Description
Pritchard describes the domestic and international political circumstances in France that gave rise to the expedition, outlining strategy and politics in the context of colonial defence and continental ambition. He reconstructs the events that contributed to the failure of the expedition - human and institutional weakness, weather, spoiled provisions, disease, and the death of the commanding admiral. Anatomy of a Naval Disaster exposes the ambitions and frailties of men, the arbitrariness of success, and the limits of power in the eighteenth century.
About the author
James Pritchard is a member of the Department of History at Queen's University.
Editorial Reviews
"Pritchard broadens our understanding of a misunderstood event in colonial North American history and fits it into the contexts of French and European diplomatic and naval history. Anatomy of a Naval Disaster will stand as the authoritative treatment of the d'Enville expedition." W.G. Godfrey, Mount Allison University.
