Alan Lewrie
Encyclopedia
Alan Lewrie is the hero and main character of Dewey Lambdin
's naval adventure series of novels set during the American and the French Revolutions and the Napoleonic Wars.
, Alexander Kent
's Richard Bolitho
, and Dudley Pope
's Lord Ramage
are much more in the traditional hero mode in attitudes and upbringing. Hornblower is the son of a country doctor packed off to sea after the death of his parents, Bolitho and Ramage are the sons of admirals and scions of seafaring families. Lewrie, on the other hand is little more than an educated, fun-loving London
er who spends his time gambling, drinking, and in pursuit of women. His character shares elements of Patrick O'Brian
's Jack Aubrey
, Bernard Cornwell
's Richard Sharpe
, George MacDonald Fraser
's Harry Flashman, and Henry Fielding
's Tom Jones
.
With the help of friends, mentors, enemies, villains, and the mention of a god or two, Alan quickly rises through the ranks of the Royal Navy
. He becomes the captain of his own ship and sails off to many subsequent adventures.
While the idea of a multi-volume series of a British naval officer in the late 18th Century and through the Napoleonic Wars is hardly new ground for novelists, Lambdin's series is much more bawdy than the C.S. Forester Hornblower
series. Unlike other series, Alan Lewrie doesn't quite express himself in the manner of the times, though Lambdin throws in a lot of period slang, sometimes reaching before or after the times that Lewrie is active.
, London, the son of Elisabeth Lewrie and Sir Hugo St. George Willoughby, a captain in 4th Regiment of Foot. Elisabeth Lewrie had been abandoned by Sir George Willoughby and died in childbirth leaving Alan Lewrie to be placed in the parish poorhouse
. As a toddler he was employed as an oakum
-picker and flax
-pounder for the Royal Dockyards.
In 1766, he was claimed by Sir George from the poorhouse and taken in to the Willoughby household at St. James's Square, London. He was provided the best educational opportunities available and proved himself to be an excellent student but one also prone to acts of indiscipline. He was expelled from Harrow School
in 1779 after a prank involving gunpowder went awry resulting in the demolition of a coach house and the faculty stables. This marked the end of his formal education.
In 1780, he was involuntarily sent to sea as a midshipman on the 3rd Rate HMS Ariadne. He was transferred to the 28-gun 5th rate frigate
HMS Desperate, in 1781 and participated in the Battle of the Chesapeake, the Siege of Yorktown, the evacuation of Loyalist
families from Wilmington, North Carolina
, and the Battle of St. Kitts. He is promoted to lieutenant in 1782 and his actions bring him to the attention of Admiral Sir Samuel Hood
who becomes his patron. In 1783, his ship was paid off and he resumed civilian life in London.
From 1784-1786 he served in the East Indies as part of a clandestine operation to suppress pirates preying on the ships of the East India Company. Upon his return to England he is rewarded for his actions by being given command of his own ship, marries, and spends the next three years on the Bahamas Station enforcing the Navigation Acts
and suppressing piracy. During this period he proves his mettle as commander of a warship, makes a powerful enemy, and becomes a father -- legitimately for once -- following his marriage to Caroline Chiswick, the daughter of a Loyalist Family that moved back to England after the American Revolution.
When Lewrie's ship returns from the Bahamas and pays off he finds himself unemployed for the next four years. He is called up briefly for the Nootka Sound Controversy but is primarily engaged as a gentleman farmer in Surrey
. As the French Revolutionary Wars
begin to draw England in he is called back to active service initially in the Impress Service, the organization responsible for impressment
, and later as first lieutenant of a frigate during the siege of Toulon
. His actions during the siege result in his being promoted to commander and given a ship. He serves under Nelson in the Mediterranean in 1794 and on detached service in the Adriatic 1796. After participating in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in February 1797, he returns to England. Shortly afterward, he is made post-captain and put in command of HMS Proteus, which becomes one of the few ships to quit the Nore Mutiny.
