For Love of Country

By William C. Hammond

Credited with vividly recreating an early chapter in American history with his first novel, A Matter of Honor, William C. Hammond continues the seafaring adventures of the prominent Cutler family of Massachusetts. Set in the years following the American Revolution, this second novel offers an exciting look at the young republic at a time when America remained a weak nation with no navy to protect its prosperous merchant fleet from Barbary pirates or nations intent on crippling its shipping.

The novel opens with the capture of the Cutler merchant brig Eagle by Barbary pirates. Young Caleb Cutler and his shipmates are taken as prisoners to Algiers, and his brother Richard, the novel's main protagonist, is sent to North Africa to pay ransoms demanded by the Dey of Algiers. But Richard learns of the Dey's intent to reject the ransom, as well as threats from the British and French, and fights a fierce battle in the Mediterranean with two Arab xebecs. Victorious at sea, Richard travels to Paris to report to John Paul Jones, his former naval commander who now serves as American emissary to the Barbary States, and finds himself involved in a desperate race to save the beautiful Anne-Marie Helvétian and her two daughters from the guillotine.

The author's careful historical research and thorough knowledge of sailing and the ways of the sea bring an authenticity to the novel without detracting from the entertaining storyline. Hammond's focus on the American perspective of the Age of Fighting Sail in the years following the American Revolution adds a fresh dimension to historical novels of the period.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RowmanLittlefield
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781493064885

Book preview

Reviews for For Love of Country

[tanyaj101 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book...I love history, but it isn't always fun to read about it. I love that this book gave me a story and characters to go with the historical facts.The characters were so real to me that by the time I got to the end of the book, I didn't want to put it down. I wanted it to continue the story...Great Book!!!

[skfurlotte · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It was with great pleasure that I received a copy of For Love of Country by William C. Hammond through LibraryThing. I enjoyed this book so much and only regret that I had not read the first volume in this wonderful series. The story of the Cutler family in the new America provides just the right mix of history and fiction. I have found that good historical fiction is difficult to find, but William Hammond has achieved that perfect balance.

[spencerlib · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book, "For Love Of Country", by Hammond, reminds me of the style of Bernard Cornwell. The first couple of chapters included a great deal of American history and some recap of the previous book he'd written, so it took a while to get "into" it. The story had a good premise, but could have been developed a little more. It covered several years, but only a few chapters were devoted to furthering the story. Outside of the "action" segments, it was well-written but a slow mover for a person not enamored of the sea and sailing ships. Anyone who likes American history (especially naval history), sailing ships and sea battles would probably like this book, although I have read better. Fans of Cornwell and Clive Cussler might want to give Hammond a try.

[bendkline · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this second novel in the Cutler Family Chronicles, Bill Hammond paints for us a well-rounded, colorful portrait of life in early America. He also profiles for us a loving and close-knit family that lives on both sides of the Atlantic and in Barbados, a family that becomes caught up in world events that affect not only the family's business fortunes, but also the very lives of several of its members.What struck me most in For Love of Country was how historical figures became three-dimensional in the blink of the eye. One example is the meeting between Richard Cutler with Thomas Jefferson, America's consul in Paris in 1789. Within three paragraphs I felt as though I knew Jefferaon personally. I was there to see his reactions, facial expressions, his humor, his intellect, his political views. Just as in an actuall meeting, I drew a mental picture that allowed me to judge the person I was meeting for myself.For Love of Country profiles the growing pains of a post-revolution America that struggles to find its roots and its place on the world stage. We learn of the Barbary pirates and the complex role they played during this time in history. Later we see France in turmoil as the leaders of the budding United States make bold and far-reaching decisions that will define what kind of country the United States is going to be. We come away with the understanding of what was and continues to be the driving force of our economy, the concept of free trade, and we understand what our enemies and out"fair weather friends" did in collusion to try to block our commercial growth. Importantly, we also learn what it took to finally convince our newly-formed government to authorize the construction of a navy to protect our sailors and merchant fleets.Bill Hammond is a superb researcher and student of history. His knowledge of American history is broad and deep enough to bring to a radio show called the "Relic Roundup" a cogent discussion of the artifacts of that time period, and to suggest what a collector today might look for as relics of our nautical history.

