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Commanding Petty Despots - The American Navy in the New Republic (Hardcover)
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Commanding Petty Despots - The American Navy in the New Republic (Hardcover)
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Commanding Petty Despots: The American Navy in the New Republic
tells the story of the creation of the American Navy. Rather than
focus on the well-known frigate duels and fleet engagements, Thomas
Sheppard emphasizes the overlooked story of the institutional
formation of the Navy. Sheppard looks at civilian control of the
military, and how this concept evolved in the early American
republic. For naval officers obsessed with honor and reputation,
being willing to put themselves in harm's way was never a problem,
but they were far less enthusiastic about taking orders from a
civilian Secretary of the Navy. Accustomed to giving orders and
receiving absolute obedience at sea, captains were quick to engage
in blatantly insubordinate behavior towards their superiors in
Washington. The civilian government did not always discourage such
thinking. The new American nation needed leaders who were zealous
for their honor and quick to engage in heroic acts on behalf of
their nation. The most troublesome officers could also be the most
effective during the Revolution and the Quasi and Barbary Wars.
First Secretary of the Navy Benjamin Stoddert tolerated
insubordination from "spirited" officers who secured respect for
the American republic from European powers. However, by the end of
the War of 1812, the culture of the Navy's officer corps had grown
considerably when it came to civil-military strains. A new
generation of naval officers, far more attuned to duty and
subordination, had risen to prominence, and Stoddert's successors
increasingly demanded recognition of civilian supremacy from the
officer corps. Although the creation of the Board of Navy
Commissioners in 1815 gave the officer corps a greater role in
managing the Navy, by that time the authority of the Secretary of
the Navy--as an extension of the president--was firmly entrenched.
General
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