Hornblower in the West Indies
First edition
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| Author | C. S. Forester |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Horatio Hornblower |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph, London |
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Publication date
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1957 |
| Media type | Hardcover & paperback |
| Pages | 255 pp |
| OCLC | 16564559 |
| Preceded by | Lord Hornblower (1946) |
| Followed by | The Last Encounter |
Hornblower in the West Indies, or alternately Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies, is one of the novels in the series that CS Forester wrote about fictional Royal Navy officer Horatio Hornblower.
All the other novels in the series take place during the wars with revolutionary and Napoleonic France; this one, however, takes place when Britain is at peace, May 1821 - October 1823. Hornblower has been promoted rear-admiral and has been named in command of the West Indies station (i.e., the Caribbean) with a squadron consisting of three frigates and fourteen brigs and schooners. It is the last Hornblower novel chronologically, although at least one short story (The Last Encounter) is set after the events in this novel.
In the Royal Navy of the early nineteenth century, promotion from captain to admiral was based solely on seniority. The distinguished officer Edward Berry was promoted to captain in 1797 and did not become a rear-admiral until 1821. Hornblower was made a captain in 1805; thus, seniority should not have brought promotion to Hornblower until the mid-1830s or later.
Like some other Hornblower novels, Forester wrote it in the form of several novellas that can be read independently.
Hornblower raises his flag in the schooner HMS Crab and pays a courtesy call at New Orleans. There, he learns of a plot by Napoleon's most loyal followers to liberate him from his exile on the isolated island of St Helena. Hornblower intercepts their ship, the Daring, but is powerless to stop them by force; with no other choice, he is prepared to sacrifice his honour for the sake of peace in Europe. He lies to their leader, Count Cambronne, telling him that Napoleon has died. When he returns to port, he learns to his astonishment and relief that his lie was the truth, recalling Saint Elizabeth's miracle of the roses.
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