Captain Putnam for the Republic of Texas, Haley - B

                    Putnam receives a letter directing him to New Orleans to await further orders.  He receives a secret directive to command a ship for Texas in its 1836 revolution against Mexico. Under no circumstance is it to be acknowledged that he is an American naval officer acting on orders. His second-in-command is a former colleague, and they are instrumental in stopping a ship carrying canons to Santa Anna. Throughout the novel, Putnam is sidelined for days at a time with malaria, but makes it home to Connecticut.  As a reward, President Jackson offers him any post he wishes, but he pens a letter to the Navy Secretary resigning his commission. My suspicion is that he will go back to sea.  This series appears to have been very accurate historically, but a cursory inquiry indicates that arming a navy for Texas was not something the US undertook. But maybe that's the point of Jackson advising him to never tell a soul.