author
Frederic Stanhope Hill
1829–1913
A sailor, naval officer, editor, and historian, he wrote from experience and brought the drama of American maritime life to the page. His books blend firsthand adventure with a deep interest in naval history.
1 Audiobook
Twenty years at sea: Leaves from my old log-books
by Frederic Stanhope Hill
About the author
Born in Boston on August 4, 1829, Frederic Stanhope Hill was educated in Brattleboro, Vermont, and at the Friends' Academy in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He went to sea when he was young, and that early experience shaped the course of his life and writing.
During the American Civil War, he served as an officer in the United States Navy. Accounts of his career place him with Farragut at the capture of New Orleans and at Vicksburg, and later in command service on the Texas coast and with the Mississippi Squadron. He later worked in publishing and editing, bringing the same practical knowledge to the written word.
Hill is best remembered for sea memoirs and naval history, including Twenty Years at Sea: Leaves from My Old Log-Books, The Lucky Little Enterprise and Her Successors in the United States Navy, Twenty-Six Historic Ships, and The Romance of the American Navy. He died in 1913, leaving behind books that still appeal to readers who enjoy vivid firsthand storytelling and the history of ships, sailors, and war at sea.