In October of 1797, HMS Proteus participates in the Battle of Camperdown
, where Lewrie is wounded. After his ship is repaired and he recovers, he is sent back into the Caribbean to confront Haitian rebels, French privateers, Yellow Fever in his crew, and a band of Acadian pirates from Louisiana. In 1799, his ship is re-assigned to escort East Indian convoys in the South Atlantic. After a successful frigate duel he is given a new frigate (HMS Savage) in 1800 and is part of a blockading squadron in the Bay of Biscay. The early spring of 1801 finds Lewrie in the Baltic commanding HMS Thermopylae, where he participates in the Battle of Copenhagen.
The Peace of Amiens leaves Lewrie ashore once more, but peace with France results in a horrible misadventure that results in the murder of his wife. In May 1803, Lewrie is back at sea in command of the 38-gun frigate HMS Reliant and is part of a squadron sent to the Caribbean as the Napoleonic Wars resume.
The second book in the series is The French Admiral. It is set during the period August 1781 through January 1782 and covers the Battle of the Capes, the Siege of Yorktown
, and the evacuation of Loyalist families from Wilmington, North Carolina. It begins with Lewrie still aboard the HMS Desperate on the North American station. Lewrie's commander has developed a strong dislike for him because he has been apprised of the circumstances under which Lewrie was sent to the Navy. Matters aren’t helped when Lewrie and a companion connive their way onto shore in Charleston, South Carolina
and end up in a brawl.
During a visit to a brothel, Lewrie becomes aware of the brutal internecine warfare being waged between Patriots and Loyalists in the Southern American colonies. Lewrie's applying himself to his duties, despite his desire to be out of the Navy, wins him supporters on board the Desperate and one asks his banker brother to find out more about Lewrie's parentage. Lewrie finds himself assigned ashore during the Siege of Yorktown and befriends two young officers in a Loyalist regiment, the Chiswicks, who will feature prominently in Lewrie's life.
Through a series of mishaps, Lewrie and two small boatloads of British seamen and Loyalist soldiers avoid the surrender
of Lord Cornwallis
and rejoin the fleet. This episode, combined with the damage to the HMS Desperate’s reputation by being the only British ship to break the French blockade of the Chesapeake Bay
and escape capture or destruction, raises Lewrie’s reputation in the eyes of his commander. As a reward he is promoted from midshipman
to master's mate
.
The King’s Commission opens with the battle of St. Kitts
and finds Lewrie back aboard the frigate HMS Desperate as the momentary favorite of the mercurial commander of the Desperate. A promotion and transfer for the Desperate’s commander brings aboard his former mentor and now sworn enemy as the new first lieutenant. Lewrie fortuitously escapes this unhappy circumstance by being offered the opportunity to test for promotion to lieutenant and then by being one of only a few of the successful applicants to be immediately commissioned.
Lewrie’s new ship is commanded by a superannuated officer who is an accomplished seaman and leader. Under his tutelage Lewrie begins a remarkable development into a skilled sea officer. For his part, he infuses his new captain with a sense of adventure. Together they make the brig into a very efficient combatant. The prizes taken off Cuba introduce Lewrie to the horrors of slavery.
Ashore in Jamaica, Lewrie’s pursuit of the wealthy young Lucy Beauman is scuttled through a series of scandals.
Lewrie is involved in escorting a British diplomatic mission to bribe Florida Indians to continue their fight against Spain and the new United States. He is wounded in a fight against the Spanish and their Indian allies and is present when Horatio Nelson suffers one of the few repulses of his career at Grand Turk
. In the end, his concern for his wounded commander wins the admiration of Nelson and an offer of patronage from Admiral Lord Samuel Hood.
"The King's Privateer" finds Lewrie in London and the start of the peace. While attempting to use his influence to find employment for a friend, he finds himself offered employment as a lieutenant on what turns out to be a clandestine mission by the British government to suppress piracy against the ships of the British East India Company
in the South China Sea
. The offer is fortuitous because Lewrie's personal life is rapidly unraveling. This novel has Lewrie making his first contact with a British secret agent, Zacariah Twigg, and first crossing swords with an occasional future adversary, Captain Guilliame Choundas of the French Navy. He also connects again with his father, now pursuing life as an officer in the army of East India Company, and achieves something of a rapprochement and is able to gain promotion for his father. He cements his patronage relationship with Admiral Lord Samuel Hood and extends it to include First Lord of the Admiralty, Richard Howe.
