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1812: The Navy's War (2011)

by George C. Daughan(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0465020461 (ISBN13: 9780465020461)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Basic Books

review 1: Hmm. Unfortunately this wasn't quite what I was looking for in a book about the War of 1812. It started out as a promising book, but boy, I sure am not wanting a blow by blow description of each naval battle. I don't know a frigate from a sloop of war, and I certainly don't understand the naval or nautical jargon the author populated this book with. Based on the subtitle I should have guessed that this book was not going to be quite what I was after, but it seemed like a good place to start. I am looking for something that focuses more on the politics of this war and how it figures into the development of the United States. I get that this war was crucial in the formation of the US Navy, and it's natural that there would be focus on that, but I need the broader polit... moreical picture first.
review 2: This is a very well written and easy to read review of the critical role that the Navy played in the War of 1812. It also made me more understanding of the importance of fighting this war to a stalemate. If the US had seriously lost the the war (lost control of Lake Erie, lost the Battle of Plattsburg, lost Baltimore), the shape of the North American continent would look very different. British North America (then Canada ??) would be the major player on the continent. Mexico perhaps retains it territories. New England succedes and makes a separate peace with Britian. The US is a small, primarily coastal country in the Mid-atlantic region. Who knows?? Daughan also portrays Madison as a strong president leading us into the war. I had always thought of the congressional War Hawks pulling him into the war. I need to do mare reading on that one. I would strongly recommend the book. less

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