CAPTAIN JOHN MANLEY

PATRIOT, PRIVATEER, AND AMERICA’S FORGOTTEN FIRST HERO

At the beginning of the American Revolution, Captain John Manley was one of America’s greatest heroes—celebrated in song and newspaper accounts, praised by George Washington and John Adams, respected and feared by the British. Today, he is largely forgotten, and even his final resting place remains unmarked.

Drawing on years of research in naval records, newspapers, diaries, court records, and previously overlooked primary sources, Captain John Manley is the first comprehensive biography of this Revolutionary hero—exploring his extraordinary naval career as well as the mysteries surrounding his life, and why a career that began with such brilliance ended in poverty and obscurity.

“John Manley was a true hero of the Revolutionary War—much of his life reads like a thriller, which Ken Sheldon marvelously brings to life with deep research. But Sheldon doesn’t just focus on Manley’s adventures during the Revolution; he also reveals the darker side of victory, which left many members of America’s Greatest Generation in poverty and their tremendous sacrifices overlooked. Captain John Manley fills a void in American naval history. Highly recommended.” 

–Patrick K. O’Donnell, author of The Indispensables  and The Unvanquished

 

“Manley’s life and exploits seem more the stuff of naval fiction, and they are brought to life in Sheldon’s narrative, which is readable, well-researched and fast-paced.”

—James L. Nelson, author of George Washington’s Secret Navy

“Sheldon takes the reader on a journey of discovery and in the process shines light on the birth of a nation, with its triumphs and defeats, both in battle and in life.”

—Mel Allen, longtime editor of Yankee Magazine and author of Here in New England

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