Excellent read. Author has the right touch when it comes to how much detail he adds. Very interesting to learn about the politics and the economics of our young country that lead to the continual funding/defunding of the first naval ships. Really well done descriptions of some of the naval engagements. Hard to imagine a time when England ruled the seas with 800 warships and we had ...none.

I'm a naval war buff, I'll admit. I was willing to be pleased by this book, and I was. Great information on the creation of our navy, the political fueding behind it, and the end result. Not only is it a great book to read for the fascinating description of the ships, but getting a glimpse at the political scene during the early decades of our navy and how it almost exactly mirrors our current situation. Well worth the money.

"Six Frigates" is a real keeper. It will grace my bookcase for a long time. Being an engineer, I like the technical details of how something was built and of course, how it was used. "Six Frigates" contained just enough of the technical details to keep your interest. One of the interesting themes of the book is the way it relates to the present day situation in Iraq, and how history repeats itself. When will today's politicians learn? We can't keep paying tribute to the terrorists of the world.

I was really looking forward to this book after all the great reviews, but to be honest, I was disappointed. The book had a hard time keeping on topic, and would wander off for 5-6 pages on topics that were barely related to the history of the U.S. Navy. It was if the author was really trying to tell a history of the United States, with naval history as his framework.

The parts that were about the navy were well done, but the tons of filler pages about general history offered nothing new or of note. The work did cover the personalities of the navy's earliest commander very well, but the author did not seem to really understand sailing or the terminology of the time. When ever he talked about the details of the art of 1800 sailing, he seemed uncomfortable. I was hoping to find a fresh and exciting way to re-look at the founding of the U.S. Navy, but just found more of the same.

Even preceding the Constitution, nothing provoked more rancor among the colonists than the thought of a permanent Military. No on wanted it. Not only did it cost money, didn't we just fight a war against an imperial power that quartered its troops within our homes? If you wanted an argument, this topic was the shortest, most direct route. Jefferson, Madison and Monroe were fervent anti militarists.

But in 1794 Washington signed legislation for the establishment of the US Army and Navy. If we were to be a nation among peers, a strong defense was necessary. For the Navy, the legislation authorized six frigates. Smaller than a battleship, larger than a sloop, this midsize craft represented a unique combination of power, speed and tactical versatility. In true democratic fashion the economic stimulus the federal employment would afford was spread around; the ships were built in six different seaports up and down the Atlantic Coast. As a result, while certainly similar, they were quite different and it is thanks to the competitive spirit between yards that one, the Constitution, survives today.

These ships were the finest frigates afloat, significantly larger, faster and mounting more firepower than anything possessed by any other Navy in the world. This is the story of each of those ships, from their construction and launch, through the quasi war with France, to the Tripolitan wars, and the War of 1812. Congress spent its money well. These ships were the pride of the US Navy and delivered victory after victory, much to the embarrassment of the superior French and British Navies.

As Ian Toll quotes in this amazingly good work, in the 1812 encounter between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere, Henry Adams is to have said, "the engagement raised the United States in one half hour to the rank of a first class power in the world". The exact same comment could be made of the other five. Well researched and written, this work is a pleasure.

I've been studying the early American Navy off and on throughout my life and deeply for the last decade, so I might be a little jaundiced, but Six Frigates, though interesting and well-written, really doesn't break any new ground. I have nothing against the book, per se; it's the overly effusive reviews of others that lead me to offer a caution. All the information in this book has been available to those who would look for some time. Though fiction writers have made frigate actions the epitome of naval combat, there really was much more to the early American navy than these six ships. The capture of Derne that precipitated the end of the Tripoli campaign was successful due to the efforts of much smaller warships, brigs and schooners for the most part. Oliver Perry had only brigs, schooners and a sloop in his squadron when he defeated the British at the Battle of Lake Erie and helped secure the Old Northwest Territory for the American republic. The same holds true for Thomas Macdonough on Lake Champlain; and, as Henry Adams points out in his History of the Madison Administration, sloops of war probably caused the British more actual damage than the frigate actions, no matter how glorious they were. If you add the many actions by privateers you get a much better perspective on the extent of American success.
I would urge readers of Six Frigates to delve deeper into the early history of the American Navy. I believe the book has a good bibliography; if so, it's a good place to start.

I have read other books about the specific frigates, namely the USS Constitution, but this was the first book that was a comprehensive history of all 6 ships and their various histories. As has been mentioned in other reviews the sea battles are described in detail. While the battles are interesting, it was also interesting to learn about all the politics that went on behind the scenes to get the ships designed, built and put to sea. The book also goes into the officers, and sailors, and politicians that would go on to define the US Navy.