[ourhistoryproject · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In this second novel in the Cutler Family Chronicles, Bill Hammond paints for us a well-rounded, colorful portrait of life in early America. He also profiles for us a loving and close-knit family that lives on both sides of the Atlantic and in Barbados, a family that becomes caught up in world events that affect not only the family's business fortunes, but also the very lives of several of its members.What struck me most in For Love of Country was how historical figures became three-dimensional in the blink of the eye. One example is the meeting between Richard Cutler with Thomas Jefferson, America's consul in Paris in 1789. Within three paragraphs I felt as though I knew Jefferaon personally. I was there to see his reactions, facial expressions, his humor, his intellect, his political views. Just as in an actuall meeting, I drew a mental picture that allowed me to judge the person I was meeting for myself.For Love of Country profiles the growing pains of a post-revolution America that struggles to find its roots and its place on the world stage. We learn of the Barbary pirates and the complex role they played during this time in history. Later we see France in turmoil as the leaders of the budding United States make bold and far-reaching decisions that will define what kind of country the United States is going to be. We come away with the understanding of what was and continues to be the driving force of our economy, the concept of free trade, and we understand what our enemies and out"fair weather friends" did in collusion to try to block our commercial growth. Importantly, we also learn what it took to finally convince our newly-formed government to authorize the construction of a navy to protect our sailors and merchant fleets.Bill Hammond is a superb researcher and student of history. His knowledge of American history is broad and deep enough to bring to a radio show called the “Relic Roundup” a cogent discussion of the artifacts of that time period, and to suggest what a collector today might look for as relics of our nautical history.For Love of Country is an engrossing novel and an important book. I highly recommend it.Craig AndersonOur History Project

[samsattler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"For Love of Country" is the second entry in William Hammond's Cutler series set during, and following, the American Revolutionary War period. It follows "A Matter of Honor" (2007), in which Richard Cutler and his family joined with the likes of Captain John Paul Jones to help win America's independence. Now, in the mid-1780s, the Cutlers, a prominent shipping family operating off the coast of Massachusetts, are doing well despite the lack of an American navy to protect their vessels from those of hostile governments and Barbary Coast pirates. As the story begins, one of the family's ships has been seized, and its crew and contents are being held for ransom (or as the pirates prefer to call it, "payment of tribute") in Algiers. Making the troublesome situation even more disturbing is that twenty-one-year-old Caleb Cutler is a member of the imprisoned crew. One of Richard Cutler's brothers was brutally flogged to death by the British during the war, and he is determined that he will not lose another to a bunch of North African pirates. Now, having been granted official diplomatic status by the fledgling U.S. government, raised the funds to pay the ransom, and outfitted a small warship, Richard Cutler hopes to negotiate the return of the ship and its crew. The governor of Algiers, unfortunately, has other plans. "For Love of Country" references the backstory of the first book in enough detail that readers will feel comfortable in their knowledge of what motivates the Cutler family and those around them. This is a closely knit family, one still recovering from the loss of one son when another is suddenly snatched from them. Recovering Caleb Cutler and his crewmates is the most important thing in their world and, over the next two years, it is all the family thinks about. But Hammond's depiction of family life of the period, however heartwarming it may be, is just part of the story. The author is a sailing devotee of some experience, and his narrative particularly shines when describing life and battles fought on the open sea. Hammond's description of the book's deciding battle between the pirates and Cutler's crew is especially well written - exciting, but so precisely written that even non-sailors will have a clear understanding of the tactics used by both sides during the chase and resulting firefight. Readers for whom "For Love of Country" is their first exposure to the Cutler family now will likely want to go back and read book one, "A Matter of Honor." And those who have read both books will be looking forward to the third. Rated at: 4.0