The Chesapeake Command

By Les Eldridge

Book Overview

The Chesapeake Command finds shipwreck, Indian raids and the threat of war with Great Britain confronting two US Navy officers, one Irish, one black, on the eve of the Civil War. Rory Dunbrody and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0972630376
• ISBN13: 9780972630375
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Lee Shore Pubns
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 0.8" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

A "Commanding" Book!

Les Eldridge undertakes a tough task for his first novel: humanizing historical events--some obscure yet others clearly benchmarks of American history. I think he succeeds blending fictional characters with a whole host of historical figures. His melding of fact and fiction is quite seamless. The historical scholarship is remarkable. As a native Northwesterner, I knew about the Pig War bit didn't know about the back-stage pulling & tugging that went on between northerners and southerners on the American side. That set an interesting prelude to the Civil War itself. The fictional characters are nicely developed. You can hear Rory's brogue! The surprising (to me) fact of extensive Irish and African-American naval service in the Civil War is presented subtly but clearly. It is an interesting and vigorous plot with lots of action and a modicum of romance. I could have used a golssary for some of the naval terms, but frankly I can't wait for the sequel.

An enjoyable and informative read

Anyone interested in naval history or the Civil War, or who just enjoys a good sea story, will want to read this exciting, entertaining, informative first novel. Les Eldridge brings a lot of knowledge, imagination, and a gift for good narrative together in a well-told story of two friends who must take opposite sides in war, set against a backdrop of actual events and people. He must have done a lot of research to get the settings so right, but the main characters, Rory and Tobias, steal the show. Reminiscent of Patrick O'Brian's work, but with a uniquely American voice, The Chesapeake Command will keep you interested and involved from its beginning on Puget Sound in the 1850s to its end on the Chespeake Bay early in the Civil War. Let's hope Eldridge has a sequel or three coming.

Cries out for a sequel

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (4/06) In 1859 Rory Dunbrody and his friend, Tobias St. John, both members of the American Navy, were caught up in an effort to prevent warfare between the British and the U.S. over a pig shot in the Washington Territory. While they worked to prevent this war, as well as one with the Haida Indians, quite another war was fomenting in the rest of the U.S. When the Civil War broke out two years later, Rory and Tobias each joined sides in the effort, Rory on the South and Tobias on the North. This book is about the strength of a friendship that can withstand any adversities thrown at it, as well as a fascinating backstage look into the inner workings of the early Navy and Coast Guard, or the U.S. Coast Survey as it was known then. The book is filled with historical people, some of whom you'll recognize and others that sound familiar enough to send you to the computer to look them up as I did. The speech is very much in keeping with the era and I found myself mimicking it out loud as I read, especially the Irish brogue. This book is not a quick read. You really have to read slowly to absorb all of the information you are given. Many times I found myself going back a few pages to reread a passage that tied in with the one I had just read. I also spent quite a bit of time poring over the maps at the front of the book. This book just cries out for a sequel and the ending left me believing that there will be one.

A Seafaring Adventure that both Educates and Entertains

The book opens on the north western coast of the United States. The year is 1859 and back east the country is embroiled with the thoughts of Civil War. But on the west coast Rory Dunbroady and Tobias St. John, young officers in the United States Navy, are far away from talk of war between the states. They're involved with trying to prevent a war with England over a pig and the boundary between America and Canada. Dunbroady is American by birth, but he was raised in Ireland, so he has an accent sure to get up the dander of the British. St. John is black and from Antiqua and that's sure to raise the hackles of a certain Prussian officer serving with the Americans. Dunbroady is a master swordsman, but nobody knows this except St. John, so when that Prussian, who is proud of his skill with a saber, challenges him to sort of an educational duel, he's in for a surprise. After their adventures in America's Pacific Northwest these best friends find themselves on opposite sides of the War Between the States, Dunborady fighting for the South and St. John for the North. Can the two remain friends, despite their opposing loyalties? Will their be more sword play in Dunborady's future? And can you put down this seafaring adventure, that both educates and entertains before you finish the book? I'll bet not. Reviewed by Stephanie Sane