"In a broadside-to-broadside slugfest on Aug 19, 1812, lasting barely 30 minutes, the US frigate Constitution defeated the British frigate Guerrier some 600 miles east of Boston. Days later, Captain Isaac Hull, who was headed home, decided to anchor the Constituion off Boston Light for the night.
"As the sun rose, a fleet of warships was spotted just off-shore. Fearing that they were British, Hull prepared for battle. But as they drew nearer, Hull realized that they were four of the Constitution's sister frigates, returning from a foray into the Caribbean. So the vessels joined in a victory procession that the Constitution led into Boston Harbor, where cheering crowds thronged the waterfront.
"In "1812: The Navy's War", George C. Daughan argues that the young nation's naval victories against the ships of the world's largest imperial power helped establish America as a burgeoning force in the world. With his new, richly detailed, well-documented, and compelling account released in time for the bicentennial, Daughan, a Harvard-trained historian who lives in Portland, Maine, continues the saga he began with his 2008 book, "If By Sea", an account of the American Navy from the Revolution up to 1812.
"Daughan's is a history that expands our understanding, debunking several popular myths, such as that surrounding the heroism of Captain James Lawrence and his famous cry "Don't give up the ship!" uttered as he lay dying on the frigate Chesapeake, pummeled by the British frigate Shannon off Boston Light in June 1813. Daughan notes that Lawrence should not have sought that battle at all, as '(he) was disregarding his orders' to evade the blockade and 'intercept supplies moving to Quebec.'"
"Besides chronicling battles at sea and in the Great Lakes, Daughan also provides solid accounts of the war on land - the burning of Washington by the British, Andrew Jackson's victory at New Orleans, and the ill-advised invasions of Canada.
"Daughan keeps a fairly tight focus on military events, but he also examines how the fallout from battles rippled through the politics of the day, suggesting, for instance, that the elation over the Constitution's naval victory saved President Madison from defeat in the 1812 election by trumping disappointment over that summer's loss of Detroit and other military defeats on the western frontier.
"In the end, this history of an oft-forgotten war holds value for all. The reader who is curious as to just what the coming bicentnnial commemorates will find that curiosity thoroughly satisfied. Readers who have been eagerly awaiting the bicentennial will find in Daughan's "1812" an account that confirms why the conflict merits remembrance - and celebration.
..........Michael Kenney, a Cambridge freelance writer for the Boston Globe
AWARDS
Winner of The 2012 George Pendleton Prize
Winner of The 2012 Gold Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards in U.S. History (IPPY)
Winner of the 2012 Military Order of Saint Louis Award
Chosen for the 2012 Navy Reading List of Essential Reading
Selected as one of the top 20 Notable Naval Books of 2011
A finalist for an Audie in History from the Audio Book Industry
Winner of The 2012 Gold Medal from the Independent Publisher Book Awards in U.S. History (IPPY)
Winner of the 2012 Military Order of Saint Louis Award
Chosen for the 2012 Navy Reading List of Essential Reading
Selected as one of the top 20 Notable Naval Books of 2011
A finalist for an Audie in History from the Audio Book Industry
REVIEW
"Every American should read George C. Daughan's riveting 1812: The Navy's War. Daughan masterfully breaks down complicated naval battles to tell how the U.S. thwarted the British armada on the Great Lakes and the high seas. Highly recommended!"...............Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History, Rice University.
REVIEW
"At last, a history of the War of 1812 that Americans can read without wincing. By focusing on our small but incredibly courageous Navy, George Daughan has told a story of victories against awful odds that makes for a memorable book.".......Thomas Fleming, author of Liberty!: The American Revolution.
REVIEW
"In this vitally important and extraordinarily well researched work, award-winning historian George Daughan demonstrates the often overlooked impact of the 20 ship U.S. Navy's performance against the 1,000 ship British Navy in the War of 1812. Daughan makes a compelling case that the Navy's performance in the war forced Europe to take the U.S. more seriously, initiated a fundamental change in the British-American relationship, and enabled us to maintain a robust Navy even in peacetime." .................Lawrence Korb, senior fellow at the Center for American Progresss and former Assistant Secretary of Defense.
REVIEW
"The War of 1812 was a difficult test for the Untied States, still wobbly on the world stage nearly two decades after formal independence. That Americans received a passing grade was due in no small part to the exceptional performance of the U.S. Navy, which humiliated the legendary British Navy time and time again. With verve and deep research, George Daughan has brought those gripping naval battles back to life. For military historians and general historian alike, 1812: The Navy's War restores an important missing chapter to our national narrrative."........Edward L. Widmer, author of Ark of the Liberties: America and the World.
REVIEW
"1812: The Navy's War is a sparkling effort. It tells more than the naval history of the war, for there is much in it about the politics and diplomacy of the war years. The stories of ship-to-ship battles and of the officers and men who sailed and fought form the wonderful heart of the book. These accounts are told in a handsome prose that conveys the strategy, high feeling, and courage of both British and Americans. In every way this is a marvelous book.".............Robert Middlekauff, author of The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789.
REVIEW
"The War of 1812 was America's first great naval war, and George Daughan tells the story, from the coast of Brazil to the Great Lakes, from election campaigns to grand strategy to ship-to-ship combat. Sweeping, exciting and detailed."........Richard Brookhiser, author of James Madison.
MORE REVIEWS and AWARDS
Reviews and other information are added below as they are received. Scroll down to see them all. Some of these reviews are lengthy and have been condensed here. For full reviews visit the publication websites.
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