As a reward for his service in the Far East, Lewrie is given command of a small vessel and dispatched once more to the Caribbean in "The Bomb Ketch"; he also marries Caroline Chiswick. In the Bahamas, Lewrie experiences the futility of attempting to enforce the Navigation Act and rampant local corruption which turns a blind eye to piracy and shipwrecking. Lewrie places his career, and life of his new wife and infant son, in jeopardy by pursuing a piracy ring and exposing its leaders.
Following several years of peaceful life as a well-off tenant farmer in England with three children, Lewrie is recalled to active duty in January 1793 as the French Revolutionary Wars
begin finally draw England in as a combatant. This adventure ("HMS Cockrel") takes him through the Impress Service, life as the first lieutenant aboard a frigate, and to the siege of Toulon
. Lambdin now takes to giving Lewrie the chance to meet more famous characters from history, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Emma Hamilton, King Ferdinand IV of Naples, and sundry of Britain's more famous admirals including then-captain Horatio Nelson. His actions while escorting a convoy of French Royalists from Toulon to Gibraltar win him a promotion to commander and his big step on the way to status as a post-captain.
Following his escape from Toulon, Lewrie's next adventures are continued in "A King's Commander", where Lewrie is promoted to that rank and given a proper ship (HMS Jester) of his own to command. He serves under the less than able Admiral William Hotham
in the Mediterranean as the army of Revolutionary France pushes into Italy as part of a squadron commanded by Captain Horatio Nelson. "Jester's Fortune" closes this chapter of history as Lewrie serves in the Adriatic while Napoleon overruns Italy and forces Admiral John Jervis to abandon the Mediterranean.
"King's Captain" sees Lewrie involved in the Battle of Cape St Vincent just before being promoted to the coveted position of post-captain and given command of a brand new frigate... which he boards on the eve of the Nore Mutiny. In "Sea of Grey", after being wounded at the Battle of Camperdown
, Lewrie spends time ashore where his domestic life has disintegrated when Caroline learned of his many infidelities, courtesy of anonymous letters that seem distressingly well-informed about the 'Ram-Cat's' philanderings. In the meantime, he and his frigate HMS Proteus are dispatched to the Caribbean once more. While coping with the aftermath of an outbreak of Yellow Fever
in his crew, Lewrie conspires with an old friend (Kit Cashman, who he first encounters in 1782) to accept a dozen runaway slaves from Jamaica
in his crew.
In "Havoc's Sword", Lewrie and HMS Proteus are still in the Caribbean, where he gets to confront Choundas yet again and to cooperate with the rising US Navy. The same arena is still in play for "The Captain's Vengeance", where Lewrie embarks on a secret mission to the Spanish port of New Orleans to deal with French Acadian pirates... and finds that one of them is a very attractive and astonishingly liberated young woman.
With "A King's Trade", Lewrie is in deep trouble once more as the conversion of some black slaves to Royal Navy seamen comes back to haunt him. Legal action beckons, forcing Lewrie into the arms of William Wilberforce
and the Abolitionist movement. In the meantime, Lewrie must escort a trade convoy to South Africa, developing a—so far—chaste relationship with a young Russian woman and a ferocious encounter with a marauding French frigate.
"Troubled Waters" takes things to the spring of 1800, where Lewrie is back in England as a wealthy hero following his cruises with HMS Proteus; but a date in court for the theft of slaves awaits. His attempted reconcilement with Caroline goes off the rails, following the arrival of another anonymous letter. While awaiting his trial, he is sent out with his new frigate, HMS Savage, to the blockade squadron off the estuary of the Loire.
With "The Baltic Gambit"; Lewrie is ashore on half-pay at the start of 1801, but at least acquitted of the charges relating to slave theft. Bored and idle, he eventually takes up a relationship with an attractive young prostitute (ending two years of celibacy) while also wrapping up the issue of the anonymous letters. As anti-British Neutral League of Denmark, Sweden Prussia and Russia threatens British interests, the Admiralty puts him in command of another frigate and sends him into the Baltic. Lewrie is sent to pick his way through the ice and events soon lead him to the Battle of Copenhagen.
