape Cod, Back Bay, Harvard Yard, Citizen Washington, Annapolis