Knickerbocker Commodore: The Life and Times of John Drake Sloat, 1781–1867 by Bruce A. Castleman

Abstract

Reviewed by: Knickerbocker Commodore: The Life and Times of John Drake Sloat, 1781–1867 by Bruce A. Castleman Evan C. Rothera Knickerbocker Commodore: The Life and Times of John Drake Sloat, 1781–1867. By Bruce A. Castleman. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2016, 343 pages, $24.95 Cloth. John Drake Sloat is not a prominent figure in antebellum United States history. His moment of questionable glory occurred on July 7, 1846 during the US War with Mexico when he occupied Monterey and proclaimed the annexation of California to the US. However, Bruce Castleman argues that Sloat’s life and career provide a window into the antebellum US, particularly the realm of naval affairs. This engaging life and times biography explores both Sloat’s impact on the nation and how various elements of the nineteenth-century Atlantic World,—“the practices of Hudson Valley landowners, the suppression of Caribbean piracy, attempts to overthrow the government of Peru, the American maritime labor market, and the expansion and urbanization of New York City” (4) in turn influenced Sloat. Castleman proves an exceptionally able biographer who demonstrates the importance of an often-overlooked New Yorker. Sloat was born in 1781 in Sloatsburg, New York. Frustratingly, few documents survive from his early years and it is impossible to determine what prompted him to go to sea. Castleman uses nineteenth-century biographies [End Page 242] of Sloat, tax records, and census records to reconstruct Sloat’s boyhood. Sloat joined the navy during the Quasi-War (1798–1800), a period of tension between the United States and France. He became a midshipman on the President and participated in the ship’s unsuccessful cruise to the West Indies to hunt French vessels. Peace with France resulted in the reduction of the navy and Midshipman Sloat was discharged under the Peace Establishment Act. Rather than abandoning a career at sea, he turned to sailing merchant ships and made at least fifteen voyages before the War of 1812. This experience served him well when he returned to the Navy, as did his friendship with Stephen Decatur, the dashing naval officer who led the party of volunteers that burned the USS Philadelphia near Tripoli’s harbor. Sloat became the sailing master on the United States and participated in the famous battle between Decatur’s ship and the HMS Macedonian. Castleman concludes, “it would also be unfair, through omission or otherwise, to deny Sailing Master John Drake Sloat substantial recognition for his own seamanship in the defeat and the capture of the HMS Macedonian” (41). Sloat quickly received a promotion to Lieutenant, although he saw little service during the rest of the War of 1812. After the War of 1812, no reduction of the navy occurred comparable to the reduction after the Quasi-War, but the navy had more officers than positions in the small fleet. Sloat eventually received an assignment on the Franklin, which took him to Brazil. However, midway through the cruise, because of a surplus of lieutenants, he was detached and returned to the US. He then received a place on the Congress. The experience he gained on these vessels allowed him to land command of the Grampus. This vessel patrolled the African coast for slavers and the Caribbean for pirates. Watching other commanders in the Caribbean, Sloat received practical lessons in the importance of care and caution. US commanders were supposed to refrain from heavy-handed interventions in the affairs of other countries. However, some commanders faced censure for avenging perceived insults to US honor. Others proved reckless about their involvement in the domestic affairs of other nations. After receiving command of the St. Louis, Sloat arrived in Peru during a period of civil disturbances. At one point, several officials asked him to provide them asylum on his vessel. He thus faced a “delicate situation” (116) and had to tread very carefully. As apparent in his [End Page 243] later career, he eschewed hasty action for calm deliberation and close coordination with diplomatic officials. After completion of the St. Louis’s cruise, Sloat returned to New York. For the next eight years, he performed the work necessary for the functioning of the peacetime navy. Furthermore, he...