Crawford, Michael J.

Madsen, Chris

English

U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons

Naval War College ReviewVolume 56Number 4 Autumn Article 272003The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History,Vol. 3Chris MadsenMichael J. CrawfordFollow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-reviewThis Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted forinclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contactrepository.inquiries@usnwc.edu.Recommended CitationMadsen, Chris and Crawford, Michael J. (2003) "The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, Vol. 3," Naval War College Review:Vol. 56 : No. 4 , Article 27.Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol56/iss4/27There is a comfortable fit to the feelingand tone of this autobiography. The ca-maraderie of the wardroom, the con-stant moving back and forth from seato shore, the hard work and great re-wards of command at sea, and thefriendly naval gossip are so recognizablethat he could be talking about the Navyof today. Indeed, the real charm of thisbook is in its candid yet loving portraitof one of the truly abiding institutions ofthe U.S. Navy. Captain Edward L. Beach,Sr., with the nicest of assists from his ac-complished officer-author son, has givenus not only his own story but a warm in-sider’s view of our beloved Navy as well.This is a volume that deserves a spot inany serious Navy library.JAMES STAVRIDISRear Admiral, U.S. NavyCommander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 12Crawford, Michael J., et al., ed. The Naval War of1812: A Documentary History. Vol. 3. Washing-ton, D.C.: Naval Historical Center (GPO), 2002.874pp. $70During the War of 1812, the UnitedStates attempted to invade Canadathree times in separate campaigns andfailed on each occasion. Inept leader-ship, militia and service differences, andlost tactical opportunities marred trans-lation of strategic aims into a workableoperational plan. Vastly outnumberedby American troops on the land frontieralong the Great Lakes and the St. Law-rence River, the British and Canadiansremained on the defensive until eventsin Europe released regular reinforce-ments and ships of the Royal Navy. In1814, Great Britain applied seapoweragainst the United States and tookthe offensive. The resulting stalemateeventually brought the two adversariesto the peace table to sign the Treaty ofGhent, whereby British North Amer-ica’s territorial integrity was preservedfor the later confederation of Canadainto a nation. This documentary col-lection, the third volume of a pro-jected series of four to be published bythe Naval Historical Center on the na-val side of the war, concentrates on theChesapeake Bay, Great Lakes, andPacific theaters from 1814 to 1815.The selection of documents, like thetwo preceding volumes, deals com-prehensively with events and personsbehind the main battles and cam-paigns on both sides, as well as withsuch matters as recruitment, logistics,shipbuilding, and social relationsfrom a wider perspective.Almost half the book is devoted to theBritish blockade of the Chesapeake Bayand American defense against themounting amphibious incursions ofGeneral Robert Ross and AdmiralAlexander Cochrane into the Americanheartland. Once the resolve of GeneralWilliam Winder and his sundry troopscrumbled at the battle of Bladensburg,Washington was left wide open. Theoccupying British burned the WhiteHouse and other public buildings (al-legedly in retaliation for burning theprovincial legislature at York [present-day Toronto] by American sailors inApril the previous year). The docu-ments highlight the flexibility accordedthe British to choose when and whereto attack from the sea, as well as the sig-nificant naval contribution in stiffeningAmerican defenses.The British likewise demonstrated thepossibilities of concerted military andnaval action on the internal waters ofLake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake1 8 2 N A V A L W A R C O L L E G E R E V I E W1Madsen and Crawford: The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, Vol. 3Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2003Champlain, the high point being Com-modore Sir James Yeo’s amphibious raidon the American transfer point at Os-wego, and the low point definitely beingGeneral George Prevost’s retreat fromPlattsburg. On the opposing side, Com-modore Isaac Chauncey’s support ofAmerican armies on the Niagara frontiertook second place to a growing ship-building race between the American andBritish naval commanders. The Ameri-can land campaign was irretrievably im-paired, the hoped-for decisive battle todetermine naval ascendancy on LakeOntario never materialized before peacecame, and the republic’s finances wereleft in tatters. The documents are care-fully chosen to show the consequencesof confused operational-level decisionmaking and of the failure to pursuejoint operations in an effective manner.If Chauncey inclined toward cautionon the Great Lakes, Captain DavidPorter’s decision to abandon a success-ful commerce-destruction cruise in fa-vor of seeking out superior Britishnaval forces in decisive combat off theChilean coast was rash and impulsive.American hopes for challenging theBritish in the Pacific ended with thefrigate Essex’s submission to Britishfirepower. In spite of the defeat, Porterreturned home to a hero’s welcome,while the officers and sailors whom heleft behind faced numerous hardshipsand another year in British captivity.Inclusion of this small episode in thecollection presents a reminder that per-sonal considerations of fame and gloryare no replacement for sound strategy.Porter spent the rest of his life trying tojustify his actions.The collection makes accessible manyprimary documents used in classicalworks by Alfred T. Mahan and TheodoreRoosevelt, as well as recent monographsby Anthony Pitch, Robert Malcomson,and Barry Gough. For anyone who hasstruggled to decipher handwriting inthe originals, availability of typed andorganized documents is a major benefit.Introductory essays to the chapters andsubchapters are informative and bal-anced, while extensive footnotes givemore details on people and sources.The index, perhaps the book’s mostvaluable feature, allows readers to iden-tify specific matters of interest withinthe documents quickly and efficiently.The end of each chapter shows the loca-tion and source from which individualdocuments were drawn, with microfilmnumbers provided for Washington-arearepositories, but no corresponding mi-crofilm numbers appear for RecordGroup 8 in Ottawa. This discrepancy,though minor, detracts from the book’susefulness in tracking down originalsfor the sake of comparison, accuracy,and provenance.This documentary collection, of whichthe first volume was published in 1978,will become a standard reference sourcein most libraries and undoubtedly stim-ulate awareness and scholarship aboutthis forgotten war on both sides of theinternational border.CHRIS MADSENCanadian Forces CollegeToronto, CanadaB O O K R E V I E W S 1 8 32Naval War College Review, Vol. 56 [2003], No. 4, Art. 27https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol56/iss4/27

The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, Vol. 3

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The Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, Vol. 3

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