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Captain John Manley

Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero

By: Kenneth M Sheldon

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Hardcover | 13 October 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
316 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 2.24

Hardcover

RRP $48.39

$46.75

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In 1776, Capt. John Manley was a hero, his naval exploits celebrated in song and reported in newspapers across the colonies. George Washington and John Adams praised him, and even the British acknowledged his abilities, calling him "the only man of real courage they have at sea." Today, however, John Manley is largely forgotten, and even his final resting place remains unmarked. Why did a career that began so impressively end in poverty and obscurity?

Captain John Manley - Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero seeks to answer those questions. It is the first comprehensive examination of Manley's life, revealing details never before published, the result of years of research into naval records, newspaper accounts, diaries, journals, and original documents held by public and private institutions.

Industry Reviews

"Now largely unknown and forgotten, Manley's once great fame is happily resurrected in Kenneth M. Sheldon's Captain John Manley. 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

"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, bestselling author of The Indispensables and The Unvanquished

"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-seen through the life and times of a man whose name he wants people to know and remember."

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

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You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Biographies & True Stories Biographies Historical, Political and Military Biographies History Regional & National History History of the Americas Warfare & Defence Naval Forces & Warfare

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Captain John Manley

Patriot, Privateer, and America's Forgotten First Hero

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of

Matthew Flinders

A definitive and indisputable history of the man who mapped Australia

A Rebel and a Traitor

A Fugitive, the Manhunt and the Birth of the IRA

The Kennedys at Cape Cod, 1944

The Summer That Changed Everything

Fighting for Country

The extraordinary life of Reg Saunders, Australia's first Indigenous military officer, hero of two wars

Grand Ambition

Paul Keating's global vision for Australia

My Long War

Leadership and Lessons from a Quarter Century of Coalition Warfare

A Suitable Man

The Eccentric Empire of Fletcher Jones

A Grateful Son

An Autobiography

The Fourth Turning

An American Prophecy: What the Cycles of History Tell Us About America's Next Rendezvous with Destiny

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The real story of a legendary colonial warrior

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The perilous escapes of Anzac POWs from fascists in wartime Italy

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On the front line with the SAS in Australia's war in Afghanistan

Abandoned Women : Scottish Convicts Exiled Beyond the Seas

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Kosciuszko

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