Neptune's militia

the long version

"The virtues of the citizen-soldier in the history of the American Revolution are prominent, but less attention has been given to the citizen-sailor. However, during the war there were state navies, the seaward equivalent of the state militias, and the state of South Carolina put to sea the most important of these."--BOOK JACKET. "Under the leadership of Commodore Alexander Gillon, the South Carolina navy secured the services of the largest warship under any American's command, the frigate South Carolina. Built in Holland and designed to combine speed with firepower, this ship's most notable achievement was the capture of the British Bahamas in 1782. With success, however, came controversy; at the end of the war, the South Carolina was chased aground by three British warships and captured. Thereafter, the state of South Carolina struggled for seventy years to honor the financial obligations incurred in operating the frigate."--BOOK JACKET.