25 JUNE 1813 BOMBSHIP EAGLE Smarting from the British blockade of American seaports during the War of 1812, Congress turned for help to our private citizens. Legislation was passed in March 1813 allowing a bounty equal to one-half the value Read More
TODAY IN NAVAL HISTORY 11 SEPTEMBER 1814 ACTION AT THE NORTHERN END The heavyweights concentrated at the northern end of the battle line. Here the headforemost approach of CAPT George Downie in the British flagship CONFIANCE, 37, allowed SARATOGA and Read More
TODAY IN NAVAL HISTORY 11 SEPTEMBER 1814 ACTION AT THE SOUTHERN END As MacDonough had correctly anticipated, HMS FINCH, 11, could not sail close enough to the wind to approach the southern American line. In falling to leeward however, she Read More
TODAY IN NAVAL HISTORY 11 SEPTEMBER 1814 BATTLE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN To the British, our War of 1812 was only a distant theater of a more global war against Napoleonic France. And the defeat of Napoleon at Toulouse and his Read More
15 MAY 1812 PRELUDE TO THE WAR OF 1812 At the turn of the 19th century the territory that is now Florida was Spanish. This fact was of no reassurance to the administration of President James Madison in 1811. Spain was Read More
29 APRIL 1816 SHIPS-OF-THE-LINE Until the 16th century, navies, like land forces, relied mostly on hand-to-hand fighting to defeat an enemy. Tactics required warships to ram or grapple each other, then send across assault troops to attack the enemy’s crew. Fighting Read More