If you want to check out another book on the subject, A Most Fortunate Ship: A Narrative History of Old Ironsides, Revised Edition (Paperback)
by Tyrone G. Martin (Author).

This book describes the beginnings of what is now the world's best and finest maritime force. Not just that, but there are brief descriptions of the political and social happenings that took place after the Revolution and the issues faced with a new country's leaders and allies. The narrative makes the book easy to understand and is very well-paced. Highly recommended.

This is one of those books which is deceptive in its scope. The history of the early American Navy is fascinating in and of itself, and this book provides a wealth of historical anecdotes involving the Navy, political parties, and the various issues surrounding them.

The United States didn't have a navy or an army after the American Revolution. Many of the Founding Fathers thought that a "standing" army or navy would be a drain on the Nation's tax revenue, a tool for a totalitarian takeover of the country's government, and a useless appendage that wouldn't be able to do anything the state militias couldn't. However, having taken this pacifist stand, the country almost immediately discovered that it was impracticable. Indians rampaged on the frontier, tax protesters rose in various parts of the country, and the Barbary Pirates and the French decided to capture American ships on the high seas, because there was no American Navy to stop them. The army quickly formed a regiment of troops and sent them to fight the Indians. Since there was no Navy, however, and founding one would take a bit more effort, some time was taken in the founding of it.

The ensuing events make up the majority of this book. Everything involved in the incident, from Joshua Humphreys designing and building the large frigates, which were too large for any of the British Frigates to fight and fast enough for them to outrun the larger battleships in the British Navy, all the way around to the officering and manning of the ships and their subsequent use in the first three wars America fought after the Revolutionary War: the "Quasi-War" with France, the Barbary Pirates conflict, and the War of 1812. The three conflicts are covered, with those six frigates covered as they fight the enemies of the United States.

This is one of those books that's so good it's a shame it ends. The author does a wonderful job of recounting every aspect of the fighting that's germane to his central theme, and he spends a lot of time dealing with the personalities and character of the various participants. As a result, the book reads very very well. I would recommend this book to almost everyone.

Ian Toll`s "Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy" is an outstanding overview of the early years of the U.S. Navy, focusing not only on the military history but, just as importantly and emphatically, on the political history and in-fighting behind the founding of the Navy.

Toll uses the first six frigates commissioned by the U.S. Navy (the United States, Constellation, Constitution, Chesapeake, Congress, and President) as the thematic focus of his history of the early Navy. Explaining how important maritime trade was to the early Americans, Toll explains the political struggles waged by John Adams and others as they tried to justify funding an expensive navy by a country that was broke and by a government unsure of its role domestically and internationally. As part of this background, he presents very concise portraits of many of the Founding Fathers and showed where their theoretical disagreements on the role of the federal government impacted our early government's policies.

Toll's historical narrative is excellent as well, and his excellent battle scenes are real page-turners. He gives excellent accounts of Adams' Quasi-War with France, the war against the Barbary States, and finally the War of 1812. He also personalizes the early Navy, giving excellent short biographical sketches of many of the founders of the Navy, such as William Bainbridge and Stephen Decatur. And finally, he takes the reader on important detours, such as explaining the rash of honor duels in the early Navy and the social underpinnings behind this odd practice.

As good as this book is, I still have a few criticism: 1) No maps, which is too often the case in military history books; 2) Although the author promised to use layman's terminology as much as possible, the nautical sections of the book still read more like a C.S. Forrester novel and would be a bit confusing for someone not familiar with the terminology of the age of sail; 3) Toll consistently refers to "ships-of-the-line" as "battleships" (while not entirely inaccurate, that is certainly not in the spirit of the age) and uses the incorrect term "calvary" for "cavalry" at least twice.

This is an excellent book. Although he focuses a little too much on the six frigates and ignores other early U.S. Navy ships and actions (presumably for thematic unity), anyone looking for an engaging and easily readable history of the early U.S. Navy or early American political history should read this book.

'Six Frigates' is a great story of the beginning of the US Navy and the struggles that it had to endure. The book starts with the state of the country during the Revolutionary War and what was being used in terms of a naval force. As the country became independant, a fleet was needed to protect the growing commercial activites. Importing and exporting were a big part of the US economy.

We see a young nation's leaders struggle with what the naval would be used for as well as consist of. Finally it was decided that six frigates would be built. This was a bold move, the frigates propsed were of a size that fell between the British frigates and their man of wars.

