"During the War of 1812 the U.S. Navy came of age. In fleet actions on the lakes and single ship engagements at sea, American men of war defeated Royal Navy ships of similar force. Naval officers such as Isaac Hull, Stephen Decatur, Oliver H. Perry, David Porter and Thomas Macdonough became heroes, and their ships, Constitution, United States, Niagara, Essex, and Saratoga, symbols for an American public proud of its navy. The three volumes will again call to mind the famous naval actions and events of our second war of independence with Great Britain"--Introduction.

"During the War of 1812 the U.S. Navy came of age. In fleet actions on the lakes and single ship engagements at sea, American men of war defeated Royal Navy ships of similar force. Naval officers such as Isaac Hull, Stephen Decatur, Oliver H. Perry, David Porter and Thomas Macdonough became heroes, and their ships, Constitution, United States, Niagara, Essex, and Saratoga, symbols for an American public proud of its navy. The three volumes will again call to mind the famous naval actions and events of our second war of independence with Great Britain"--Introduction.

Michael J. Crawford, Editor. Third of a four-volume documentary history on the naval and maritime aspects of the War of 1812. Focuses on the Chesapeake Bay, the Northern Lakes, and the Pacific Ocean theaters of operation during the last two years of the war, 1814-1815.

The War of 1812 ranged over a remarkably large territory, as the fledgling United States battled Great Britain at sea and on land across what is now the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada. Native people and the Spanish were also involved in the war’s interrelated conflicts. Often overlooked, the War of 1812 has been the subject of an explosion of new research over the past twenty-five years. The Routledge Handbook of the War of 1812 brings together the insights of this research through an array of fresh essays by leading scholars in the field, offering an overview of current understandings of the war that will be a vital reference for students and researchers alike. The essays in this volume examine a wide range of military, political, social, and cultural dimensions of the war. With full consideration given to American, Canadian, British, and native viewpoints, the international group of contributors place the war in national and international context, chart the course of events in its different theaters, consider the war’s legacy and commemoration, and examine the roles of women, African Americans, and natives. Capturing the state of the field in a single volume, this handbook is a must-have resource for anyone with an interest in early America.

"During the War of 1812 the U.S. Navy came of age. In fleet actions on the lakes and single ship engagements at sea, American men of war defeated Royal Navy ships of similar force. Naval officers such as Isaac Hull, Stephen Decatur, Oliver H. Perry, David Porter and Thomas Macdonough became heroes, and their ships, Constitution, United States, Niagara, Essex, and Saratoga, symbols for an American public proud of its navy. The three volumes will again call to mind the famous naval actions and events of our second war of independence with Great Britain"--Introduction.

The War of 1812 is etched into American memory with the burning of the Capitol and the White House by British forces, The Star-Spangled Banner, and the decisive naval battle of New Orleans. Now a respected British military historian offers an international perspective on the conflict to better gauge its significance. In The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon, Jeremy Black provides a dramatic account of the war framed within a wider political and economic context than most American historians have previously considered. In his examination of events both diplomatic and military, Black especially focuses on the actions of the British, for whom the conflict was, he argues, a mere distraction from the Napoleonic War in Europe. Black describes parallels and contrasts to other military operations throughout the world. He stresses the domestic and international links between politics and military conflict; in particular, he describes how American political unease about a powerful executive and strong army undermined U.S. military efforts. He also offers new insights into the war in the West, amphibious operations, the effects of the British blockade, and how the conflict fit into British global strategy. For those who think the War of 1812 is a closed book, this volume brims with observations and insights that better situate this “American” war on the international stage.

An Irish officer in the British Army, Major General Robert Ross (1766–1814) was a charismatic leader widely admired for his bravery in battle. Despite a military career that included distinguished service in Europe and North Africa, Ross is better known for his actions than his name: his 1814 campaign in the Chesapeake Bay resulted in the burning of the White House and Capitol and the unsuccessful assault on Baltimore, immortalized in “The Star Spangled Banner.” The Man Who Captured Washington is the first in-depth biography of this important but largely forgotten historical figure. Drawing from a broad range of sources, both British and American, military historians John McCavitt and Christopher T. George provide new insight into Ross’s career prior to his famous exploits at Washington, D.C. Educated in Dublin, Ross joined the British Army in 1789, earning steady promotion as he gained combat experience. The authors portray him as an ambitious but humane commanding officer who fought bravely against Napoleon’s forces on battlefields in Holland, southern Italy, Egypt, and the Iberian Peninsula. Following the end of the war in Europe, while still recovering from a near-fatal wound, Ross was designated to lead an “enterprise” to America, and in August 1814 he led a small army to victory in the Battle of Bladensburg. From there his forces moved to the city of Washington, where they burned public buildings. In detailing this campaign, McCavitt and George clear up a number of misconceptions, including the claim that the British burned the entire city of Washington. Finally, the authors shed new light on the long-debated circumstances surrounding Ross’s death on the eve of the Battle of North Point at Baltimore. Ross’s campaign on the shores of the Chesapeake lasted less than a month, but its military and political impact was enormous. Considered an officer and a gentleman by many on both sides of the Atlantic, the general who captured Washington would in time fade in public memory. Yet, as McCavitt and George show, Ross’s strategies and achievements during the final days of his career would shape American defense policy for decades to come.