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| Chapter I. Origin of the American Navy | [1] |
| The Curious Chain of Events that Led to the Creation of a National Sea Power—The Gaspé Captured by Men Armed with Paving-stones—Tea Destroyed in Boston—The Battle of Lexington and the Attack of the Machias Haymakers on the Margaretta—British Vengeance on Defenceless Portland and its Effect on the Continental Congress—The “Colonial Navy” Distinguished from the Temporary Cruisers—The First Officers and the First Ships of the American Navy—John Paul Jones and the First Naval Ensign—The Significant “Don’t Tread on me”—Putting the First American Naval Ships in Commission. |
| Chapter II. First Cruise of the Yankee Squadron | [48] |
| A Fairly Successful Raid on New Providence, but they Let a British Sloop-of-war Escape—Character of the First Naval Commander-in-chief and of the Material with which he had to Work—Esek Hopkins, and his Record as Commander of the Fleet—Crews Untrained and Devoid of Esprit de Corps—Good Courage, but a Woeful Lack of other Needed Qualities—Hopkins Dismissed for Disobedience of Orders. |
| Chapter III. Along Shore in 1776 | [63] |
| Brilliant Deeds by the First Heroes of the American Navy—Why Nicholas Biddle Entered Port with but Five of the Original Crew of the Andrea Doria—Richard Dale on the sleek Lexington—The Racehorse Captured in an even Fight—Captain Lambert Wickes in the Reprisal Beats off a Large Vessel—John Paul Jones in his Earlier Commands—A Smart Race with the Frigate Solebay—Sixteen Prizes in Forty-seven Days in Cape Breton Region—Poking Fun at the Frigate Milford—The Valuable Mellish—An Able Fighter who Lacked Political Influence. |
| Chapter IV. He Saw “the Countenance of the Enemy” | [84] |
| The Story of Arnold’s Extraordinary Fight against Overwhelming Odds on Lake Champlain—A Thousand Sailors, of whom Seven-tenths were Picked Men, Armed with the Heaviest Guns, were Pitted under a Courageous Leader against 700 Yankees, chiefly Haymakers, Poorly Armed and with Insufficient Ammunition—Savages with Scalping Knives Aided the British—A Desperate Struggle at the End—The Best All-around Fighter under Washington. |
| Chapter V. Under the Crags of the “Tight Little Isle” | [112] |
| The Saucy Yankee Cruisers in British Waters—When Franklin Sailed for France—Wickes in the Reprisal on the Irish Coast—Narrow Escape from a Liner—A Plucky English Lieutenant—Harsh Fate of the Americans in the British Prison—Starved by Act of Parliament—Deeds of the Gallant Connyngham—Well-named Cruisers—A Surprise at a Breakfast Table—Taking Prizes Daily—Why Forty French Ships Loaded in the Thames—Insurance Rates never before Known. |
| Chapter VI. John Paul Jones and the Ranger | [134] |
| The First Ship that Carried the Stars and Stripes—Dash at a Convoy that Failed—When the Dutch were Browbeaten—The Ranger Sent on a Cruise in English Waters—A Ship Taken off Dublin—The Raid on Whitehaven—When one Brave Man Cowed more than a Thousand—The Whole Truth about Lord Selkirk’s Silverware, with the Noble Lord’s Expression of Gratitude when he Got it Back—How Captain Jones Missed the Drake at First, but Got her Later on in a Fair and Well-fought Battle. |
| Chapter VII. The First Submarine Warship | [157] |
| It was Small and Ineffective, but it Contained the Germ of a Mighty Power that is as yet Undeveloped—When Nicholas Biddle Died—He was a Man of the Spirit of an Ideal American Naval Officer—Fought the Ship against Overwhelming Odds till Blown out of the Water—The Loss of the Hancock—An American Captain Dismissed for a Good Reason—Captain Rathburne at New Providence—Loss of the Virginia—Captain Barry’s Notable Exploit—With Twenty-seven Men to Help him, he Captured a Schooner of Ten Guns by Boarding from Small Boats in Broad Daylight, although the Schooner was Manned by 116 Sailors and Soldiers. |
| Chapter VIII. Privateers of the Revolution | [196] |
