Review: How a mini-navy was pivotal to Revolutionary success

Little has been written about the Marblehead mariners and their pivotal role in the American revolution – until now.

Author Patrick K. O’Donnell has turned five years of research into an engrossing tale of the Marbleheaders — a group of soldier-sailors from the port of Marblehead, Massachusetts who were forged by a tough life fishing from boats sometimes no match for the unruly north Atlantic ocean.

In his book — “The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners who Shaped the County, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware” — America’s pre-navy emerges as a diverse force. They were men of many ethnicities drawn together by the lure of the sea, tested by extreme adversity and dependent on each other’s skills, stamina and heart. “Marblehead was progressive for the time, with a mix of people from different races and socioeconomic backgrounds,” writes O’Donnell.

Most Americans can perhaps claim a nodding familiarity with the story of Gen. George Washington crossing the Delaware River and surprising the British – and himself. As the author notes, Washington recently had written to his brother saying “I think the game is pretty near up.” Many of the troops were barefoot and starving.