In The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future (1897); The Life of Nelson, the Embodiment of the Sea Power of Great Britain (1897); Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812 (1905); The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence (1913)
The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire: 1793–1812 is a history of naval warfare published in 1892 by the naval historian Rear Admiral (then-Captain) Alfred Thayer Mahan of the United States Navy. It is the direct successor to Mahan's enormously influential[4] 1890 book, The Influence of Sea Power upon History: 1660–1783. It was published in two volumes. It details the role of sea power during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, with volume II concluding with the initial 1813 fall of Napoleon. It was followed by In The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future (published 1897); The Life of Nelson, the Embodiment of the Sea Power of Great Britain (published 1897); Sea Power in its Relations to the War of 1812 (published 1905); and The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence (published 1913).[5]
Overview
Volume I focuses on the early stages of the French Revolution and the initial naval confrontations. Mahan examines the condition of the French and British navies in 1793, the strategic and political conditions of the time, and key naval battles such as the Glorious First of June 1794. Additionally, Mahan examines the broader implications of contemporary naval engagements in the West Indies and the Mediterranean, opining on the significance of sea power in maintaining 'empire.'
Volume II continues the narrative, covering major naval battles and campaigns from 1797 to 1812. Mahan discusses pivotal events such as the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, and the Battle of Trafalgar. He emphasized the inter-dependence of military branches, becoming an early proponent of inter-service cooperation, stressing the importance of navies to armies' logistics and transport, and the importance of armies (and marines or naval infantry) in striking-at and holding strategic points on land, including harbors and ports. As he did in his first book, Mahan would stress the more general military and commercial control of the sea, arguing that Britain's dominance at sea was crucial in countering French ambitions and ultimately leading to Napoleon's (first) downfall.
Mahan's work underscores the critical role of naval supremacy in determining the course of history, providing detailed accounts of naval strategies, battles, and their broader political and economic impacts. His analysis has had a lasting influence on naval doctrine and strategic thought, cementing his reputation as a foremost authority on maritime history.[6][7]
Table of contents
Volume 1
Preface
Introductory: Outline of Events in Europe, 1783–1793
Chapter I: The Condition of the Navies in 1793—And Especially of the French Navy
Chapter II: The General Political and Strategic Conditions, and the Events of 1793
Chapter III: The West Indies, 1793–1810
Chapter IV: The Naval Campaign of May, 1794, and Battle of the First of June
Chapter V: The Year 1794 in the Atlantic and on the Continent
Chapter VI: The Year 1795 in the Atlantic and on the Continent
Chapter VII: The Mediterranean and Italy—From the Evacuation of Toulon in 1793 to the British Withdrawal from that Sea, in 1796, and Battle of Cape St. Vincent, in February, 1797 — Austria Forced to Make Peace
Chapter VIII: The Mediterranean in 1797 and 1798
Chapter IX: The Mediterranean from 1799 to 1801
Chapter X: The Atlantic, 1796–1801—The Brest Blockades—The French Expeditions Against Ireland
Volume 2
Preface
Chapter I: Events in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, 1793–1796
Chapter II: The Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1797
Chapter III: The Battle of Camperdown, 1797
Chapter IV: The Battle of the Nile, 1798
Chapter V: The Battle of Copenhagen, 1801
Chapter VI: The Peace of Amiens, 1802–1803
Chapter VII: The Renewal of War, 1803–1805
Chapter VIII: The Trafalgar Campaign, 1805
Chapter IX: The Continental System and the War of 1812
Chapter X: The Campaign of 1813 and the Fall of Napoleon
^Keegan, John. The American Civil War Knopf, 2009, 272.
^"Alfred Thayer Mahan". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-09-19. In The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future (1897), Mahan sought to arouse his fellow Americans to a realization of their maritime responsibilities. His other major books included The Life of Nelson (1897) and The Major Operations of the Navies in the War of American Independence (1913).
^"Alfred Thayer Mahan". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-09-19. In his second book, The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793–1812 (1892), Mahan stressed the interdependence of the military and commercial control of the sea and asserted that the control of seaborne commerce can determine the outcome of wars.
