1812: The War That Forged a NationHarper Collins, 05/10/2004 - 368 من الصفحات In June 1812 the still-infant United States had the audacity to declare war on the British Empire. Fought between creaking sailing ships and armies often led by bumbling generals, the ensuing conflict featured a tit-for-tat "You burned our capital, so we'll burn yours" and a legendary battle unknowingly fought after the signing of a peace treaty. During the course of the war, the young American navy proved its mettle as the USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," sent two first-rate British frigates to the bottom, and a twenty-seven-year-old lieutenant named Oliver Hazard Perry hoisted a flag exhorting, "Don't Give Up the Ship," and chased the British from Lake Erie. By 1814, however, the United States was no longer fighting for free trade, sailors' rights, and as much of Canada as it could grab, but for its very existence as a nation. With Washington in flames, only a valiant defense at Fort McHenry saved Baltimore from a similar fate. Here are the stories of commanding generals such as America's Henry "Granny" Dearborn, double-dealing James Wilkinson, and feisty Andrew Jackson, as well as Great Britain's gallant Sir Isaac Brock, overly cautious Sir George Prevost, and Rear Admiral George Cockburn, the man who put the torch to Washington. Here too are those inadvertently caught up in the war, from heroine farm wife Laura Secord, whom some call Canada's Paul Revere, to country doctor William Beanes, whose capture set the stage for Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner." 1812: The War That Forged a Nation presents a sweeping narrative that emphasizes the struggle's importance to America's coming-of-age as a nation. Though frequently overlooked between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the War of 1812 did indeed span half a continent -- from Mackinac Island to New Orleans, and Lake Champlain to Horseshoe Bend -- and it paved the way for the conquest of the other half. During the War of 1812, the United States cast aside its cloak of colonial adolescence and -- with both humiliating and glorious moments -- found the fire that was to forge a nation. |
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... matter , but the British were preoccupied with Napoleon's maneuvers in Europe , and the American war in North America remained a sideshow for its first two years . During that time the American navy proved INTRODUCTION The War That ...
... matter the pres- ent transaction , should Napoleon be victorious in Europe , the United States would be called upon to defend the new acquisition from his rapacious territorial appetite . But when Jefferson dis- patched 450 troops under ...
... matters as dueling quite differ- ently . Burr was treated as the celebrity he certainly was . Once again , there is no complete record of the conversations that took place that evening , but subsequent events suggest that Burr TO STEAL ...
... matter where they made port . While HMS Melampus was anchored in Hampton Roads , sev- eral of its crew - the exact number is in doubt - chose to desert , making off with the captain's gig in the process . Three of the deserters promptly ...
... matter . So , too , was any change in British impressment policies.10 What eventually occurred was a tit - for - tat of the sort that would be repeated later when the issue was one of the burning of capitals and not just impressed ...
المحتوى
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BOOK | 55 |
Finale 18141815 | 181 |
Lake Champlain | 199 |
Another Capital Burns | 216 |
Still Mr Madisons War | 249 |
Along the Mighty Mississip | 271 |
A Nation at Last | 294 |
Endnotes | 305 |
Bibliography | 327 |