The Naval War of 1812

The third of a four-volume documentary history on the naval and maritime aspects of the War of 1821, this publication focuses on the Chesapeake Bay, the Northern Lakes, and Pacific Ocean theaters of operation during the last two years of the war, 1814-1815. In each of these three theaters, a U.S. naval force found itself confronting a superior British naval force. Blockaded in tributaries by a significant British squadron, Commodore Joshua Barney's gunboat flotilla held out for ten weeks, engaging in several pitched battles, until Barney ordered its destruction. Barney's sailors then became foot soldiers and maintained the nation's honor in facing the red-coated foe marching on Washington, when other troops broke and ran at the battle that wit's derided as the "Bladensburg Races." The editors have culled documents from many domestic and foreign repositories and arranged them chronologically by topics within theaters of operations. An introductory essay that provides a context for the documents that follow precedes each theater. Originally published in 2002, this book contains supporting maps and illustrations.