The Indian Ocean was the final battleground for Nelson’s navy and France. At stake was Britain’s lifeline to India and its strategic capacity to wage war in Europe.
In one fatal season, the natural order of maritime power since Trafalgar was destroyed, when Britain lost fourteen of her great Indiamen, either sunk or taken by enemy frigates. Many hundreds of lives were lost, and the East India Company was shaken to its foundations. The focus of these disasters, military and meteorological, was a tiny French outpost in mid-ocean, the island known as Mauritius. This is the story of that season and the terrifying ordeal of men, women, and children caught at sea in hurricanes and those who survived to take up the battle to drive the French from the Eastern seas. Mauritius must be taken at any cost!
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"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."
— Koit (4 out of 5 stars)
" Really fascinating bit of naval history. Colourful characters, gory battles and terrifying storms. "
— Charlie, 5/4/2012" I read this book as research for my regency historical. It was well written and filled in all the blanks I needed. "
— Alleyne, 11/14/2011" 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. "
— Jason, 1/7/2010" 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 "
— Steve, 4/8/2009" Really fascinating bit of naval history. Colourful characters, gory battles and terrifying storms. "
— Charlie, 2/27/2009" I read this book as research for my regency historical. It was well written and filled in all the blanks I needed. "
— Alleyne, 5/16/2008Stephen Taylor's most recent book is Caliban’s Shore. He works for the Times of London and lives in Windsor.
James Adams is one of the world’s leading authorities on terrorism and intelligence, and for more than twenty-five years he has specialized in national security. He is also the author of fourteen bestselling books on warfare, with a particular emphasis on covert warfare. A former managing editor of the London Sunday Times and CEO of United Press International, he trained as a journalist in England, where he graduated first in the country. Now living in Southern Oregon, he has narrated numerous audiobooks and earned an AudioFile Earphones Award and two coveted Audie Award for best narration.