Category — War of 1812

Madison was involved in every major event of early American history, before, during and after the Founding. Richard Brookhiser's serious, if too brief, biography of James Madison, is delightfully written, and replete with insights about the man and his time.   Read the rest of this entry »

In the early 19th century, the US Navy, perhaps more than most navies, was forced to rely on private ships granted letters of marque, which licensed them to prey on the shipping of belligerent powers. This article from the Niles register explains how they made their money.   Read the rest of this entry »

The mob is always categorized by cruelty and inhumanity. When a newspaper in Baltimore had the temerity to criticize the government for declaring war on Great Britain, the mob decided to tear down the house in which it was published. When the newspaper started up again, they resolved to kill the publishers.   Read the rest of this entry »

The country was deeply divided about the prudence of declaring war on Britain in 1812. Alexander Contee Hanson published some articles in his newspaper, The Federal Republican, that were severely critical of President Madison and sharply questioned the wisdom of declaring war on the world's most powerful nation.   Read the rest of this entry »

The War of 1812 was not kind to William Hull's reputation. He like many other Americans, including Thomas Jefferson, mistakenly supposed that the Canadians would welcome the invading Americans with open arms. Whoops! This proclamation issued by Hull in July of 1812, documents the scope of his miscalculation.   Read the rest of this entry »

PBS produced and excellent documentary on the War of 1812 last month. This companion book adds interest and provides still more color on this oft-forgotten war.   Read the rest of this entry »

The following excerpt of a letter from retired President John Adams, a confirmed Federalist, whose predisposition against the French and for the British, shows how politics, takes a back seat to his advocacy for the American cause.   Read the rest of this entry »

General Hull served bravely in the American Revolution but was a scared shell of a man in the War of 1812. He allowed himself to be bamboozled by General Brock and even more so by Tecumseh. He was terrified of the Indians.   Read the rest of this entry »

The Life and Character of Stephen Decatur is interesting as a reflection of the time in which it was written. It was published not long after Decatur's death, and was sufficiently popular to merit a second edition (reviewed here).   Read the rest of this entry »

In 1812 the United States was ill-prepared for war, let alone war with the most powerful nation on the planet, and President Madison knew it. But the country was sick and tired of being disrespected, thousands of its sailors impressed, and its trade restricted. The hawks in Congress, in spite of the Federalists' attempts to stop them, would not be denied. Henry Clay was one of those war hawks.   Read the rest of this entry »