The book gives a good view of the navy as it grew, was challenged, and how it succeeded. We were able to win victories over the all powerful British navy at a time whne Britain ruled the sea. The book takes the navy up to the War of 1812. I enjoyed the description of the battles that were fought, whether ship to ship or ship to shore.

This is a fantastic history of the early Navy. The ships, the shipbuilders, the politics, the battles on sea and land are all brought to life. Anyone who loves American and its history will love this book.

Book is an excellent story not only of the start of the US Navy, but the development of early US History and politics that affected both. Some of the arguments for and against the establishment and growth of sea power are much the same as in Washington today. Great sailing lingo in the battles.

The founding of the Navy is well covered, and the six original frigates that Congress voted on are as well, but I was hoping for more depth on the other vessels of the period.

Was this a history book or a novel? The author somehow used the story of six frigates to tell us a little about the history of United States from Adams to Madison. (It's also a good book for people who think Jefferson is over-rated--he is.)

I hope the author writes another book soon.

I admit to a bit a skepticism when I read the author's biography on the bookcover. A Wall Street guy with some political stuff on his resume is going to write an "epic history of the founding of the U.S. Navy"? This is going to be good. I was wrong...this was REALLY good. "Six Frigates" is this guy's FIRST book? This has to be the literary equivalent of someone hitting a grand-slam in their first major league at-bat. His narrative, spanning just over two decades of the Republic's earliest years, culminates with the War of 1812. Toll leaves the reader with a clear understanding of the political rivalries, economic challenges, and the very significant external and internal threats to the nation's survival that existed at the time. Anyone who pays attention to current events will see some intriguing parallels. The contemporary pundits and politicians who blather about how our nation has never been so divided need to sit down with this for a few hours. Our navy now enjoys a similar position to the British at that time. However, it may not be very long before some upstart naval power challenges U.S. control of the seas...at least regionally. The Royal Navy wasn't in the habit of losing to anyone and neither is today's U.S. Navy. One can only imagine the shock onboard HMS GUERRIERE as it was being blown apart by USS CONSTITUTION, a ship to which the Royal Navy had no direct equivalent. The loss was but a pinprick to the Royal Navy's line-of-battle, but the repeated success of these first purpose-built warships along with the privateers put a big dent in the aura of invincibility that surrounded the Royal Navy and all but destroyed British commercial shipping. Although controversial and unpopular while it was fought, the second war with Great Britain produced long-term world-wide respect for U.S. sovereignty. Ian Toll's command of his subject is impressive, and his personal experience with sailing vessels provides him a critical skill; he obviously understands how these ships worked and is able to describe the battle in a way that, at times, not even O'Brian can match.

Ian Toll's Six Frigates sets a towering example of thoroughly researched and richly told history, concentrating on the truly epic founding of the US Navy. The book tells the story of the tumultuous debates over the frigate's construction, and carries the reader through the Quasi-war with France immediately following the revolution, the campaigns against the Barbary Pirates waged by President Jefferson, and finally concluding with the War of 1812. Throughout one can clearly see how the young American Navy reflected the character of a bold new nation, equal parts duantless courage and roiling self doubt.

The frigates themselves are technical marvels, designed beautifully and paradoxically by Quaker shipbuilders. They are remarkable in being both powerful and fast, able to outrun enemy ship of the line but also to dominate any rival frigate. These attributes serve them, and the nation, well in future conflicts.

After the brief quasi-war with France the small US Navy finds its first major task the projection of American power to the North African shores of the Mediterranean and Atlantic to fight Barbary pirates and ensure freedom of the seas for American commerce. A task beyond the ability of the Navy to provide decisive victory, a long and mixed blockade of Tripoli results, with both the ignominuous, such as the capture of the USS Philadelphia, and the glorious, such as it's daring recapture by perhaps the greatest American naval hero, Stephen Decatur, occurring in great supply.

After a relatively fruitless expedition to the Mediterranean where the Navy tries sometimes bravely and sometimes laconically to complement executive decisions and diplomatic strategies determined months sailing distance away, the next stage for the US Navy is the War of 1812. It is here that the Navy fully comes into its own, with stunning initial victories in ship to ship engagements with the British. However the American naval strategy of the war is best served by commerce raiding, and the British are successful in keeping the majority of the US frigates at bay, blockaded in harbor. In a war of contrasts and confusing causes and conclusions though the American ship to ship victories do more to create the due respect of the American navy from other powers than any amount of commerce raiding could have achieved, and this defining of American character is perhaps the greatest result of what many have deemed a futile and needless war. The War of 1812 being the war that announced our determination to be a force on the oceans and being the moment from which the United States were referred to in the singular instead of the plural, and with respect instead of consternation.

