author
Edward Simpson
1824–1888
A career U.S. Navy officer who served in both the Mexican–American War and the Civil War, he also wrote on naval gunnery and left behind journals and logbooks that capture life at sea in the 19th century.
1 Audiobook
Modern ships of war
by Sir Edward J. (Edward James) Reed, Edward Simpson
About the author
Born in New York City on March 3, 1824, Edward Simpson built a long naval career that eventually led to the rank of rear admiral. He graduated from the New York Naval School and served in the U.S. Navy during the Mexican–American War and later the American Civil War.
Alongside his active service, he was known for technical writing on naval weapons and training. His Treatise on Ordnance and Naval Gunnery was prepared as a textbook for the U.S. Naval Academy, showing his role not just as an officer in the field but also as someone helping shape professional naval education.
Simpson died in Washington, D.C., on December 1, 1888. For listeners interested in firsthand 19th-century military and maritime history, his surviving journals and log books offer a direct window into the routines, technology, and demands of naval service in his era.