of an impudent former colony than a refighting of the Revolution. There was no attempt, certainly, to pull the US back into the British family. The campaigns on the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico, however, posed significant threats to the United States that was to become. At the end of the Revolutionary War, Britain formally ceded sovereignty to the United States over an area soon to be known as the Northwest Territory, now comprising the States of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and a portion of Minnesota. Despite the agreement, Britain maintained troops and agents in the region in support of its lucrative trade in furs. As part of its efforts there, it actively promoted and supported Native American tribes struggling to keep land-hungry Americans out of the region. General Anthony Wayne’s victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers secured US sovereignty in the territory, but had the war ended with Britain in substantial control of the area, there is a possibility that the Treaty of Paris lines of demarcation might have been renegotiated to comport with that new political reality. In a vast area with very few miles of road, control of the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, and their river systems was crucial. The logistical challenges of fighting a naval war in a land-bound arena were extraordinary. Ships needed to be built in shipyards that didn’t exist yet. Lumber and spars had to be timbered and shaped. Sails, rope, metal fixtures, naval guns, instruments, crewmen needed to be identified, acquired, and shipped to the edge of nowhere. And when that all came together, there were battles to be fought with limited communications to senior headquarters, largely by men younger and less experienced than their blue-water counterparts. The strategic risk to American interests to US control of the Louisiana Purchase was even clearer. The small United States naval station at New Orleans was the only significant outpost in the 870,000-squaremile expanse. Dudley notes that a British seizure of New Orleans would have allowed them to halt trade on the Mississippi, causing devastating financial damage to both private and public American interests at a time when the government’s purse was
already sorely pressed. Andrew Jackson’s reflections on the stakes for the Battle of New Orleans seem not at all alarmist. If General Pakenham and his 10,000 matchless veterans could have annihilated my little army, he would have captured New Orleans and sentried all the contiguous territory, though technically the war was over. Great Britain would have immediately abrogated the Treaty of Ghent and would have ignored Jefferson’s transaction with Napoleon. Dr. Dudley has provided us not just a history of brave men fighting to avoid disaster, but a story of challenge, opportunity, change and growth. During the
presidency of Thomas Jefferson (1801– 1809), the navy’s shipbuilding program was terminated and the construction of a fleet of 100 small gunboats began. This decision reflected Jefferson’s belief that diplomacy was more effective than a large military establishment in defending national interests, as well as his desire to reduce the size of the federal government. The gunboat experiment ended during the Madison administration, but an important opportunity had been lost. As the United States began its war with the world-girding fleet that had defeated the French and Spanish fleets, the country’s navy comprised seven frigates, four schooners, four ketches, and 170 gunboats. At the war’s end, many Americans believed the US Navy had won its fight against Great Britain. Memories of naval
Over 120,000 Vessels Online @ internationalmaritimelibrary.org This list is mostly compiled from the “List of Merchant Vessels of the United States” and several other annuals, including foreign ones. Other sources have also been used to expand the information included. This list not only includes American vessels, but also foreign ones, whether commercial, yachts, warships, sail, power, unrigged and some not documented. Frequently updated.
More databases to be added soon INSIDE THE US NAVY OF 1812–1815 WILLIAM S. DUDLEY What did it take—logistically and operationally —for the small and underfunded US Navy to face the battle-hardened Royal Navy in the War of 1812?
Available wherever books are sold Also by WILLIAM S. DUDLEY Maritime Maryland: A History
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