In "King, Ship and Sword" Lewrie is home once more, following the outbreak of Peace. He returns to the family home and slowly works his way towards healing the rift with his wife. As a result of both the political and his personal peace, a second honeymoon in Paris ensues which ends in disaster. Lewrie's old French enemies become aware of him and he has to flee, but Caroline is killed during the escape. After months of grieving at home, Lewrie is recalled to service as the new captain of a 38 gun frigate and returns to sea ready to kill as many Frenchmen as possible. His second son, Hugh, is found a place on a friend's ship as a midshipman; but Lewrie is stunned when his oldest son Sewallis also finds a place for himself as a midshipman.
In "The Invasion Year" Lewrie becomes (only partially willingly) involved in the evacuation of French civilians from the slave rebellion on Hispaniola before being recalled to England, where he is rewarded for his part in the naval action described at the end of "King, Ship, and Sword" by being made Knight of the Bath and—shockingly—Baronet. At the reception afterward, he meets Percy Viscount Stangbourne and, more importantly, Percy's sister Lydia. After only a few days leave, Captain Sir Alan Lewrie is sent on a secret mission to test a new naval technology being called the "torpedo".
Given the chance, Lewrie is lazy, casual, and inclined to be good humoured and amusing—a 'Merry Andrew' in the parliance of the day. However, what was initially a facade as an active and conscientious naval officer has actually become real over the course of the novels. Lewrie becomes an imaginative and aggressive officer, a capable leader, and a competent seaman... He is no longer dominated by his womanizing. He is also lucky, and encourages the belief among the more superstitious of his seaman, that he is under the favor of the ancient God of the Sea, Lir
. At times, he almost believes this himself.
Lambdin has an interesting character here, and another 12 years of fighting await. Choundas, at least, is dead but there are children (legitimate and otherwise) to be seen to and professional rivals to be addressed.
For King and Country (omnibus) (1994)
Dewey Lambdin
Dewey Lambdin is an American nautical historical novelist. He is best known for his Alan Lewrie naval adventure series, spanning the American Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Besides the Alan Lewrie series, he is also the author of What Lies Buried: a novel of Old Cape Fear.The son of a U.S...
's naval adventure series of novels set during the American and the French Revolutions and the Napoleonic Wars.
Character
Alan Lewrie provides an interesting departure from other heroes of the genre. C.S. Forester's Horatio HornblowerHoratio Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
, Alexander Kent
Alexander Kent
Alexander Kent may refer to:* a pseudonym of British writer Douglas Reeman*Alex Kent, bass guitarist...
's Richard Bolitho
Richard Bolitho
The Bolitho novels are a series of nautical war novels written by Douglas Reeman . They focus on the military careers of Richard Bolitho and Adam Bolitho in the Royal Navy, from the time of the American Revolution past the Napoleonic Era.-Richard Bolitho:Richard Bolitho is a fictional Royal Navy...
, and Dudley Pope
Dudley Pope
Dudley Bernard Egerton Pope was a British writer of both nautical fiction and history, most notable for his Lord Ramage series of historical novels. Greatly inspired by C.S. Forester, Pope was one of the most successful authors to explore the genre of nautical fiction, often compared to Patrick...
's Lord Ramage
Lord Ramage
Nicholas, Lord Ramage was the fictional character at the centre of a series of sea novels written by Dudley Pope. Ramage was an officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.-Early life:...
are much more in the traditional hero mode in attitudes and upbringing. Hornblower is the son of a country doctor packed off to sea after the death of his parents, Bolitho and Ramage are the sons of admirals and scions of seafaring families. Lewrie, on the other hand is little more than an educated, fun-loving London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
er who spends his time gambling, drinking, and in pursuit of women. His character shares elements of Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centred on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen...
's Jack Aubrey
Jack Aubrey
John "Jack" Aubrey, KB , is a fictional character in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The twenty -book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along...
, Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell
Bernard Cornwell OBE is an English author of historical novels. He is best known for his novels about Napoleonic Wars rifleman Richard Sharpe which were adapted into a series of Sharpe television films.-Biography:...
's Richard Sharpe
Richard Sharpe
Richard Sharpe may refer to:*Richard Sharpe *Richard Sharpe *Richard Sharpe , Professor of Diplomatic at the University of Oxford*Richard Sharpe , English football player...
