author
Edward Simpson
1824–1888
Best known as a U.S. naval officer who also wrote about warships, he spent nearly five decades at sea and in command before reaching the rank of rear admiral. His name is linked with nineteenth-century naval history through both service and print.
1 Audiobook
Modern ships of war
by Sir Edward J. (Edward James) Reed, Edward Simpson
About the author
Born in New York City in 1824, he entered the U.S. Navy as a midshipman in 1840 and was part of the first class of midshipmen trained at the new Naval Academy at Annapolis. He served during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War, building a long career that included command of several ships and important shore assignments.
By the end of his service he had attained the rank of rear admiral. In addition to his naval career, he is credited as a co-author of Modern Ships of War (1888), which connects his practical experience at sea with the naval writing associated with his name.
He died in 1888. Although he is remembered chiefly for military service rather than a large literary career, his published work and long record in the Navy give his author profile a distinctive historical character.