Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine,

Authors

Michael J. Crawford

Abstract

“Honor,” as Douglass Adair explains in Fame and Founding Fathers (1974), “is an ethic of competition, of struggle for eminence and distinction.” “In a partic- ular culture,” he writes, “a sense of honor—a sense of due self-esteem, of proper pride, of dignity appropriate to his station—acts like conscience for a practicing Christian.” Adair argues that “the lust for the psychic reward of fame, honor, and glory, after 1776 becomes a key ingredient in the behavior of Wash- ington and his greatest contemporar- ies.” Gregory D. Massey observes in John Laurens and the American Revolu- tions (2000), “Like his fellow officers, [Continental Army colonel John] Laurens valued his honor or reputation above all else.

Recommended Citation

Crawford, Michael J. (2011) "Captains Contentious: The Dysfunctional Sons of the Brine,," Naval War College Review: Vol. 64: No. 1, Article 19.
Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol64/iss1/19