Read the Revolution with Tim McGrath

Author and avid sailor Tim McGrath joined us at the Museum on Wednesday evening, Nov. 15, for a special presentation, “’What Think You of an American Fleet?’: The Rise and Fall of the Continental Navy,” to kickoff the Museum's 2023-24 Read the Revolution Speaker Series. Drawing on two of his award-winning books, Give Me a Fast Ship: The Continental Navy and America’s Revolution at Sea and John Barry: An American Hero in the Age of Sail, McGrath illustrated the life of Commodore John Barry (1745-1803) and his role in the Continental Navy, our first official naval force.

Born the son of a farmer in County Wexford, Ireland, Barry arrived as a sailor in Philadelphia before 1760 and commanded naval forces for the Continental cause during the Revolutionary War. Named by President George Washington as the first commissioned officer in the new United States Navy, Barry continued his military service alongside Samuel Nicholson, first captain of frigate Constitution, and Philadelphian Richard Dale, First Mate aboard John Paul Jones’s Bonhomme Richard, and several other officers who served in both the Continental Navy and the United States Navy. Barry ended his career during America’s naval war with France and was buried with full military honors in Philadelphia’s Old St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Churchyard. In connection with the Museum’s special exhibit, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, McGrath also explored how the rise and fall of the Continental Navy, and Barry’s experiences, intersected with privateer James Forten’s Revolutionary War service at sea and help us to define American military and political leadership in the United States today.

The program was held in the Museum’s Liberty Hall with a live Q&A with both onsite and online audiences facilitated by Museum President & CEO Dr. R. Scott Stephenson following the presentation.

About Tim McGrath