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Terror on the Chespeake - The War of 1812 on the Bay
   by Christopher T. George, White Mane Press, Shippensburg, Pennsylvania 2000.

  The War of 1812 on the Chesapeake Bay restored American confidence in the resilience and abilities of the citizen soldiers and sailors. British-born, but now Americanized historian Christopher George chronicles the panorama of events on the bay from the time the British government sent ships and troops to the Chesapeake in order to draw American forces away from the Canadian frontier. Both by background and by education and research, George here brings a unique transatlantic perspective to this war.

When the Royal Navy raided and burned from Norfolk to Havre de Grace and Frenchtown, north of Baltimore, destroying farms and seizing tobacco and slaves, the militias of Maryland and Virginia had most of the responsiblity for the defense ot the area. In spite of Commodore Joshua Barney's heroic stand at the Battle of Bladensburg in August 1814, the militia, poorly led by General William H. Winder, was no match for the disciplined British army. The burning of Washington humiliated the Americans, but not for long.

Mr. George shows that the British underestimated the American resistance and had poor intelligence about forces and plans. British failures in 1813 and 1814 led to the American defensive victory at Baltimore in September 1814, which in turn gave rise to a national anthem and the beginnings of a new identity for the United States.



This comprehensive history sheds new light on the war on the Chesapeake Bay and its importance as a theater in a conflict some call the second war for American independence.


Indexed, 213 pp.,b&w illustrations.
 

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Last modified:  4/17/2000