Ships of Oak, Guns of Iron: The War of 1812 and the Forging of the American Navy

I have learned a lot about the War of 1812 - what led up to it, and what transpired during & immediately after it. Quite interesting was the extent of our lame brained president's ineptness and that of his politically-appointed generals & admirals - it was certainly fortunate that the mid-level American cream finally rose to the top - of course, we saw that again in the Civil War!

Author Ronald Utt has written an excellent work on the US Navy and the War of 1812! This is an excellent book: well-written, comprehensive, well-researched. This is a work of history that will be hard to put down because it often reads like an adventure novel!The book begins with the situation in the early nineteenth century and the many issues and conflicts that brought the young United States and Great Britain to war. The author then tells the story of the War of 1812, alternating between war at sea and war on land. Battles are cogently explained and major personalities are brought to light, often with short bios. Ship-to-ship combat is well covered including maps of the movements of the various ships during engagements. The author wisely uses many first-hand accounts to allow the reader to hear of deeds from the men who were there."Ships Of Oak, Guns Of Iron" tells the tale of the war at sea, both on the seas and the Great lakes. It covers the Americans' big 44-gun frigates and their victories and losses versus British warships - but everyone covers those. Author Ronald Utt also covers the smaller ships such as the Essex, Wasp and Hornet. Great Lakes naval battles such as Oliver Hazard Perry's victory at Put In Bay and the crucial ship combat on Lake Champlain are also covered. Unlike many books on the War of 1812, the author covers the American privateers who devastated Britain's economy by taking or sinking so many merchant ships.The author covers land campaigns in the north from the "Old Northwest" to Canada, New York and Maine. These battles, by land or water, were crucial in deciding if the United States would keep the vast territory it won in the War of Independence in what would become Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan. The author explains the situation not only from the point of view of Americans and British, but also the Amerindians who were also fighting for their homeland.The war on the Atlantic coast including campaigns against Washington and the aborted attack on Baltimore. The war in the south is well covered in Jackson's campaigns against the Creeks and eventually the battle for New Orleans with the city and the whole Mississippi country in jeopardy.The author does a fine job of writing a no-holds-barred account, showing bravery, profesionalism and boldness as well as incompetence, cowardice and just plain stupidity on both sides of the conflict. I was amazed by the willingness of President Madison and those in his administration to appoint military commanders based solely upon their political affiliation - even men who had no military ability at all! The reader will be surprised by the conflicts between men who are supposed to be on the same side and yet work to thwart each other!This is a fine book that any reader of early American history will enjoy and learn from. I recommend this book with five stars.

Well educated Americans know this about the War of 1812:1. The British burned the White House.2. The Star Spangled Banner was composed after Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore.3. Andrew Jackson chased the British at the Battle of New Orleans and "..they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles, And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn't go.They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em, Down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico."The last bit of knowledge is courtesy of Johnny Horton.The next bit of knowledge, and a lot of it is courtesy of Ronald Utt, who has prepared an eminently readable account of the social, geopolitical and military aspects of a war, most assume we won, and some assume we tied. As Utt points out, the United States Navy, facing the most powerful naval power of any age heretofore, did so fearlessly and with great distinction. Naval officers like Issac Hull, Oliver Hazard Perry William Bainbridge, Steven Decatur,Thomas McDonough, and James Lawrence have their names attached to towns, highways, and streets across the United States. Few today know just what they accomplished for the continued freedom of our nation.This is an extremely well written and historically balanced book. There are very poignant moments such as the scene of the funeral of a valiant captured American captain whose body was brought to Halifax for burial. His coffin was draped with the Stars and Stripes and his pallbearers were six British Navy captains whose obvious regard for the fallen foe was evident.Even former history majors like me will learn from this volume. In truth, as to this particular war, I knew about as much as the average American.

Good history of the War of 1812 both on land and at sea. Conveys the brutality of war - both the land and the sea battles. Occasionally it was hard to follow the timeline of the war as the history, as told, shifts back and forth between events on land and at sea which results in moving bath and forth in time.If you're not familiar with the history - the causes and the events - of that war, this book will give you a good picture.

I chanced upon this work by Ron Utt and must say I was engrossed from the first page all the way through. He writes at a lively pace and has a gift for bringing these characters to life. The book is more focused on the naval conflict than the land battles, but it was actually something of an eye opener for me because I had not realized, despite many years of historical reading, that we had such a devastating impact on the British navy as well as its commerce. Clearly, Utt has a fascination with the era of sailing ships and his knowledge shines through. Utt's writing style reminds me of my favorite historian Barbara Tuchman who had a gift for making history an interesting story. I highly commend this book to any student of American history, or maybe anyone with an urge to read up on a chapter of our history that rarely gets much attention.