Set a Course for Freedom

About the Book

Set A Course For Freedom is a story of young America on the threshold of revolution.  Though the story itself is fictional it is woven into the fabric of actual historic events.  The characters are meant to portray the differing personalities and attitudes of those living in that period and the conflicts and difficult choices they had to make.   Christopher Hall, the twenty-one year old son of a Maryland fisherman, finds himself drawn into the conflict as his homeland drifts further and further away from Mother England.  In this book, the first of a series, Christopher sets out in May of 1774 to find his missing brother-in-law who is a member of the Maryland Committee of Correspondence.  Before he can succeed Christopher is captured by a press gang and is forced to serve in the British Navy.     The following year, when war between England and the Colonies appears inevitable, Christopher realizes he cannot remain on the British ship.  With the aid of a sympathetic shipmate he makes his escape but  nearly loses his life in the process.  He is saved by Captain Pierce, a blockade runner, and is nursed back to health by the captain’s family.     Christopher accompanies Captain Pierce on his next run in an attempt to work his way home.  However, a tragic encounter with a British warship forces Captain Pierce to put into port at Newport.  There an old friend  convinces him to arm his vessel and take up privateering.    Christopher joins him in this endeavor which leads to the capture of a British mail packet and information that his brother-in-law, Thomas, is being held prisoner in Boston.  They return to Squansett and with the help of local patriots an ingenious rescue is planned and executed.   As Christopher is drawn into both adventure and romance he finds he must grapple with several conflicts - between his loyalty to the King and the land of his birth, between his family’s needs at home and the need to go search for his brother-in-law, and between his passions and his upbringing.   Subsequent books will describe Christopher’s adventures in America’s infant navy and his growth as a naval officer.  Although the U. S. Navy got off to a rather shaky start, it was in the period 1774 to 1812 that we were engaged in our War of Independence, the Quasi-War with France, the war with Tripoli and the second war with Great Britain, the War of 1812.  It was this period that produced our first naval heroes and many of the naval traditions still celebrated today.  It is my hope the reader will develop an increased appreciation for the people of that period, their struggles and their sacrifices.  They set the course for freedom.

About the Author

Though born and raised in Ohio, William K. Lewis has nurtured a life-long love of the sea. This, coupled with a passion for American History, has resulted in this first of a series of novels depicting the early days of the American Navy as the young country struggled for its independence. “Bill” is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and the Famous Writer’s School of Connecticut. A retired research chemist turned author he relies on his own experience as a sailor. He served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, three years of which were sea duty aboard a destroyer. He has skippered sailboats in the Great Lakes, Chesapeake Bay, Florida Keys and the Caribbean and trained aboard the frigate Rose, the world’s largest all wood tall ship. He resides with his wife Jean in Sharonville, Ohio were he serves as a city councilman.