“Sea of Glory goes beyond the conflict betwee n man and nature with added layers of struggle-the U.S. “Nathaniel Philbrick (In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex) informatively resurrects the expedition and provides an intriguing psychoanalysis of its arrogant, uncompromising young commander.” “The author of the National Book Award-winning In the Heart of the Sea returns with another rail-gripper of a tale-this time, a little-known epic that by all rights should have become as legendary as the journey of Lewis and Clark.” In Charles Wilkes, Philbrick reveals that strangest of characters-a magnificent loser.” More than that, it is a fascinating exploration of human frailty. “Sea of Glory is a grand saga of scientific and nautical accomplishment. Others have written about what came to be known as ‘the Wilkes expedition,’ but none with the verve, detail, knowledge of seamanship, array of newly discovered sources or insight of Philbrick in his wonderful book.” ranks with the late Stephen Ambrose’s story of Lewis and Clark, Undaunted Courage, and surpasses it as a story of heroism, sheer terror and significance. Like the award-winning In the Heart of the Sea, Sea of Glory combines meticulous history with spellbinding human drama as it circles the globe from the palm-fringed beaches of the South Pacific to the treacherous waters off Antarctica and to the stunning beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and, finally, to a court-martial aboard a ship of the line anchored off New York City.īest of the Best Books of 2003, Los Angeles Times Book Review Now, the celebrated Nathaniel Philbrick re-creates this chapter of American maritime history in all its triumph and scandal. Though comparable in importance and breadth of success to the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Ex.
And yet at a human level, the project was a disaster-not only had 28 men died and 2 ships been lost, but a series of sensational courts-martial had also ensued that pitted the expedition's controversial leader, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, against almost every officer under his command. as it was known, returned with an astounding array of accomplishments and discoveries: 87,000 miles logged, 280 Pacific islands surveyed, 4,000 zoological specimens collected, including 2,000 new species, and the discovery of the continent of Antarctica. government launched the largest discovery voyage the Western world had ever seen-6 sailing vessels and 346 men bound for the waters of the Pacific Ocean.