He was born September 27, 1840, and was appointed to Annapolis Naval Academy from New York in 1856. He was made lieutenant in 1861 and served as such during the Civil War, rising by successive steps to that of captain in 1885. He was president of the Naval War College from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1890 to 1893.

Captain Mahan is the first and as yet the only writer to show conclusively the important part that naval power has played in the fortunes of nations and its general influence upon the history of the world. His book, "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History," which appeared in 1890, won him international recognition.

"The strategic conditions of the Mediterranean will be reproduced in the Caribbean Sea, and in the international struggle for the control of the new highway of commerce (Panama Canal) the United States will have the advantage of geographical position." He points out that the carrying trade of the United States is at present insignificant, only because the opening of the West since the Civil War had made maritime undertakings less profitable than the development of the internal resources of the country. [Warner's "World's Best Literature," vol. xvi., page 9580]

A few years ago Captain Mahan retired from the navy, devoted himself to his literary work, and has produced "The Influence of Sea Power Upon History," "Life of Nelson," "Life of Admiral Farragut," "Influence of Sea Power Upon the French Revolution and Empire," and "The Interest of America in Sea Power Present and Future."

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American war he was in Italy, but came home at the request of the Washington administration and has been acting as a member of the War Board and adviser to the Secretary of the Navy. No modern writer on naval affairs is more widely quoted than Captain Mahan, and by English writers his works are credited with having had a deep influence in the development of what we are now calling the "new national policy" of the United States.

Admiral George Dewey
Commodore Winfield Scott Schley
Admiral William T. Sampson
Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan
US Navy Pay Rates and Prize Money

Back to Chapter 10: American Navy