There is so much detail and breadth in this book one can barely scratch the surface or do it justice in a review. This is great history, but it is told in the style of an action adventure novel. The ship to ship battles are riveting and horrible, and the politics deep and complex. Toll's writing is well paced and enjoyable to read, and he obviously loves his subject.

The only caveat is that this book's focus truly is on the original six frigates of the US Navy, and the overall national and military strategy of the wars in which they fought. As such events such as William Eaton's overland March on Tripoli and Oliver Hazard Perry's battle against the British on Lake Erie are basically one page or less events.

Highly recommended!

In 1976, when Queen Elizabeth visited the United States to help celebrate the nation's Bicentennial, she was shown one of the U.S.S. Constitution's 24-pounder guns. The Queen quipped to her husband, Prince Phillip, "We really must talk to the Secretary about these foreign arms sales when we get home." The Constitution is one of the original six frigates that formed the foundation of the United States Navy.

Ian Toll chronicles the origins and early history of the U. S. Navy. He does so in sometimes exhausting detail. The political battles attendant to Congress's approving the construction of the first ships were not much different than the battles we see in Congress today. Toll goes on to follow the history of the ships and the Navy. From time to time, we are given insights into the customs of the era, such as dueling which was surprisingly widespread and lethal.

All in all, a well-detailed history, but be warned: it is not fast reading.

Jerry

Six Frigates has a unique focus- following the early U.S. Navy through the lives of the first six frigates built by the United States. As the book progresses we follow the ships, the events and the people behind and aboard them, from construction to service in three wars. Over all a good book, well written in terms of being a good balance of narrative and scholarly history. Nice breif bibliography in the begining and a great one at the end.

Only negative criticisms I have are as follows: the aforementioned focus of the book seems to disappeared when we get to the middle of the War of 1812. We get several pages on the Battle of New Orleans in which none of the six frigates took part but nothing of the Battle of Lake Erie- also not fought b the frigates but by many of their crews sent north. Also, we get no closure in the text itself on life of the ships after 1815- it is sort of contained in a "Timeline of Later Events" after the Epilogue. I would have preferred to have a final chapter(s) which followed the ships and showed their use in terms of developing naval strategy and tactics in the 19th century. Finally, most of the Epilogue is about Theodore Roosevelt who had nothing to do with the titular ships but wrote a book on the naval aspects of the War of 1812. This seemed out of place.

The slight negatives are outweighed but the over all quality and readability of Six Frigates. Hard to know also if the negatives are author related or editorial decisions. Would have liked some maps as well.

Look forward to the author's next work.

Amazon's continuing breadth of consumer products and efficient ordering makes its site a personal choice.

This is an interesting and well paced book. It describes the founding of the US Navy, not just the formation, but also the politics and logistics of such an undertaking. It provides a look at an often overlooked period of our history and illustrates our country's early political and philisophical developments. Ian Toll does a wonderful job of pulling all of these facets together into an enjoyable book

There are already some excellent reviews of this book--see especially the review of A.G. Corwin. I just want to add my praise. This is a well-researched history book that reads with the flow, pace, and excitement of a novel. Mr. Toll has a flair for describing the major politicians of this era with precision. His one-page description of Jefferson's contradictions was more lucid than Joseph Ellis's whole book. The tensions between the Jeffersonians--no internal taxes, no standing military... and the Federalists--national cooperation and international projection of power--are so well done as to be a major contribution in and of themselves. It becomes clear that the United States developed a Navy in jerks and starts and spasms, as life made even Thomas Jefferson have 'other plans.'

Six Frigates is a great read for anyone interested in naval history during the age of sail. Ian Toll does a very good job of detailing the political background and historical circumstances that led to the creation of the US Navy shortly after America's struggle to achieve sovereignty. I found the political landscape particularly interesting, as the infighting between nascent political parties ranged from agriculture to commerce, and how this affected the naval policy (and whether there even should BE a navy at all!).

It was very interesting to see how bureaucratic problems and commercial interests affected national policy. At time it is easy to lament about our nation's current standing with regards to these topics, however, Six Frigates gives an interesting perspective on how the past is not nearly as pristine and rosy as we'd like to imagine.

The chapters detailing specific naval military engagements are well written and I was never confused about the ships' relationship to each other throughout the battles. They are also as exciting as they are interesting. As I read this book shortly after returning from Iraq and spending the summer of 2006 driving around Baghdad concerned with the prospect of a molten copper disks being blasted through me and thinking "this is such a dirty war", I was again checked in my views on the past while reading about sailors who dealt with mind-boggling quantities of iron balls being blasted through their wooden ships. Another very interesting chapter dealt with a blockaded American port sending out mined boats in an attempt to destroy the vastly superior British naval force in what immediately brought my mind back to the game of cat/mouse with IEDs in Iraq. I guess one of the lessons I took away was: the past is not a pristine utopia & war has never been clean.

