Storm and Conquest: The Clash of Empires in the Eastern Seas, 1809 by Stephen Taylor

Storm and Conquest: The Clash of Empires in the Eastern Seas, 1809 Reviews

• 
  Shane

  I selected this book for research on a novel I was about to write and got captivated in its historical record. I temporarily set aside my research and let the author transport me back to this turbulent time in the Indian Ocean at the dawn of the 19th century and the sunset of the Napoleonic era.
  
  In keeping with its title, the book is segmented into two parts: the first section covers the storms at sea that played havoc with the First and Second Fleets as they sailed out of India via the Cape of Good Hope for England, and the second part covers the various battles for control of Mauritius (Isle de France as named by the French) which was a haven for French frigates and privateers who preyed upon British traffic between the Cape and the Indies. Interesting characters dot the book: Eliza Barlow, wife of the unpopular Governor of Madras, mother of 15 children and notorious for the sexual peccadilloes that finally brought down her husband; Mathew Flinders, navigator of Terra Australis, prisoner on Mauritius who later died in poverty before his best seller was published; the wicked but brave Captains Corbett and Willoughby who whipped their men mercilessly and were feared by the French for their daring; the battered East Indiamen ships that carried these souls back and forth on the ocean and switched sides in battle as they were captured by the French or the English.
  
  Setting out between England and India was a perilous endeavour in the early 1800’s, not many survived, and those who did had their characters altered forever. A body being thrown overboard daily was a common sight. Overcrowding and sickness was endemic. Whipping of the crew was a standard practice: 48 lashes for theft, 36 for drunkenness, 72 for desertion, and so on in multiples of 12. The Navy regularly press ganged the crew of merchant ships, and although the Governors of Madras, Bombay and Calcutta were from the British East India Company, they had to negotiate an unholy alliance with Her Majesty’s Navy. A voyage lasted six - nine months, depending on the winds (8 knots was a good speed) and during this time the various social classes on board lived together in close proximity, sharing food, smells, sounds, often separated only by a canvas partition; sex was limited, washing clothes was forbidden on Sundays, a band played during dinner, and crossing the equator was celebrated by ducking lubbers.
  
  The hurricane scenes that wrecked the First and Second Fleets are vividly described. In these storms, “Each ship for itself, God for us all” was the maxim and when the fleet regrouped or limped into port in single file, often days apart from each other, several among them had vanished. Broken masts had to be repaired, flooded holds had to be pumped out, and the hull re-caulked before setting out again. As each East Indiaman was a floating company (the captain and the BEIC had invested in the payload of cargo and passengers) each sinking usually sunk their fortunes as well.
  
  Constant losses to French frigates based in Mauritius finally led the British to take control of the situation – they needed to conquer Ile de France and its sister island Bourbon. Several smaller battles led to the final conquest, aided somewhat by Emperor Napoleon’s pre-occupation with his other battles in Europe that left his Indian Ocean flank unprotected. Captain’s Corbett and Willoughby dominate this section with their daring attacks on the French. The battles scenes are again vividly described. The Indiamen and their smaller cousins the men o’war frigates, while treacherous in luring the enemy with their disguised flags and false signals, resemble lumbering elephants, prone to the whims of the sea winds and liable to run aground in shallows. They are also madly suicidal when they draw up broadside and shoot the heck out of each other, often suffering worse losses than their opponents. Battered decks resemble charnel houses and the dying groan sans pain killers.
  
  Without giving much away, let us say that the British Navy prevails with its sheer might, and the book concludes by tracing the lives of the key characters after these pivotal events in 1809/1810. Many lived long lives, some in prosperity from the profits of their years in India, some in shame for breaking societal mores; others like Flinders died in penury, and others never left those battlegrounds in the Indian Ocean that shaped much of colonial history.
  
  I recommend this well documented history book, which draws on the logs of many of the vessels that plied the England – India route for veracity, and yet reads like an action novel in places.
  
  
  
• 
  Nooilforpacifists

  Isaac's Storm meets the Challenger Disaster report, as told in 1809.
  
  When an English captive once challenged Robert Surcouf with the words "You French fight for money while we fight for honor," Surcouf shot back: "A man fights for what he lacks most."
  
