Sewall, John S. (John Smith), 1830-1911

John Smith Sewall (1830-1911) was an American sailor, minister, and professor who is best known for his book The Ship's Log of the Captain's Clerk: Adventures in the China Seas, which tells of his experiences aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga .

Sewall was born in 1830. After graduating from Bowdoin College in Portland, Maine in 1850, Sewall enlisted in the United States Navy. His first assignment was to the U.S.S. Saratoga as a captain's clerk. This ship accompanied Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan from 1853-1854.

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