, George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser, OBE was an English-born author of Scottish descent, who wrote both historical novels and non-fiction books, as well as several screenplays.-Early life and military career:...
's Harry Flashman, and Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
's Tom Jones
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling
The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, often known simply as Tom Jones, is a comic novel by the English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. First published on 28 February 1749, Tom Jones is among the earliest English prose works describable as a novel...
.
With the help of friends, mentors, enemies, villains, and the mention of a god or two, Alan quickly rises through the ranks of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. He becomes the captain of his own ship and sails off to many subsequent adventures.
While the idea of a multi-volume series of a British naval officer in the late 18th Century and through the Napoleonic Wars is hardly new ground for novelists, Lambdin's series is much more bawdy than the C.S. Forester Hornblower
Hornblower
Hornblower may refer to:In fiction:*Horatio Hornblower, a fictional officer of the British Royal Navy created by C.S. Forester*A family of hobbits in the works of J.R.R...
series. Unlike other series, Alan Lewrie doesn't quite express himself in the manner of the times, though Lambdin throws in a lot of period slang, sometimes reaching before or after the times that Lewrie is active.
Life
Alan Lewrie was born out of wedlock on Epiphany Sunday, 1763, at St Martin in the Fields (parish)St Martin in the Fields (parish)
St Martin in the Fields was a civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. It took its name from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields and was within the Liberty of Westminster. It included within its boundaries Buckingham Palace and St...
, London, the son of Elisabeth Lewrie and Sir Hugo St. George Willoughby, a captain in 4th Regiment of Foot. Elisabeth Lewrie had been abandoned by Sir George Willoughby and died in childbirth leaving Alan Lewrie to be placed in the parish poorhouse
Poorhouse
A poorhouse or workhouse was a government-run facility in the past for the support and housing of dependent or needy persons, typically run by a local government entity such as a county or municipality....
. As a toddler he was employed as an oakum
Oakum
Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing applications...
-picker and flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
-pounder for the Royal Dockyards.
In 1766, he was claimed by Sir George from the poorhouse and taken in to the Willoughby household at St. James's Square, London. He was provided the best educational opportunities available and proved himself to be an excellent student but one also prone to acts of indiscipline. He was expelled from Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
in 1779 after a prank involving gunpowder went awry resulting in the demolition of a coach house and the faculty stables. This marked the end of his formal education.
In 1780, he was involuntarily sent to sea as a midshipman on the 3rd Rate HMS Ariadne. He was transferred to the 28-gun 5th rate frigate
Frigate
A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
HMS Desperate, in 1781 and participated in the Battle of the Chesapeake, the Siege of Yorktown, the evacuation of Loyalist
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
families from Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, and the Battle of St. Kitts. He is promoted to lieutenant in 1782 and his actions bring him to the attention of Admiral Sir Samuel Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood
Samuel Hood, 1st Viscount Hood was a British Admiral known particularly for his service in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary Wars...
who becomes his patron. In 1783, his ship was paid off and he resumed civilian life in London.
From 1784-1786 he served in the East Indies as part of a clandestine operation to suppress pirates preying on the ships of the East India Company. Upon his return to England he is rewarded for his actions by being given command of his own ship, marries, and spends the next three years on the Bahamas Station enforcing the Navigation Acts
Navigation Acts
The English Navigation Acts were a series of laws that restricted the use of foreign shipping for trade between England and its colonies, a process which had started in 1651. Their goal was to force colonial development into lines favorable to England, and stop direct colonial trade with the...
and suppressing piracy. During this period he proves his mettle as commander of a warship, makes a powerful enemy, and becomes a father -- legitimately for once -- following his marriage to Caroline Chiswick, the daughter of a Loyalist Family that moved back to England after the American Revolution.
When Lewrie's ship returns from the Bahamas and pays off he finds himself unemployed for the next four years. He is called up briefly for the Nootka Sound Controversy but is primarily engaged as a gentleman farmer in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
. As the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
begin to draw England in he is called back to active service initially in the Impress Service, the organization responsible for impressment
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
, and later as first lieutenant of a frigate during the siege of Toulon
Siege of Toulon
The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...
