The Naval War of 1812 | Page 9

OCEAN
Commodore Rodgers' cruise and unsuccessful chase of the
_Belvidera_--Engagement between Belvidera and _President_--Hornet
captures a privateer--Cruise of the _Essex_--Captain Hull's cruise and
escape from the squadron of Commodore Broke--Constitution captures
_Guerrière_--Marked superiority shown by the Americans--Wasp
captures _Frolic_--Disproportionate loss on British side--Both
afterward captured by _Poictiers_--Second unsuccessful cruise of
Commodore Rodgers--United States captures
_Macedonian_--Constitution captures _Java_--Cruise of
_Essex_--Summary





Chapter IV
1812 ON THE LAKES
PRELIMINARY.--The combatants starting nearly on an
equality--Difficulties of creating a naval force--Difficulty of comparing
the force of the rival squadrons--Meagreness of the published
accounts--Unreliability of authorities, especially
James.--ONTARIO--Extraordinary nature of the American
squadron--Canadian squadron a kind of water militia--Sackett's Harbor
feebly attacked by Commodore Earle--Commodore Chauncy attacks
the Royal George--And bombards York.--ERIE--Lieutenant Elliot
captures the Detroit and _Caledonia_--Lieutenant Angus' unsuccessful

attack on Red House barracks





Chapter V
1813 ON THE OCEAN
Blockade of the American coast--Commodore Porter's campaign with
the Essex in the South Pacific--Hornet blockades Bonne
Citoyenne--Hornet captures _Resolution_--Hornet captures
_Peacock_--Generous treatment shown to the conquered--Viper
captured by _Narcissus_--American privateers cut out by British
boats--Third cruise of Commodore Rodgers--_United States_,
_Macedonian_, and Wasp blockaded in New London--Broke's
challenge to Lawrence--The Chesapeake captured by the
_Shannon_--Comments and criticisms by various authorities--Surveyor
captured by boats of _Narcissus_--Futile gun-boat actions--British
attack on Craney Island repulsed--Cutting out expeditions--The Argus
captured by the _Pelican_--The Enterprise captures the
_Boxer_--Ocean warfare of 1813 in favor of British--Summary

Chapter VI
1813 ON THE LAKES
ONTARIO--Comparison of the rival squadrons--Chauncy's superior in
strength--Chauncy takes York and Fort George--Yeo is repulsed at
Sackett's Harbor, but keeps command of the lake--The Lady of the Lake
captures _Lady Murray_--Hamilton and Scourge founder in a
squall--Yeo's partial victory off Niagara--Indecisive action off the
Genesee--Chauncy's partial victory off Burlington, which gives him the
command of the lake--Yeo and Chauncy compared--Reasons for
American success.--ERIE--Perry's success in creating a fleet--His
victory--"Glory" of it overestimated--Cause of his
success--CHAMPLAIN--The Growler and Eagle captured by
gun-boats--Summary of year's campaign





Chapter VII
1814 ON THE OCEAN
Strictness of the blockade--Cruise of Rodgers--Cruise of the
_Constitution_--Chased into Marblehead--Attempt to cut-out the
_Alligator_--The Essex captured after engagement with Phoebe and
_Cherub_--The Frolic captured--The Peacock captures the
_Epervier_--Commodore Barney's flotilla afloat--The British in the
Chesapeake--Capture of Washington, and burning of the public
buildings--The Wasp captures the _Reindeer_--The Wasp sinks the
_Avon_--Cruise and loss of the _Adams_--The privateer _General

Armstrong_--The privateer _Prince de Neufchatel_--Loss of the
gun-boats on Lake Borgne--Fighting near New Orleans--Summary





Chapter VIII
1814 ON THE LAKES
ONTARIO--The contest one of ship-building merely--Statistics of the
two squadrons--Serious sickness among the Americans--Extreme
caution of the commanders, verging on timidity--Yeo takes Oswego
and blockades Sackett's Harbor--British gun-boats captured--Chauncy
blockades Kingston.--ERIE--Captain Sinclair burns St. Joseph--Makes
unsuccessful expedition against Mackinaw--Daring and successful
cutting-out expeditions of the British--Capture of the Ohio and
Somers.--CHAMPLAIN--Macdonough's and Downie's
squadrons--James' erroneous statements concerning them--Gallant
engagement and splendid victory of Macdonough--Macdonough one of
the greatest of American sea-captains

Chapter IX
1815 CONCLUDING OPERATIONS
The President captured by Captain Hayes' squadron--Successful
cutting-out expedition of the Americans--American privateer Chasseur
captures _St. Lawrence_--The Constitution engages the Cyane and the
Levant and captures both--Escapes from a British squadron--The
Hornet captures the Penguin and escapes from pursuit of the
_Cornwallis_--The _Peacock's_ wanton attack on the
_Nautilus_--Wanton attack on American gun-boat after treaty of
peace--Summary of events in 1815--Remarks on the war--Tables of
comparative loss, etc.--Compared with results of Anglo-French
struggle





Chapter X
1815 THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS
The war on land generally disastrous--British send great expedition
against New Orleans--Jackson prepares for the defence of the
city--Night attack on the British advance guard--Artillery duels--Great
Battle of Jan. 8th, 1815--Slaughtering repulse of the main attack--Rout
of the Americans on the right bank of the river--Final retreat of the
British--Observations on the character of the troops and commanders
engaged
APPENDIX

Chapter I
INTRODUCTORY
_Causes of the War of 1812--Conflicting views of America and Britain
as regards neutral rights--Those of the former power
right--Impossibility of avoiding hostilities--Declaration of
war--General features of the contest--Racial identity of the
contestants--The treaty of peace nominally leaves the situation
unchanged--But practically settles the dispute in our favor in respect to
maritime rights--The British navy and its reputation prior to
1812--Comparison with other European navies--British and American
authorities consulted in the present work._
The view professed by Great Britain in 1812 respecting the rights of
belligerents and neutrals was diametrically opposite to that held by the
United States. "Between England and the United States of America,"
writes a British author, "a spirit of animosity, caused chiefly by the
impressment of British seamen, or of seamen asserted to be such, from
on board of American merchant vessels, had unhappily subsisted for a
long time" prior to the war. "It is, we believe," he continues, "an
acknowledged maxim of public law, as