| A Tale of the American Patriots who Went Afloat outside of the Regular Navy—Their Part in Driving the British from Boston—Remarkable Work of the Lee—Truxton as a Privateer—Daring Capt. John Foster Williams—When Capt. Daniel Waters, with the Thorn of Sixteen Guns, Whipped Two Ships that Carried Thirty-four Guns between them—Great was Joshua Barney—The Story of the most Famous State Cruisers of the Revolution—Won against Greater Odds than were Encountered by any Successful Sea Captain of the War—British Account of the Work of American Privateers—The Horrors of the Jersey Prison Ship. |
| Chapter IX. John Paul Jones and the Bonhomme Richard | [227] |
| A Condemned Indiaman, Ill-shaped and Rotten, Fitted as a Man-o’-war—A Disheartening Cruise with Incapable and Mutinous Associates—Attempt to Take Leith, and the Scotch Parson’s Prayer—Meeting the Serapis—When John Paul Jones had “not yet Begun to Fight”; when he had “Got her now”; when he would not “Surrender to a Drop of Water”—Ready Wit of Richard Dale—Work of a Bright Marine—A Battle Won by Sheer Pluck and Persistence. |
| Chapter X. After the Serapis Surrendered | [260] |
| Richard Dale too Bright for the British Lieutenant—A Fair Estimate of Captain Pearson of the Serapis—The Treachery of Landais—Remarkable Escape from Texel—Honors for the Victor—“The Fame of the Brave Outlives him; his Portion is Immortality.” |
| Chapter XI. The Year 1779 in American Waters | [280] |
| Lucky Raids of British Transports and Merchantmen—Disastrous Expedition to the Penobscot—The Trumbull’s Good Fight with the Watt—The First Yankee Line-of-battle-ship—When Nicholson, with a Wrecked Ship and Fifty Men, Fought for an Hour against Two Frigates, each of which was Superior to the Yankee Ship—Captain Barry’s Exasperating Predicament in a Calm—The Last Naval Battle of the Revolution. |
| Chapter XII. Building a New Navy | [303] |
| When England, in her Efforts to Wrest Commerce from the Americans, Incited the Pirates of Africa to Activity, she Compelled the Building of the Fleet that was, in the End, to Bring her Humility of which she had never Dreamed—Deeds of the Barbary Corsairs—American Naval Policy as Laid down by Joshua Humphreys—The Wonderful New Frigates—Troubles with the French Cruisers on the American Coasts—Trick of a Yankee Captain to Save a Ship—A Midshipman who Died at his Post—Capture of the Insurgent—A Long Watch over the French Prisoners—Escape of a Twice-beaten Ship—The Valiant Senez—Story of Isaac Hull and the Lucky Enterprise. |
| Chapter XIII. War with Barbary Pirates | [333] |
| A Squadron under Richard Dale Sent to the Mediterranean—The Dey of Algiers became Friendly, but the Bashaw of Tripoli Showed Fight—Fierce Battle between the Schooner Enterprise and the Treacherous Crew of the Polacre Tripoli—Slaughter of the Pirates—Tripoli Blockaded—Grounding and Loss of the Philadelphia. |
| Chapter XIV. Decatur and the Philadelphia | [345] |
| Story of the Brave Men who Disguised a Ketch as a Merchantman and Sailed into the Harbor of Tripoli by Night, Drew up alongside the Captured Philadelphia, and then, to the Order “Boarders Away!” Climbed over the Rail and through the Ports, and with Cutlass and Pike Drove the Pirates into the Sea or to a Worse Fate—“The most Bold and Daring Act of the Age.” |
| Chapter XV. Hand-to-hand with the Pirates | [359] |
| A Fight against Odds of Three Gunboats to One—Decatur and Macdonough Leading the Boarders—Cold-blooded Murder and the Vengeance that Followed—When Reuben James Won Fame—Eleven against Forty-three in a Hand-to-hand Struggle, and the Remarkable Result—The Handy Constitution—Fired their Gun as the Boat Sank under them—When Somers and his Mates Went to their Death in a Fireship—End of the War with the Pirates. |
| Chapter XVI. Why We Fought in 1812 | [383] |
| A Stirring Tale of the Outrages Perpetrated on American Citizens by the Press-gangs of the British Navy—Horrors of Life on Ships where the Officers Found Pleasure in the Use of the Cat—Doomed to Slavery for Life—Impressed from the Baltimore—A British Seaman’s Joke and its Ghastly Result—The British Admiralty’s Way of Dealing with Deliberate Murder in American Waters—Assault of the Leopard on the Chesapeake to Compel American Seamen to Return to the Slavery they had Escaped—Building Harbor-defence Boats to Protect American Seamen from Outrage on the High Seas—Other Good Reasons for Going to War. |
| Appendix | [415] |