. His actions during the siege result in his being promoted to commander and given a ship. He serves under Nelson in the Mediterranean in 1794 and on detached service in the Adriatic 1796. After participating in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in February 1797, he returns to England. Shortly afterward, he is made post-captain and put in command of HMS Proteus, which becomes one of the few ships to quit the Nore Mutiny.
In October of 1797, HMS Proteus participates in the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
, where Lewrie is wounded. After his ship is repaired and he recovers, he is sent back into the Caribbean to confront Haitian rebels, French privateers, Yellow Fever in his crew, and a band of Acadian pirates from Louisiana. In 1799, his ship is re-assigned to escort East Indian convoys in the South Atlantic. After a successful frigate duel he is given a new frigate (HMS Savage) in 1800 and is part of a blockading squadron in the Bay of Biscay. The early spring of 1801 finds Lewrie in the Baltic commanding HMS Thermopylae, where he participates in the Battle of Copenhagen.
The Peace of Amiens leaves Lewrie ashore once more, but peace with France results in a horrible misadventure that results in the murder of his wife. In May 1803, Lewrie is back at sea in command of the 38-gun frigate HMS Reliant and is part of a squadron sent to the Caribbean as the Napoleonic Wars resume.
Career
Lewrie's attraction is a series of continual struggles—at first glance, we find him in January 1780 abed with his half-sister by adoption as part of a thin plot by his father to get his 17 year old bastard son out to sea (and thereby to acquire access to the estate of a grandmother that Lewrie knows nothing of). Throughout the first novel, "The King's Coat", Lewrie tries to adapt to his unwelcome new life as a midshipman in the Royal Navy, and eventually finds that he does have some talent for it.The second book in the series is The French Admiral. It is set during the period August 1781 through January 1782 and covers the Battle of the Capes, the Siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
, and the evacuation of Loyalist families from Wilmington, North Carolina. It begins with Lewrie still aboard the HMS Desperate on the North American station. Lewrie's commander has developed a strong dislike for him because he has been apprised of the circumstances under which Lewrie was sent to the Navy. Matters aren’t helped when Lewrie and a companion connive their way onto shore in Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
and end up in a brawl.
During a visit to a brothel, Lewrie becomes aware of the brutal internecine warfare being waged between Patriots and Loyalists in the Southern American colonies. Lewrie's applying himself to his duties, despite his desire to be out of the Navy, wins him supporters on board the Desperate and one asks his banker brother to find out more about Lewrie's parentage. Lewrie finds himself assigned ashore during the Siege of Yorktown and befriends two young officers in a Loyalist regiment, the Chiswicks, who will feature prominently in Lewrie's life.
Through a series of mishaps, Lewrie and two small boatloads of British seamen and Loyalist soldiers avoid the surrender
Surrender (military)
Surrender is when soldiers, nations or other combatants stop fighting and eventually become prisoners of war, either as individuals or when ordered to by their officers. A white flag is a common symbol of surrender, as is the gesture of raising one's hands empty and open above one's head.When the...
of Lord Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
and rejoin the fleet. This episode, combined with the damage to the HMS Desperate’s reputation by being the only British ship to break the French blockade of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
and escape capture or destruction, raises Lewrie’s reputation in the eyes of his commander. As a reward he is promoted from midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
to master's mate
Master's mate
Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the master...
.
The King’s Commission opens with the battle of St. Kitts
Battle of St. Kitts
The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle that took place on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet under the Comte de Grasse.-Background:When Hood...
and finds Lewrie back aboard the frigate HMS Desperate as the momentary favorite of the mercurial commander of the Desperate. A promotion and transfer for the Desperate’s commander brings aboard his former mentor and now sworn enemy as the new first lieutenant. Lewrie fortuitously escapes this unhappy circumstance by being offered the opportunity to test for promotion to lieutenant and then by being one of only a few of the successful applicants to be immediately commissioned.
Lewrie’s new ship is commanded by a superannuated officer who is an accomplished seaman and leader. Under his tutelage Lewrie begins a remarkable development into a skilled sea officer. For his part, he infuses his new captain with a sense of adventure. Together they make the brig into a very efficient combatant. The prizes taken off Cuba introduce Lewrie to the horrors of slavery.