All these personal reflections aside, the history is well researched and documented, and will definitely keep your interest throughout. My one critique is that Toll neglects some of the land campaigns that continued in the Barbary States following the Navy's creation; although this is out of the scope of his history (and not just my Army bias), they seem so connected to the events that their inclusion would have made a great read into an excellent one.

United States, President, Chesapeake, Congress, Contellation, Constitution. The six frigates, construction having begun under President George Washington's watch, were the core of the first American navy. There were few enough of these ships (compared with the hundreds of British warships), but they had been excellently designed by Joshua Humphreys.

This book tells the story of these frigates through the conflict with the Barbary states, the "Cold War" between those days and the War of 1812 (as French and British ships would sometimes take on American merchantmen). It also tells the story of their various captains, from John Barry to Thomas Truxton to the luckless William Bainbridge to Isaac Hull to Stephen Decatur to the ill-fated William Lawrence, among others.

The book speaks of the difficult process of constructing and launching the ships (talk about cost overruns for military projects today!), their trial by fire in conflict with the Barbary states, and--ultimately--their role in the War of 1812.

Nice, too, is an Appendix, a "Chronology of Later Events: 1815-2005," detailing what happened to the six frigates after the close of the War of 1812.

This is an excellent review of the actions of these six frigates, including both successes and failures, and the larger context, political, social, and economic, in which their service to the republic occurred.

Amazon loves to be lazy and place the reviews of BOOKS under an item which is an abridged CD set of the book. As a non-braindead customer, i'd like some hint as to just how much this is abridged. It would take only a few seconds to check the packaging and let us know how long this audio version runs.

For a budding naval history buff, Six Frigates represents an overdose of goodness. It is written in a flowing, easy to read style, but does not shy away from precise naval terminology.

The events surrounding the founding of the U.S. Navy are presented in a rich historical and political context. While you will want to refer to other more complete treatments of the early years after the American Revolution, this book covers a good amount of the presidential and party politics of the era, and the economic, diplomatic and ideological issues that would impact on the creation of a navy.

The book fleshes out an image of an awakening nation, surprisingly tentative in asserting her rights, and instinctively cautious of military entanglements, yet ready eventually to seize the initiative on the Ocean. The cost of a blue-water navy, and the ethics and national philosophy of constructing and employing such a weapon, capable of offensive action, repeatedly preoccupy congress and the various early administrations. Build-up is abandoned more than once, and ships moth-balled. That the United States eventually wields a respectable navy seems, at the end of the book, more of a political and economic miracle than a maritime or martial inevitability.

Action descriptions are first rate, at least according to the standards of popular history works. The writing is so good that even the lack of tactical maps is not a big problem. A feeling of "being there," however feeble it must be in comparison to the real thing, accompanies most of the book. You can not help but wince when the HMS Java is crushed in a raking broadside, or hold your breath when Stephen Decatur's commando raid sneaks into the harbor to torch the USS Philadelphia.

The book describes the Quasi War, The Tripolitan War, and the War of 1812 in detail, and constructs a coherent history of the early Navy through these campaigns. The author makes brief forays back and forth months or even years at a time, but the overall story remains mostly chronological and easy to follow. I even got the feeling at one point that the relaxation of strict chronology quite nicely mirrored the long communication times of the era: a peace overture is made in one part of the world, but won't reach the other until war has been exhaustively debated and declared.

Overall, money well spent. I'm looking forward to the next one from Ian W. Toll.

Brilliantly written history of the founding of the U.S. Navy. It's amazing we managed to get a Navy at all, much less the most powerful fleet on the planet.

It isn't often that one finds a book about less popular subjects without also having to endure wild enthusiasm or hyperbole the minute it's opened. Toll describes the events leading to the acceptance of a sea-going body by our flegling nation with an analytical and sober mind. Blending political machinery with equisitely described sea and ship knowledge, he tells the how a handfull of ships and dedicated men laid the foundation of a nation. Toll is often unsympathetic, yet also unjudgemental. Still, he cannot hide his love for the "wooden ships and iron men" that transformed America from a backwater nonentity to a nation to be reckoned with.

Ian Toll has the gift of writing narrative history that is at once informative and absorbing. The book is written for an audience that is historically literate, using references understandable to anyone who passed a decent high-school American history class with a B.

