Patrick O'Brian's fourth Aubrey-Maturin novel, The Mauritius Command, may be my favorite so far. He's retold in exacting detail the 1810 British campaign against Mauritius and Réunion, with the added bonuses of his excellent characters (Aubrey replacing the actual fleet commander, Sir Josias Rowley).
We first meet poor Aubrey stewing at home, but good Maturin soon arrives and provides a good opportunity for escaping the confines of Ashgrove Cottage. Aubrey is put in charge of a small fleet destined for the Indian Ocean, to harass French shipping and take several of their island outposts. O'Brian, using almost all the actual names of ships and captains (with the exception of poor Rowley), weaves his tale expertly around the historical campaign, to great effect.
A good addition to the series.
