The virtues of the citizen-soldier are prominent in the history of the American Revolution, but less attention has been given to the citizen-sailor. However, there were state navies during the war, the seaward equivalent of the state militias, and the state of South Carolina put to sea the most important of these. 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 frigate's most notable achievement was...