Finding inspiration to work on Naval History is always easy. And sometimes outside events conspire to add extra enjoyment to the production of an issue of the magazine. That’s the case with our second annual War of 1812 bicentennial special.
In April the fabulous “Seas, Lakes, and Bay: The Naval War of 1812” exhibit opened at the U.S. Naval Academy’s Mahan Hall, just a short walk from the magazine’s offices. Then, just as Naval History’s editors were starting work on this issue, nearly 200 historians and history buffs converged on Annapolis, Maryland, for a three-day gathering at the Academy.
“From Enemies to Allies: An International Conference on the War of 1812 and its Aftermath” was a signature event of Star-Spangled 200, Maryland’s multi-year commemoration of the bicentennial in general and the Baltimore birth of “The Star-Spangled Banner” in particular. “It is truly an honor for Maryland to host this premier conference featuring the best scholarship on the causes, conduct, and consequences of the War of 1812,” said Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who spoke at the opening ceremonies on 13 June. Navy Captain Henry J. Hendrix II, head of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), and Navy Reserve Lieutenant Commander Claude G. Berube, director of the Naval Academy Museum, also welcomed guests and participants.
Among the scholars who presented papers at the conference were two contributors to this issue’s 1812 package, whose focus is the war on the northern lakes. NHHC historian Charles Brodine’s overview article, “The War’s Most Challenging Theater,” examines key elements of the northern conflict, including strategy, shipbuilding, and joint operations. Brodine also contributes “The Cautious Commodore?” which is adapted from his conference paper. In it he reassesses Isaac Chauncey’s command of the U.S. Navy’s Lake Ontario Squadron.
Navy Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Armstrong’s article, “Daring Moves on the Niagara,” tells the story of two wartime “cutting-out” expeditions—one American, one British—on the upper Niagara River. Armstrong, a member of the Naval Institute’s Editorial Board, delivered a conference paper on a related “irregular ops” subject: U.S. Navy Lieutenant Francis Gregory’s exploits on Lake Ontario in 1814.
While the War of 1812 ended in a tie, the U.S. Navy prevailed in two of the conflict’s biggest pitched naval battles, both of which were fought on northern lakes. David Curtis Skaggs’ article, “More Important Than Perry’s Victory,” analyzes those fights on Erie and Champlain. The author then steps back, assesses each triumph’s significance to the overall U.S. war effort, and reaches an eyebrow-raising conclusion on the question of which one was more crucial. Skaggs’ in-depth examination of the decades-long war of words that pitted Lake Erie commander Oliver Hazard Perry and his supporters against Perry’s second in command, Jesse Duncan Elliott, and his backers will appear in a future issue of Naval History.
Also ahead, next year’s War of 1812 package will focus on events in the Chesapeake Bay region that climaxed with one of the most celebrated American actions of the conflict: the defense of Fort McHenry.