Ashore in Jamaica, Lewrie’s pursuit of the wealthy young Lucy Beauman is scuttled through a series of scandals.
Lewrie is involved in escorting a British diplomatic mission to bribe Florida Indians to continue their fight against Spain and the new United States. He is wounded in a fight against the Spanish and their Indian allies and is present when Horatio Nelson suffers one of the few repulses of his career at Grand Turk
Grand Turk
Grand Turk may refer to:* Grand Turk * Grand Turk Island* Cem, a Turkish prince made famous by his extended captivity in the West* an informal western name for the Great Sultan of the Turkish Ottoman dynasty...
. In the end, his concern for his wounded commander wins the admiration of Nelson and an offer of patronage from Admiral Lord Samuel Hood.
"The King's Privateer" finds Lewrie in London and the start of the peace. While attempting to use his influence to find employment for a friend, he finds himself offered employment as a lieutenant on what turns out to be a clandestine mission by the British government to suppress piracy against the ships of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. The offer is fortuitous because Lewrie's personal life is rapidly unraveling. This novel has Lewrie making his first contact with a British secret agent, Zacariah Twigg, and first crossing swords with an occasional future adversary, Captain Guilliame Choundas of the French Navy. He also connects again with his father, now pursuing life as an officer in the army of East India Company, and achieves something of a rapprochement and is able to gain promotion for his father. He cements his patronage relationship with Admiral Lord Samuel Hood and extends it to include First Lord of the Admiralty, Richard Howe.
As a reward for his service in the Far East, Lewrie is given command of a small vessel and dispatched once more to the Caribbean in "The Bomb Ketch"; he also marries Caroline Chiswick. In the Bahamas, Lewrie experiences the futility of attempting to enforce the Navigation Act and rampant local corruption which turns a blind eye to piracy and shipwrecking. Lewrie places his career, and life of his new wife and infant son, in jeopardy by pursuing a piracy ring and exposing its leaders.
Following several years of peaceful life as a well-off tenant farmer in England with three children, Lewrie is recalled to active duty in January 1793 as the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
begin finally draw England in as a combatant. This adventure ("HMS Cockrel") takes him through the Impress Service, life as the first lieutenant aboard a frigate, and to the siege of Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. Lambdin now takes to giving Lewrie the chance to meet more famous characters from history, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Emma Hamilton, King Ferdinand IV of Naples, and sundry of Britain's more famous admirals including then-captain Horatio Nelson. His actions while escorting a convoy of French Royalists from Toulon to Gibraltar win him a promotion to commander and his big step on the way to status as a post-captain.
Following his escape from Toulon, Lewrie's next adventures are continued in "A King's Commander", where Lewrie is promoted to that rank and given a proper ship (HMS Jester) of his own to command. He serves under the less than able Admiral William Hotham
William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham
Admiral William Hotham, 1st Baron Hotham was an officer in the Royal Navy. He was the son of Sir Beaumont Hotham , a lineal descendant of Sir John Hotham....
in the Mediterranean as the army of Revolutionary France pushes into Italy as part of a squadron commanded by Captain Horatio Nelson. "Jester's Fortune" closes this chapter of history as Lewrie serves in the Adriatic while Napoleon overruns Italy and forces Admiral John Jervis to abandon the Mediterranean.
"King's Captain" sees Lewrie involved in the Battle of Cape St Vincent just before being promoted to the coveted position of post-captain and given command of a brand new frigate... which he boards on the eve of the Nore Mutiny. In "Sea of Grey", after being wounded at the Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
, Lewrie spends time ashore where his domestic life has disintegrated when Caroline learned of his many infidelities, courtesy of anonymous letters that seem distressingly well-informed about the 'Ram-Cat's' philanderings. In the meantime, he and his frigate HMS Proteus are dispatched to the Caribbean once more. While coping with the aftermath of an outbreak of Yellow Fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
in his crew, Lewrie conspires with an old friend (Kit Cashman, who he first encounters in 1782) to accept a dozen runaway slaves from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
in his crew.
In "Havoc's Sword", Lewrie and HMS Proteus are still in the Caribbean, where he gets to confront Choundas yet again and to cooperate with the rising US Navy. The same arena is still in play for "The Captain's Vengeance", where Lewrie embarks on a secret mission to the Spanish port of New Orleans to deal with French Acadian pirates... and finds that one of them is a very attractive and astonishingly liberated young woman.