_Six Frigates_ belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in American naval and military history.

History should be fun reading, but let's face it... some authors are about as interesting as dry toast...This book is the exception, this book reads like a novel, but of course, isn't. Toll has taken dry, hard facts and information and combined them into a tome worth staying up at night to get to the next chapter. He then inspires you to look further into other areas which he exposed to you....if we had more like this to choose from, there would be larger book stores and a smaller number of television channels....good job....

This book tries to seeks to cover three areas of American naval history in its earliest period. It covers the very beginning which includes the debates on whether or not to build vessels and what type they should be. This book seeks to tell an overview of the three parts of the story without going into exhausting detail on anyone part. The debates between the federalists and the republicans are legendary and while not captured fully here enough of the story is told. The second section is dedicated to the fighting on the shores of Tripoli. This tales covers the time from the destruction of the Philadelphia through the heroic efforts to keep the marauders at bay. The final section of the book is dedicated to the War of 1812 and truly shows how Jefferson's party had no idea what to do with a navy. Their ignorance was truly shocking and the war was misconduct from the start. The book reminds us of the victories that were occurring on the sea and make the War of 1812 a little less bleak. That being said we were hopelessly outmatched by British sea power and this book captures it well. Highly enjoyable read for those who want to see the early history of the United States from the perspective of the navy. This is a great addition to the literature.

I'm not a "big" reader but this book is excellent. It provides a good summary of the politics occurring in the early United States and the debate over the need and use of a US Navy. The author also does a good job in describing our struggle to assert ourselves as a nation to the powerhouses of the time: Britain, France, and the pirates of the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The description of the battles in which the first six frigates were involved in is greatly detailed and makes you feel you are in the battles.

Over all a great book and I highly recommend it

An excellent account describing the birth of the U.S. Navy. This is a well told story that deserves the attention of those that never even set foot on a weather deck. The core of this historically accurate book explains a lot as to how, and why, the Navy exists at all...without the dreadful ramblings of typical history books.

Especially interesting are the details regarding our founding fathers and the political forces at work during the country's infancy. Toll provides insight to the early Presidents and U.S. Political process, all in a context that may not have intended to be amusing, but when compared to today's political positioning one must chuckle at how the process has been preserved over the last some 200 years.

Highly recommended.

Excellent read for anyone interested in the birth and early evolution of the US Navy. Held my interest cover to cover.

History - in the form of this tremendously well-written and interesting book - can provide us with unique insights into current American politics and the two-party struggle for the moral highground on the war in Iraq.

Following the Treaty of Ghent, which brought an end to the Anglo-American War of 1812, Federalists attacked Republicans for having plunged the nation into an ill-conceived and costly war. One newspaper even printed the names of all the congressmen who had voted for the war in 1812, adding "they must stand condemned as weak, ignorant, and impolitic men."

But it was not to be, for the American public was in no mood to be told that the war had been futile and unnecessary. "They much preferred the line offered by the Republicans - that Americans had prevailed in a great patriotic campaign," writes the author of "Six Frigates", Ian W. Toll.

Opponents of the war were vilified for years afterward. Federalist candidates were routed in the elections of 1816 and the long Republic dynasty continued with the two-term election of President James Monroe.

Toll has written a brilliant history of the founding of the United States Navy, focusing on the building of six frigates so unique in design that they almost revolutionalized naval warfare and played a major role in the American victory over the British in 1812. Two of those frigates, Constitution in Boston and Constellation in Baltimore are still in existence.

But the real value of this book is Toll's analysis of how the two political parties in America struggled to shape their message at the conclusion of the war and sell that message to the American people.

History - in the form of this tremendously well-written and interesting book - can provide us with unique insights into current American politics and the two-party struggle for the moral highground on the war in Iraq.

Following the Treaty of Ghent, which brought an end to the Anglo-American War of 1812, Federalists attacked Republicans for having plunged the nation into an ill-conceived and costly war. One newspaper even printed the names of all the congressmen who had voted for the war in 1812, adding "they must stand condemned as weak, ignorant, and impolitic men."

But it was not to be, for the American public was in no mood to be told that the war had been futile and unnecessary. "They much preferred the line offered by the Republicans - that Americans had prevailed in a great patriotic campaign," writes the author of "Six Frigates", Ian W. Toll.

Opponents of the war were vilified for years afterward. Federalist candidates were routed in the elections of 1816 and the long Republic dynasty continued with the two-term election of President James Monroe.

Toll has written a brilliant history of the founding of the United States Navy, focusing on the building of six frigates so unique in design that they almost revolutionalized naval warfare and played a major role in the American victory over the British in 1812. Two of those frigates, Constitution in Boston and Constellation in Baltimore are still in existence.