  It's problem is -- with the exception of the story of the sole British Naval defeat in the Napoleonic era -- there is no central theme. The writing is excellent, but this almost is a "bathroom reading" book--a chapter or two a day suffices.
• 
  Riff Denbow

  Good, fairly specific (topic wise) naval history. Balances Horatio Hornblower-esque/Master & Commander-esque excitement with academic discussion of naval strategy & tactics, as well as the wider story of the global implications & conflicts of the Napoleonic Wars. Highly recommend Taylor's "Commander: The Life and Exploits of Britain's Greatest Frigate Captain," a bio of one of the principle characters in this book, the great & heroic frigate captain, & later admiral, Edward Pellew.
• 
  Mark K.Astley

  A good read if you are interested in the history behind some of Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series.
• 
  Gerald Sinstadt

  At the beginning of the 19th Century a significant factor in Britain's prosperity was trade with India, a country effectively ruled by a commercial enterprise, the East India Company. But that trading was a hazardous affair, beset by ferocious weather and the enmity of Napoleon's France. In Storm and Conquest, Stephen Taylor magnificently brings to life the many deprivations and disasters and the occasional ultimate rewards. As much as this is an evocation of ships and the elements, it is also a gallery of vividly drawn portraits of men and women, friend and foe, colleagues and rivals. The author's great triumph is in holding the many strands together so that the reader is always carried forward by the over-arching narrative.
  
  The first two-thirds of the book describe the terrifying challenges faced by the Indiamen as they plied between east and west. For protection they usually - but not always - had vessels of the Royal Navy, not exactly the brotherly alliance that might have been expected. The Navy men drew a distinction between "the art of war and the art of gain" with barely disguised, but unjust, contempt for the latter. Much tension between and within the two camps derived from incompatible personalities. There were also the wives; Taylor spices his pages with some juicy scandals.
  
  The final third deals with conquest. Two small islands in the Indian Ocean - Bourbon and Ile de France - were staging posts for French vessels that were always vigilant for the possibility of taking a passing Indiaman as a bountiful prize. The solution for Britain was to capture the two outposts. Success crowns the story but the manner of its achievement is a tragi-comedy of bloody battles mostly lost and final anti-climactic victory.
  
  Anyone in modern times who has holidayed in the beguiling climes and customs of Mauritius - as we now know the Ile de France - cannot fail to be enthralled by the events of two hundred years ago. And not just events. There are real people here: the tyrannical Captain Robert Corbet; the swashbuckling Nesbit Willoughby; Matthew Flinders, taken prisoner when returning from mapping the coast of Australia and held for more than six years on the island; Commodore Jacques Felix Hamelin, the French commander defeated at the last; not least, Lady Elizabeth Barlow, mother of seventeen children and instigator of a red-blooded relationship with her husband's aide-de-camp.
  
  All human life is in these pages, blown and tossed on an unforgiving sea. A memorable tale memorably told.
• 
  Reni

  A must-read for readers interested in the naval theaters of the napoleonic wars.
  
  This lovely volume sheds light on not only on life aboard Georgian naval ships, the conquest of Mauritius, and the Barlow government in Madras, but mainly on dozens of fascinating facets of the East Indiamen of the time. The book goes into detail both about shipboard life as well as the trading ships' importance to Britain's economy and her war efforts.
  
  The first part of this book follows two fleets of Indiamen each through a perfect storm and is full of both the depiction of personal drama as well as enthralling and terrifying insight on the struggle of these massive ships in a tropical storm.
  
  The second part focuses on the many aborted attempts of the British to take Mauritius away from France and the complicated formation of the assault that would, finally, succeed, and whose seeds are in this book traced back to the troubles of the Indiamen caught in the storms.
  
  This book sets up its narrative not quite unlike a novel, introducing ships and historical figures we would encounter before getting to the action and into the fascinating details about life aboard Indiamen. It does a fantastic job of highlighting the connections of its large cast with each other and the events that would unfold from their decisions, all the while bringing historical figures like Matthew Flinders and Admiral Pellew to life, as if they were taken from a novel.
  
  Even though the book is written in a more journalistic than scholarly style, it fortunately features an extensive bibliography and helpful footnotes.
  
  As I read the Kindle edition I was only able to enjoy the photos in black and white, and it's a shame that you don't have an option to enlarge the maps at all. Even though jumping between footnotes is certainly easier in the eBook edition, the photos and maps recommend the printed editions.
• 
  Axion

  Storm and Conquest delivers an incredibly well researched journey aboard the ships of the British navy and their battle against the remaining French resistance in the Indian Ocean between 1808 and 1810. It reads like a piece of military fiction, as Taylor brings together many first hand sources that bring to life the economic, social and cultural implications on the Navy's actions.
  
