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Perilous Fight: America's Intrepid War With Britain On The High Seas, 1812-1815 (2011)

by Stephen Budiansky(Favorite Author)

3.87 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0307270696 (ISBN13: 9780307270696)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Knopf Publishing Group

review 1: Reading O'Brian's The Fortune of War piqued my interest about the War of 1812. In The Fortune of War, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin get swept up in the war and are observer/participants in two of the most famous single ship battles in the history of the US Navy (the Constitution vs the Java and the Chesapeake vs the Shannon). The War of 1812 is what put the US Navy on the map. Three quick single ship victories over the Royal Navy put Britain back on its heels and required boatloads of rationalizations for why a British ship could be bested by an American. The British Navy ruled the seas and had such a hunger for sailors that impressment of Americans became an issue the was one of proximate causes of the war. The British were not used to losing sea battles and the fact th... moreat the tiny US Navy, pinned down by blockades most of the war, were able to win some victories was truly a David and Goliath event. The US Navy was successful roaming the world and raising havoc with British merchants capturing prize after prize. If the land war had been as efficient as the strategy devised by the Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Jones, Canada would no doubt now be a part of the USA. It was not to be. The war dragged on and, finally, a settlement was negotiated and both parties hoped to forget it very quickly. That goal was achieved and the War of 1812 is rarely referenced. The 1812 Overture is probably more well-known. Budiansky's book is a good read and a reminder of events that startled the world.
review 2: If you are interested in military history, you will probably like this book. It is filled with fascinating accounts of the characters and politics of the naval portion of the War of 1812. It seems like the war cost a lot and accomplished little, and yet it caused a significant shift in attitude and culture that did have lasting effects. The economic aspects of the war, like trade restrictions and privateers, were also interesting. less

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