'Volunteers, Impressment, and British Naval Manpower in the 18th Century' by J. Ross Dancy
The press gang is generally regarded as the means by which the British navy solved the problem of recruiting enough seamen in the late eighteenth century. However, extensive original research demonstrates that this view is false and argues that the majority of seamen in the age of sail British navy were there of their own free will. This lecture will explore how the British Royal Navy of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era recruited the thousands of highly skilled men necessary to man a navy that commanded the oceans of the world.
J. Ross Dancy is an assistant professor in the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research. Previously, he was the director of graduate studies and an assistant professor of history at Sam Houston State University. His research examines naval administration, policy and manpower as well as how societies relate to and interact with armed forces and the veterans that return home from war. His first monograph was runner-up for the Society for Nautical Research’s prestigious Anderson Medal. He is the co-founder and co-editor for the University of Massachusetts Press’s monograph series “Veterans.” A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps he served as an infantryman from 2000 to 2004, and completed tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
All lectures are free and open to the public, no reservations are required.