  It is quite incredible how intricate and complex these mobile communities were. It is very easy to think only of the military personnel, but Taylor brings to the fore the horrors experienced by civilians who happened to be aboard. From wealthy tradesmen returning home, to children being sent from India to England for schooling, these men women and children very much at the mercy of their glory seeking captains and the deadly weather systems.
  
  The stories of those at the fore of the action are incredibly interesting. Characters such as Nesbit Willoughby, Edward Pellew and Robert Corbet stand out, with their sense of duty and belief in the power of the British navy leading to some pretty intense and horrific outcomes. Taylor does a grand job of capturing the grim reality of a life at sea, and the risks taken in serving their country, family and wallet.
• 
  Duzzlebrarian

  One of the best readable history books I have read ever. Best read with Linkin Park on stereo and a glass of port at hand.
  
  Neglects a little bit the French side of things, but on the other hand it devotes a lot of time to the experience of sailing in an Indiaman, which is a rather neglected subject. Scholarly (lots of notes) but entertaining. Although the title mentions 1809, the action of the book actually takes place from 1808 to 1810, and ends with the capture of Mauritius. It also mentions a lot of people who became famous in other campaigns - especially Pellew - and describes the character of the dreaded Captain Corbet. Good pick of illustrations too.
  
  For me this book fills up the gap between the Battle of Trafalgar, and the War of 1812. The Royal Navy might have received less of a nasty shock from the American frigates, if they'd paid a teensy bit more attention to the actions of the French frigates in the Indian Ocean.
• 
  Michael

  "Storm and Conquest" is nominally about the clash between England and France for the domination of the Indian Ocean. It was during the Napoleonic War, France held an island stronghold, the Ile de France, from which French warships sallied forth to harass, capture or sink the ships of the East India Company which were carrying saltpeter necessary for the manufacture the gunpowder crucial for the British war effort. But the book is about much more. It is part adventure story, part disaster story, part romance, part treachery and part history. All the principles involved become so fleshed out it is as if you know them. Particularly intriguing is Captain Mathew Flinders, the British sea captain who circumnavigated Australia only to be captured by the French and held at Ile de France for six long years. "Storm and Conquest" is a great read, a riveting account of a little covered period in English history.
• 
  Don

  15 ships lost 6 to French, first or early passenger movement, dignified Indian women, French Corvette, beatings excessive, lost 800 crew and 340 passengers, a man fights for what he lacks most, coldest England winter since 1690, oak less explosive than fir, only French victory of Napoleonic wars, Brits failed to put up fight, Grand Port, French lost 36, zeal of French, heroes gift of humanity to give and inspire love, some hubris of British officers, once Brits lost grip at sea it was over, losses in 1812 also.
• 
  Gilly McGillicuddy

  Still reading it, but so far it reads disturbingly like a novel. O'Brian, eat your heart out.
  
  Actually, I should probably add I am actually reading it alongside the O'Brian novel that was based on the Mauritius Campaign. As if I needed any more hatred for a flogger. *slaps Corbet around a bit*
• 
  Koit

  I quite like the human way Mr Taylor has approached this story which tells us of the British conquest of Mauritius in the Napoleonic Wars, and of the characters who played their part in this not-so-small expedition against the French isles.
• 
  Rob

  Maybe not the most fun book to read ever, but History is just so amazing, The real stories are often more dramatic than fiction can come up with. This is a good read unless you love History, then it is a Great Read.
• 
  Alleyne Dickens

  I read this book as research for my regency historical. It was well written and filled in all the blanks I needed.
• 
  Jason Koivu

  Excellent bucketfuls of detail on the minutia of British warfare and trade in the midst of the Napoleonic wars. You'll like this if you're a Nelson fan or like reading Patrick O'Brian books.
• 
  Steve Grayell

  good so far ..... well received by the critics and lent to me ... well it smacked too much of "heave-ho me hearties" but an interesting slice of specific history
• 
  Fazackerly Toast

  there were giants in those days ..
  . very enjoyable and given me lots of ideas for further reading.
• 
  Avid Reader

  Really boring! More like a text book. I usually really enjoy this kind of historical genre but deleted this from my Kindle after only reading a small part of the book!
  
  Very disappointing.
• 
  Mark Thuell

  Loved this book. Embellished for an exciting read,truth is stranger than fiction.
• 
  Mark

  I wasn't really very impressed tbh. The second part of the book retrieves it. The first part seems to me just there to make the story long enough to tell.