But the real value of this book is Toll's analysis of how the two political parties in America struggled to shape their message at the conclusion of the war and sell that message to the American people.

The war in Iraq - and the political struggle on how it will end - is far from over. Politicians would do well to read this book before advancing political agendas that, in the end, could be rejected by the American people.

A well written review of the politics[domestic and foreign], economics,and ship building concerns in the late 1700's and early 1800's. You can see that things have'nt changed much. Should appeal to both history and Naval enthusiasts. Only fault is the lack of maps/diagrams and a glossary.

Many excellent books on early U.S. history have been published in recent years and Six Frigates deserves to be included in the group both as a supplement and a unique work in its own right. From the presidency of George Washington to the War of 1812, it presents the history of the U.S. Navy and its first steps on the way to naval ascendancy. Six Frigates tells the stories of the ships, battles, and lives and times of the era. Author Ian Toll's writing is well researched, organized, and most important of all, never dull. Starting with the Quasi-War at sea with France in the 1790's and then the actions against the Barbary Pirates, it leads the reader toward the period's climax (for the American navy) in the War of 1812. The American victories are all described in full along with the effect on the spirit on the Americans, the growing naval traditions of the young country, and the hubris and consternation of Britain. The triumphs of the frigates Constitution and United States and several smaller ships are all here and many readers will get a great deal of new information. (One area I wish the book had concentrated more upon, though, were the naval battles in Great Lakes). However, the War of 1812 was no victory for the United States and could have been disastrous. Toll gives equal treatment to the defeats suffered by the United States such as the loss of the frigates Chesapeake and President, the stifling and frustrating effect of the British blockade as the war progressed, and the humiliating capture and burning of Washington D.C.

Six Frigates is more than a story of the battles at sea. The political environment of the early United States is the described in the context of the conflict of the Federalists versus the Jeffersonian Republicans as it related to development of a navy. Such issues as the cost of a navy, entanglement in foreign affairs, support of Britain or France, protection of trade, when to risk lives and treasure, and priorities for the country's growth all played into the arguments within a young nation trying to find a secure, but dynamic place, in a dangerous world. Although the major focus is on the United States, Toll provides a great deal of information on the British navy and gives it a human face (to lesser extent, he does the same for the French and Barbary Pirates). The strategic environment of the era is detailed and provides additional meaning to the individual battles. Descriptions of the causes of the various conflicts the United States found itself in and efforts to make an honorable peace add additional context.

Ian Toll has succeeded brilliantly in producing excellent "popular history" for readers and history buffs such as me. Six Frigates, along with being an excellent account the early years of our navy, is also invaluable as a resource of the lives and times of the era that will appeal to anybody with an interest in the history of the United States and the Age of Fighting Sail. To paraphrase a noted saying about real estate, the secret of Six Frigate's success is "Context, Context, Context."

This book provides the reader with a very compelling and chronilogical account of the U.S. Navy from its inception. The author draws a thorough portrait of the issues involved with the building of our initial six frigates and the political and international environment surrounding the need for a deep water Navy, both for and against. Throughout, the book provides biographical data on the personalities involved both ashore and as ship masters while giving a detailed account of early naval actions from the revolution through the War of 1812. A must read for any naval enthusiast.

Ian Toll's maiden publishing voyage is, quite simply, a masterpiece. He makes battle sequences come to life. You can smell the smoke and feel the rumble of the cannons firing from the tall ships. This deeply-researched work stands tall. We can't wait until Mr. Toll publishes his second book.

This is a great book that I highly recommend to anyone interested in the beginnings of the Navy. There is only one major flaw with the book, and that is the total absence of any maps or charts, things that would greatly aid the reader in better understanding the battles and voyages of these ships. A glossary of ship terms would also have been nice to have.

I'll admit I have a soft spot for history and for tales from the age of sail, but this is a good as it gets. Rarely have I encountered a history as well written. Toll's mix of fact, riveting prose, and historical trivia make "Six Frigates" a real page turner - a true rarity even for those who love history. Although the Quasi War, the Barbary Coast conflicts, and the War of 1812 are the central events of the period, they're really more of a backdrop against which the histories of these six ships are told. The Congress, the Constellation, the President, the United States, the Chesapeake, and of course, the Constitution, are the characters, and "Six Frigates" is their biography. - Joe

There is much about this book that I like. Its well written, holds the reader's interest, and moves right along. Toll does a good job with the back story - the personalities and various special interest groups that make up the American political scene during the days of the early republic. The background and story of the Quasi War with France is well presented. The naval part of the war with the Barbary States is likewise well presented (although the land campaign of William Eaton is hardly mentioned except in passing). When we get to the War of 1812 however, Toll begins to lose the thread. He does a good job presenting the famous single ship duels between the big American frigates and their Royal Navy counterparts but he fails to cover the actions of the smaller warships like USS Wasp, which was the victor in two single ship actions. He barely mentions the exciting career of USS Essex in the Pacific and finally fails to give the war on the lakes, which was argueably more inportant in a strategic sense than the actions of the frigates, more than a mention. I wanted very much to give this book four stars, its very engaging, but Toll fails to deliver the whole story.

