White Jacket by Herman Melville

WHITE JACKET is a semi-autobiographical novel based on Melville's experiences as a common sailor aboard the frigate U.S.S. UNITED STATES in 1843-1844. The novel is severely critical of virtually every aspect of American naval life, especially the then-common disciplinary practice of flogging. Melville's graphic descriptions of the practice led to the abolition of flogging prior to the Civil War.