Chronicles of the Frigate Macedonian 1809-1922

“She is barely remembered today, but in her time the Macedonian was recognized the world over as the most important prize of war ever taken by the American Navy-a distinction she holds to this day.” This reads James Tertius de Kay’s thesis in his novel, Chronicles of the Frigate Macedonian, which the American Heritage describes as “Engrossing…with energy, high good humor, and an engaging familiarity with the various characters who animate De Kay’s tale.” Written more like an adventure story than a historical novel, De Kay’s vivid storytelling skills are highly praised in his nonfiction work. De Kay weaves a riveting yet accurate history of the Macedonian, from her first launch by the British in 1810, to her capture by the U.S. in the War of 1812, and finally, to her death in 1922, when the last of her remains perished in a fire.

The novel starts out interestingly with the Macedonian’s birth in 1809, when her maker, Edward Sison, examined her layout, and then began building her using scarce imported oak from Poland and Russia. More than a year after Sison first approved of her layout, the Macedonian was l

De Kay is mostly clear in stating the history of the Macedonian. His attention to details-every detail, benefits the reader. De Kay’s writes about the birth of the Macedonian in 1810, to her death in 1922. The space between the two events is filled with information about her life with the British for about three years, to her life with the U.S. for the last century of her life. Because of all this information, the reader gets to comprehend the chronicle of the Macedonian well, and on a “personal level.” The novel is divided into four sections, “HMS Macedonian, 38 guns; USS Macedonian, 36 guns; USS Macedonian, 36 guns (Rebuilt); and the U.S. Sloop-of-War Macedonian, 20 guns (Razeed).” The first eight chapters of the novel in section one is about the Macedonian’s life with the British, known then as the HMS Macedonian. The next ten chapters in section two talks about her capture by the U.S. in the War of 1812, modifying her into the USS Macedonian. The following six chapters talks about the USS Macedonian, rebuilt. The last six chapters is about her slow deterioration, in appearance and value, and then, lastly, her death. De Kay writes his novel as if he is describing the Macedonian as an actual person with emotions and thoughts.

James Tertius De Kay is certainly a vivid storyteller. He goes into the individuals’ heads, knows their thoughts, and discerns every event that took place involving the Macedonian to the last detail. He makes a nonfiction historical novel into an exciting voyage. De Kay certainly does his best in trying to captivate the readers’ interest in his 336-page novel. He is successful, for a while at least, to do just that. De Kay obviously spent a lot of time delving into the history of the Macedonian. He describes, for example, Decatur’s feelings and emotions so clearly that readers actually feel as if they knew Decatur. “The eavesdropping Decatur leaned forward excitedly. He was familiar with every ship in the blockading fleet, and knew the Endymion to be a large frigate similar in size and strength to his United States. A duel to the death was everything he could ask for…” Then there is the violent and bloody R-rating of the War of 1812, which, once again, De Kay des

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