With "A King's Trade", Lewrie is in deep trouble once more as the conversion of some black slaves to Royal Navy seamen comes back to haunt him. Legal action beckons, forcing Lewrie into the arms of William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
and the Abolitionist movement. In the meantime, Lewrie must escort a trade convoy to South Africa, developing a—so far—chaste relationship with a young Russian woman and a ferocious encounter with a marauding French frigate.
"Troubled Waters" takes things to the spring of 1800, where Lewrie is back in England as a wealthy hero following his cruises with HMS Proteus; but a date in court for the theft of slaves awaits. His attempted reconcilement with Caroline goes off the rails, following the arrival of another anonymous letter. While awaiting his trial, he is sent out with his new frigate, HMS Savage, to the blockade squadron off the estuary of the Loire.
With "The Baltic Gambit"; Lewrie is ashore on half-pay at the start of 1801, but at least acquitted of the charges relating to slave theft. Bored and idle, he eventually takes up a relationship with an attractive young prostitute (ending two years of celibacy) while also wrapping up the issue of the anonymous letters. As anti-British Neutral League of Denmark, Sweden Prussia and Russia threatens British interests, the Admiralty puts him in command of another frigate and sends him into the Baltic. Lewrie is sent to pick his way through the ice and events soon lead him to the Battle of Copenhagen.
In "King, Ship and Sword" Lewrie is home once more, following the outbreak of Peace. He returns to the family home and slowly works his way towards healing the rift with his wife. As a result of both the political and his personal peace, a second honeymoon in Paris ensues which ends in disaster. Lewrie's old French enemies become aware of him and he has to flee, but Caroline is killed during the escape. After months of grieving at home, Lewrie is recalled to service as the new captain of a 38 gun frigate and returns to sea ready to kill as many Frenchmen as possible. His second son, Hugh, is found a place on a friend's ship as a midshipman; but Lewrie is stunned when his oldest son Sewallis also finds a place for himself as a midshipman.
In "The Invasion Year" Lewrie becomes (only partially willingly) involved in the evacuation of French civilians from the slave rebellion on Hispaniola before being recalled to England, where he is rewarded for his part in the naval action described at the end of "King, Ship, and Sword" by being made Knight of the Bath and—shockingly—Baronet. At the reception afterward, he meets Percy Viscount Stangbourne and, more importantly, Percy's sister Lydia. After only a few days leave, Captain Sir Alan Lewrie is sent on a secret mission to test a new naval technology being called the "torpedo".
Given the chance, Lewrie is lazy, casual, and inclined to be good humoured and amusing—a 'Merry Andrew' in the parliance of the day. However, what was initially a facade as an active and conscientious naval officer has actually become real over the course of the novels. Lewrie becomes an imaginative and aggressive officer, a capable leader, and a competent seaman... He is no longer dominated by his womanizing. He is also lucky, and encourages the belief among the more superstitious of his seaman, that he is under the favor of the ancient God of the Sea, Lir
Lir
Ler or Lir is a sea god in Irish mythology. His name suggests that he is a personification of the sea, rather than a distinct deity. He is named Allód in early genealogies, and corresponds to the Llŷr of Welsh mythology...
. At times, he almost believes this himself.
Lambdin has an interesting character here, and another 12 years of fighting await. Choundas, at least, is dead but there are children (legitimate and otherwise) to be seen to and professional rivals to be addressed.
The Alan Lewrie novels
- The King's Coat (1989)
- The French Admiral (1990)
- The King's Commission (1991)
- The King's Privateer (1992)
- The Gun Ketch (1993)
- H.M.S. Cockerel (1995)
- A King's Commander (1997)
- Jester's Fortune (1999)
- King's Captain (2000)
- Sea of Grey (2002)
- Havoc's Sword (2003)
- The Captain's Vengeance (2004)
- A King's Trade (2006)
- Troubled Waters (2008)
- The Baltic Gambit (2009)
- King, Ship, and Sword (2010)
- The Invasion Year (2011)
For King and Country (omnibus) (1994)