George C. Daughan Lecture

George C. Daughan: War of 1812 – The Navy’s War

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America’s prospects looked dismal. It was clear that an important battlefield would be the open ocean. Yet, America’s war fleet – only twenty ships strong – faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Through a combination of nautical deftness and sheer bravado, the American navy managed to take the fight to the British and turn the tide of the war: on the Great Lakes, in the Atlantic, and even in the eastern Pacific.

Join us Monday, February 27^th, as prizewinning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds against the world’s greatest imperial power.

Daughan, who received his Ph.D. in American History and Government from Harvard University, will speak on his new book, 1812: The Navy’s War, a rousing follow-up to his earlier If By Sea: The Forging of the American Navy--from the Revolution to the War of 1812. In his new book, Daughan makes the compelling case that the Navy’s performance in the war forced Europe to take the U.S. more seriously, initiated a fundamental change in the British-American relationship, and subsequently allowed the country to maintain a robust Navy, even during peacetime.

Be prepared to arrive early as uniformed members of the Tidewater Maritime Living History Association will be displaying and interpreting food, navigation, and weapons from the naval War of 1812.

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