America's first crisis : the War of 1812 / Robert P. Watson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Watson, Robert P., 1962- author.

Series:

Excelsior editions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--History--War of 1812.

United States.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

x, 415 pages : illustrations, maps ; 23 cm.

Other Title:

War of 1812

Place of Publication:

Albany, New York : Excelsior Editions, [2014]

Summary:

The War of 1812, sometimes called "America's forgotten war," was a curious affair. At the time, it was dismissed as "Mr. Madison's War." Later it was hailed by some as America's "Second War for Independence" and ridiculed by others, such as President Harry Truman, as "the silliest damned war we ever had." The conflict, which produced several great heroes and future presidents, was all this and more. In America's First Crisis Robert P. Watson tells the stories of the most intriguing battles and leaders and shares the most important blunders and victories of the war. What started out as an effort to invade Canada, fueled by anger over the harassment of American merchant ships by the Royal Navy, soon turned into an all-out effort to fend off an invasion by Britain. Armies marched across the Canadian border and sacked villages; navies battled on Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, and the world's oceans; both the American and Canadian capitals were burned; and, in a final irony, the United States won its greatest victory in New Orleans-after the peace treaty had been signed. Book jacket.

Contents:

The Forgotten War

1 "The Silliest Damned War" 3

2 Stumbling Toward War 7

3 The Chesapeake Affair 12

4 "Leopardized" 18

Drumbeats

5 Land, Empire, and Intrigue 27

6 The Indian Question 37

7 Tippecanoe and the Course of History 45

8 A Declaration of War 54

"On to Canada"

9 The Invasion Begins 65

10 The Battle of Queenston Heights 84

11 Three-Pronged Disaster 98

12 "Remember the Raisin" 107

1813

13 The Sacking of York 119

14 Victories at Last 126

15 The Battles of Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams 140

16 The Battle of Thames 149

The High Seas

17 The Making of a Navy 159

18 A New Generation of Heroes 171

19 Blockade 181

20 The Cursed Chesapeake 192

The Great Lakes Theater

21 "We Have Met the Enemy and They Are Ours" 199

22 The Battle of the Carpenters 210

23 Saving Canada 223

24 Turning the Tables on the Invaders 236

1814

25 Canada's Bloodiest Battle 249

26 Victory on Lake Champlain 262

27 "The Bladensburg Races" 273

28 The Burning of the White House 280

Turning Points

29 The Defense of Baltimore 291

30 "Oh Say Can You See" 297

31 The Siege of Fort Erie 304

32 The Battle of Horseshoe Bend 311

Echoes

33 The Southern Campaign 325

34 The Treaty of Ghent 332

35 The Battle of New Orleans 339

36 The Making of a Nation 349.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781438451343

1438451342

OCLC:

851068340