Pirates and Privateers - 1812: The Navy's War

Although wars begin in specific years, the root causes of those wars often date back to years prior to the declaration of hostilities. Daughan opens his examination of the War of 1812 with an exploration of the Treaty of Paris (1783) and the election of George Washington as President of the United States in 1789. He also examines the differing political parties and opinions that divide the fledging United States, discusses British resentment toward their former colony, and explains how their navy’s practice of forcing sailors from American vessels into the Royal Navy becomes a point of honor that leads to the war. Throughout the narrative, the author focuses primarily on American perspectives, but he shares the enemy’s perceptions as well.

At the start of the war, President Madison felt privateers would be the “potent sea force” America needed, rather than the navy. How could a mere twenty warships be expected to engage the greatest sea power in the world and win? The book’s subtitle clarifies Daughan’s primary focus, but he incorporates to a lesser degree the importance of the American privateers, and succinctly summarizes the internal struggle between the Federalists and the Republicans, as well as the British government’s stubborn refusal to alter attitudes and practices concerning their former colonies, all of which impact the war. In doing so, he presents a well-rounded look at the entire conflict, as the table of contents below shows.

The book opens with a series of maps to assist readers in following the various confrontations and venues for which the two nations fought. The author further supplements his narrative with portraits and paintings, extensive end notes, a glossary, and a bibliography. The index provides quick access to specific events, ships, and people discussed in the book.

Daughan, an award-winning naval historian, pulls no punches in this gripping examination of the War of 1812. He paints vivid pictures of the people (complete with blinders on), the fiascos, and the stirring victories in a war that eventually becomes America’s second war of independence. Of particular importance is the inclusion of European events and internal strife that impacted the war between the United States and Great Britain. Doing so demonstrates that nothing happens within a vacuum. Equally interesting is the ineptitude and single-mindedness that prevented the War of 1812 from being a grand victory and more than once came close to ending the American Republic in its infancy. What makes this an important study of this conflict is Duaghan’s skillful presentation of how the victories of American naval and privateer vessels brought about a begrudging change in the British Admiralty’s opinion of American seamanship, and how that adjustment eventually aided in the peace negotiations.

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Table of Contents

Road to War
Free Trade and Sailors’ Rights
Jefferson’s Embargo and the Slide Toward War
Madison’s Strategy
The United States Declares War
Blue-Water Victories
The Constitution and the Guerriere
Ripe Apples and Bitter Fruit: The Canadian Invasion
Canadian Disasters Accumulate
More Blue Water Victories
The Constitution and the Java
A Sea Change
Napoleon and Alexander
The Canadian Invasion Resumes
The Chesapeake and the Shannon
Raids in Chesapeake Bay
Oliver Hazard Perry

Attack on Montreal
The War at Sea in 1813
The Allies and Napoleon
British and American War Plans
The British Blockade
The Essex
Burning Washington
The War at Sea Continues in 1814
Negotiations Begin at Ghent
Baltimore
Plattsburgh
A Peace Treaty
The Hartford Convention
New Orleans
An Amazing Change
A New Era
From Temporary Armistice to Lasting Peace: The Importance of the War