I spent quite a bit of time with this book. It even rated the highlighter treatment, as I needed to remember ship and people names, dates and places in order to appreciate it fully. The maritime aspects of American history are particularly interesting to me, especially as I have grown to have a much better appreciation of such naval matters from reading the Patrick O'Brian series. Period books have given me a better feeling for early American politics and events of that era more generally (e.g., Joseph Ellis, Samuel Johnson ). This was perfect, coming at just the right moment.



The story of those Frigates and those men is simply fascinating and totally inspiring. I can't recommend this enough to anyone interested in the founding of our country and in the culture of another time.

This is an outstanding review of the colonial period through the War of 1812. Toll captures the characters, equipment and combat tactics used. However, what sets this book apart is both the detail deployed and the context provided. I found it helpful to have a page laying out basic sailing warship geography - for example, which sails were which - while reading, but this is a neglible concern for what is an engaging, lively account of a fascinating period. Recommended for those people who feast on detail, history, warships and strategy. I am looking forward to Mr Toll's next effort.

From his biography, Mr. Toll is neither a professional writer or a journalist. That has not kept him from writing a detailed and engaging book about the earliest days of the United States Navy, and the ships that served so well in the service of a nation. As a retired naval officer who has read my share of naval histories, it will be a long time before anyone tops Mr. Toll's research and presentation of this material.

Just a good read.

Mr Toll's book closes a lot of gaps in the early history of the United States. In addition to his coverage of the US Navy in its infancy, Six Frigates goes a long way in explaining the underlying roots of the US economy and its foreign policy. I would not say revisonist is quite the treatment of the Adams' presidency, rather, Toll has taken an objective look at Adams, as well as Jefferson and Madison, without the subjective and trite explanations of the presidency's of each.
The economic look is interesting as well. Prior naval histories may speak about the projection of power; Toll is as much concerned with what the US can do with that power. For example, what was the cost of having the Mediterranean closed by the Barbary States, what was the impact of privateers to English shipping?
Well done.

I have always been interested in history in general but never took any college level courses. This book is a wonderful place to start if you want to update your knowledge of American history. There is no propaganda in this book; it is also very readable without condescension. Many of the Baby Boomers were subjected to jingoism in our junior high school Am. Hist. classes. It's amazing how far historians have progressed from that, thank goodness!

Ian Toll does a wonderful job of threading together, in a more-or-less chronological fashion, the story of the birth of the Navy and the twists of fate that would take it from being a stumbling infant to being the "L'Enfante Terrible" of the Atlantic! His recounting of the Barbary Campaigns and the War of 1812 are the strongest sections, leaving me wanting more and more detail! Excellent arrangement and dramatic effect!

He incorporates little bits and pieces of detail that help flesh out the picture of the US Navy around the beginning of the 19th century. He dedicates a significant number of pages to the debate over the design of the core six frigates... yet, once they're out of the drydocks, he sets sail with them, leaving behind the drydocks (or, in the case of the USS President (?), most of the ship's keel!).

Also, in a FASCINATING bit of background relation, Toll tosses in memorandi and reports from many of the big names from the day detailing everything from interpersonal relationships to plans for action to the costs and requisitions involved in building/operating the nascent navy. I could go on but your best bet is to snag this book and see for yourselves. It's a very addicting read!

I commend this book to anyone.

To be honest I am still reading it. I only read a little bit a time, because I don't want it to end. The author's way of presenting history is entertaining and compelling. It makes me want to read more of this style. His extensive use of quotes and objective presentation of events makes one feel like they are reading source documents, but much more fun.

I grew up in Annapolis and lived a short time on the shore of the Patapsco, so I read the entire book with anticipation of key moments and mentions. I would love to see more from this author, especially more detail that would further present the research that I am certain he has already done.

He also presents the material in such a way that it is easy to draw parallels to the modern political landscape. It also sharpens the focus of events that I had learned about in school. Overall a wonderful read and I look forward to more.