U.S. Navy Petty Officers in the Era of the War of 1812

Navies in the age of sail required artisans familiar with the working of a sailing vessel as well as a warship’s operations. The years 1797 to 1812 were formative for the body of skilled petty officers on whom commissioned and warrant officers relied to turn their armed ships into effective instruments of warfare. This essay provides an overview of the early U.S. Navy’s process of recruiting and training petty officers, how the character of subordination and discipline was negotiated between commissioned and lesser officers, and the petty officers’ life aboard ship in the era of the War of 1812.