Review by Choice Review
General readers will enjoy this well-written narrative of the naval phases of the War of 1812. Historians who have focused on its diplomatic and military aspects will broaden their understanding, but at least some naval historians will be disappointed. As in his If by Sea: The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812 (CH, May'09, 46-5216), Daughan has made good use of much of the secondary literature, but cites a few works without appearing to have benefited fully from them. For example, Barry Gough's Fighting Sail on Lake Huron and Georgian Bay (CH, Feb'03, 40-3598) appears in the bibliography, but the text contains no mention of the British amphibious attack on and capture of Mackinac Island in 1812, or the failed US attempt to recapture the outpost. This lacuna is offset by clear, concise coverage of army and navy operations along the Gulf Coast. While not completely superseding Theodore Roosevelt's classic The Naval War of 1812 (1882), this volume belongs among the best of those published to mark the bicentennial of the war because it so expertly delineates the important role naval operations played in determining the war's outcome. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries. J. C. Bradford Texas A&M University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
In 1812, the U.S. had a tiny navy, despite a vast coastline. Congress was chronically stingy in appropriating funds, fearing both the economic cost and political dangers of a large permanent naval force. On the other hand, Britain had the most powerful navy in the world, which allowed them to go where they wanted and when they wanted on the high seas. Daughan, an expert on naval warfare, demonstrates that the surprisingly effective performance of American warships led to the first national commitment to a strong navy and made European powers take notice. Daughan writes in a clear, concise style and keeps the technical jargon to a minimum. While he acknowledges that Americans were incapable of challenging British overall strategic dominance of the Atlantic, Daughan describes in absorbing detail some American tactical victories in duels between individuals ships as well as raids on British commercial vessels. This was a limited naval war, but Daughan sheds light on an often neglected aspect of the growth of our military power.--Freeman, Jay Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Daughan follows his award -wining If by Sea, about the American navy in the Revolutionary War, with a solidly researched, well-crafted account of U.S. sea power in the War of 1812. There is little new information on the U.S. Navy proper, because despite some notable ship-to-ship victories, the fleet was so small and so quickly driven from the seas. Daughan's achievement is contextualizing the effect of those victories on three levels. The navy's performance convinced critics that a strong navy was indispensable to its protection and did not threaten the Constitution. Second, the performances of individual warships generated increasing British respect, both in the Royal Navy and in the administration, for American abilities at sea. Over the previous century, British warships had come to assume superiority in single-ship actions. Such fights as Constitution versus Guerriere impelled rethinking the subject. Finally, the successes of American privateers against British shipping drove costs higher than the business community was willing to accept without protest. The treaty ending the war provided numerous unresolved grounds for renewed conflict. What kept the peace, Daughan argues provocatively, was America's postwar commitment to "a strong navy, an adequate professional army, and the financial reforms necessary to support them"-in other words, an effective deterrent. 20 b&w illus. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In a compelling sequel to his award--winning If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy-from the Revolution to the War of 1812, Daughan narrates the story of the War of 1812, focusing on the tiny, 20-ship U.S. Navy. In doing so, from the poorly conducted chase of HMS Belvidera by Commodore John Rogers in June 1812 to the capture of HMS Penguin by USS Hornet in March 1815, Daughan also traces the development of the U.S. Navy. He concludes with a brief discussion of Commodore Stephen Decatur's successful ventures against the Barbary pirates in late 1815. Daughan also analyzes the land war, from the fiasco of the invasion of Canada and the embarrassment of the burning of Washington, DC, to the final victory at New Orleans a couple of weeks after the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. VERDICT Albeit with nothing new to present, Daughan offers a rousing retelling of the war, strongly recommended for general readers, high school students, and lower classmen.--David Lee Poremba, Windermere, FL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A naval expert's readable take on the U.S. Navy's surprising performance in the war that finally reconciled the British to America's independence.Maritime disputes over impressments and free trade forced a reluctant Madison to ask Congress to declare war in 1812 against Great Britain. Presumptions on both sidesthat the U.S. could easily invade and conquer Canada and that the Royal Navy would vanquish America's woefully inadequate navyproved erroneous. The antagonists signed a treaty three years later, quietly dropping the disagreements over sailors' rights and sea-going commerce. Daughan (If By Sea: The Forging of the American NavyFrom the Revolution to the War of 1812, 2008) follows up his award-winning debut about the U.S. Navy's birth with this story of its maturation. If the U.S. Navy, along with considerable assistance from privateers, didn't win the War of 1812, it probably kept the nation from losing. The Great Lakes, coastal and blue-water exploits of outstanding officers like Isaac Hull, David Porter, Stephen Decatur and Oliver Hazard Perry earned new respect for America's fleet; victories by theEssex,theHornet and theConstitution(dubbed "Old Ironsides" after its triumph over theGuerriere) set off national celebrations. Daughan supplies just enough of the big picturethe dismal struggles of both armies, Napoleon's off-stage machinations that determined so much of the war's progress, the outcome of domestic political squabbles upon which the navy's survival dependedto place the navy's role in context, but he focuses on the personalities, ships and battles that prevented the British from suffocating the infant nation's maritime ambitions. With each success, the navy demonstrated its value, shaming the politicians reluctant to fund it. After the war, writes the author, the navy became an integral part of the nation's new defense strategy.A smart salute to a defining moment in the history of the U.S. Navy.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
