"Thomas ap Catesby Jones was one of the most controversial officers in the U.S. Navy during the first half of the nineteenth century. He was a firebrand with a desire for reform and a willingness to experiment as the navy moved into an age of iron and steam and the young nation struggled for recognition. This biography explores his colorful career, which spanned nearly fifty years, and places it within the context of his changing times.

It is the story of a complex figure known for his mistaken seizure of Monterey, California, in 1842 when the United States and Mexico were not formally at war. At the time Jones seemed to have created a national crisis, yet that episode was more complicated and had far greater ramifications than appeared on the surface. This study by historian Gene A. Smith not only chronicles important events in Jones's life but also explores how those events helped shape the character and backbone of the navy during its formative years. The book describes Jones's early career fighting smugglers, pirates, slave traders, and the British.

It then evaluates his actions in the Battle of New Orleans and explains both how he carried the stars and stripes to Hawaii in the 1820s and how he helped incorporate California into the United States."--BOOK JACKET.