Nonfiction


With Fire and Sword

The story of the men, women and events that led up to the first formal battle of the American Revolution – a page-turning and thorough account of the Battle of Bunker Hill.

"Nelson's well-researched, entertaining account of the revolution's opening
chapter aptly conveys the difficulty and riskiness of the patriots' gamble." – Publishers Weekly
George Washington's Great Gamble
It took years of warfare, but George Washington at last came to realize that he could fight the British forever and never lose, but he would never win without sea power. This is the story of how Washington bet his entire army on the possibility of the Americans and their allies having command of the sea, ​long enough for victory.

“With superb research and skillful writing, James L. Nelson conveys the gripping and incredible story of the American Revolution. Nelson’s book, George Washington’s Great Gamble and the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution, recounts the events that led to French supremacy at sea and the resulting American victory at Yorktown in October 1781.” – Virginia Libraries Review

George Washington's Secret Navy
WINNER OF THE NAVAL ORDER'S SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON AWARD

George Washington's education with regard to sea power began soon after he took command of the army in Cambridge. Convinced by the seafaring Yankees under his command of the viability of arming small vessels and sending them out to sea, Washington created his own fleet - and purposely kept if from Congress.

"Exhaustively researched from letters, diaries, military reports and other primary sources, Nelson provides an intimate, often gritty, almost play-by-play feel as the earlier skirmishing erupts into full-on revolution, with Washington at the center of the gathering storm."
​                                                                                                 – Rod Redman, Sea Classics Magazine

​Benedict Arnold's Navy

Before treason forever ruined his name, Benedict Arnold was one of the great heroes and leaders of the American fight for independence. After leading a column of men on an epic march to Canada and spending months there fighting the British offensive of 1776, Arnold took command of a rag-tag fleet of ships, leading them in the epic fight know as the Battle of Valcour Island. This is the story of that fateful time in American history.

“Benedict Arnold's Navy is an excellent book and one worthy of its author, James L. Nelson, who has written several historical books of exceptional quality. Typical of his work, Nelson has taken an episode of history, researched it thoroughly and produced a smoothly told narrative.”
– Associated Press

Reign of Iron

At the outbreak of the Civil War, North and South quickly saw the need to develop the latest technology in naval warfare, the ironclad ship. After a year-long scramble to finish first, in a race filled with intrigue and second guessing, blundering and genius, the two ships – the Monitor and the Virginia (a.k.a.Merrimack) – after a four-hour battle, ended the three-thousand-year tradition of wooden men-of-war and ushered in "the reign of iron."

"This exciting retelling of a famous and groundbreaking battle is an excellent addition to Civil War collections."
                                                                                                                                        – Jay Freeman, Booklist
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