It is said that the
trouble with trying to
learn
history is that they keep adding to it. From the
day our nation was
founded,
Americans have been making history at a heady
pace. Finding space on
the
cluttered shelves of our memory for the new
“stuff” forces us into
periodic
house cleanings to make way for it. In the
process, events that no
longer seem
as important as they once did get condensed into
smaller spaces, while
others
get carted off to the historical attic.
The War of
1812, in which
a small, upstart country
defied the world’s most fearsome military power,
is one of those events
that
has undergone vigorous historical condensation . .
. until . . . it
looked like
it was being packed up for attic storage. (xxxii)
These two paragraphs from
the
introduction of Ships of Oak Guns of Iron
perfectly sum up how we’ve relegated this war to near
obscurity. The
bicentennial of the conflict, however, is bringing the
war back into
the
forefront of American memory, and this book serves as
an excellent
overview of
the War of 1812.
The book opens with a
list of
“Participants in the War of 1812,” and each entry
notes the primary
events in
which each person was involved as well as a few other
key tidbits about
that
individual’s life. This section is followed by a
“Timeline of Key
Events in the
War of 1812.” The inclusion of both of these provides
readers with a
quick
reference guide and an outline of what they will
encounter in greater
detail
within the pages of this volume. Each chapter (listed
below) is
subdivided into
segments, which makes it easy for readers to set aside
the book when
life
intervenes, while the interesting narrative ensures
they will pick it
up again
later. Diagrams and illustrations, maps, chapter
notes, a bibliography,
and an
index are included.
1.
America and Britain Drift
toward War
2. Back on Land: The
Fall of
Forts Detroit and Dearborn
3. Old Ironsides
4. Back on Land:
Failure on
the Niagara
5. Stephen Decatur
Finds the Macedonian
6. Back on Land:
Harrison on
the Maumee
7. Bainbridge Finds
Redemption
8. Back on Land:
Holding the
Line
9. Into the Pacific
10. Back on Land:
Harrison on
the Maumee Line
11. The Tide Turns in
the
Atlantic
12. Back on Land:
British on
the Chesapeake, 1813
13. Henry Allen Ravages
the
English
14. Back on Land:
Alabama
Burning
15. “We Have Met the
Enemy
and They Are Ours”
16. Harrison Takes
Detroit,
Jackson Alabama
17. Letters of Marque
and
Reprisal
18. Montreal, and Back
to the
Niagara
19. Macdonough Sinks
Britain
20. Back on Land:
Washington
and Baltimore
21. Challenging the
British
Blockade
22. New Orleans – Peace
at
Last
What sets this volume
apart
from other treatments of the war is the historical
kernels not found
elsewhere.
They may not be of major importance, but they serve to
make the
conflict a more
personal experience for the reader. They also show how
divided
Americans were.
For example, citizens of Ogdensburg convinced American
soldiers to set
up camp
at Sackets Harbor rather than their own town because
the army’s
presence might
invite the British troops to attack. Once the
Americans left, the
citizens
began supplying the enemy with needed supplies.
For those interested in
piracy and privateering, several chapters include
relevant information.
A
number of chapters include information on the Barbary
corsairs. Chapter
seventeen is devoted to privateers, discussing Captain
Joshua Barney,
Jean and
Pierre Laffite, Nathaniel Shaler, Thomas Kemp’s
schooners, Thomas
Boyle, and
Sam Reid. American privateers are also mentioned in a
few other
chapters.
While primary focus is on
the
naval engagements, the battles on land are also
summarized to provide
readers
with a clear view of what happened when and how the
war fit within the
context
of world events. Utt’s well-rounded treatment
encapsulates all
perspectives.
The inclusion of quotations from primary source
materials and
authoritative
historians from the past enrich the narrative, giving
the reader a
greater
sense of closeness to the events and participants in
the War of 1812.
Pirates
and Privateers
