Review (PDF) 1812: The Navy's War
At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America’s prospects looked dismal. It was clear that the primary battlefield would be the open ocean—but America’s war fleet, only twenty ships strong, faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Still, through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, the American navy managed to take the fight to the British and turn the tide of the war: on the Great Lakes, in the Atlantic, and even in the eastern Pacific. In 1812: The Navy’s War, prizewinning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world’s greatest imperial power. A stunning contribution to military and national history, 1812: The Navy’s War is the first complete account in more than a century of how the U.S. Navy rescued the fledgling nation and secured America’s future.
File Size: 3928 KB
Print Length: 530 pages
Publisher: Basic Books; First Trade Paper Edition edition (October 4, 2011)
Publication Date: October 4, 2011
Sold by: Hachette Book Group
Language: English
ASIN: B005GPSJ4S
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #237,174 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #36 in Books > History > Military > War of 1812 #203 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Military > Naval #458 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Americas > United States > 19th Century
George Daughan's recent book, 1812: The Navy's War, covers more than the naval aspects of the war. It presents a thorough description of the land war and diplomacy associated with the war. I read this book to develop a better understanding of the War of 1812, its significance, and its necessity. Frankly, my prior opinion was that the war was a colossal mistake in that it was declared by the US after Britain had acceded to many of our demands, but before that news had reached Washington by boat from London. Have I changed my mind? Read on.The Setting and Basis for Anglo-American ConflictIn 1812, Britain had been at war with France for most of the last twenty years. The US was not a formal participant prior to 1812, but had been at odds with both Britain and France throughout much of that period, especially during the Quasi Naval War with France in the late 1790s. The basis of these conflicts centered on the claimed right of the US as a neutral power to freely trade non-military goods with both Britain and France. Both European powers sought to restrict US trade with the other by declaring blockades and seizing US ships. In addition, the British regularly stopped US ships to search for and seize suspected deserters from the British Navy. The best these sailors could expect was impressment into the British Navy along with punishment for desertion.The US had long insisted that Britain cease its interference with US trade and the impressment of sailors seized from US ships. By 1812, patience had worn thin; President Madison requested and congress declared war on Britain. Meanwhile, and yet unknown in Washington, the British government had agreed to respect the neutrality US ships but insisted on its right to search for, seize, and impress deserters.
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