How Britain won the War of 1812
Subtitle: the Royal Navy's blockades of the United States, 1812-1815
By: Brian Arthur
Publisher: Boydell Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Woodbridge; Rochester, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 328
ISBN-13: 9781843836650
Subjects: Great Britain; British Naval operations; Great Britain. Royal Navy; History; Blockades
Description: "The War of 1812 between Britain and the United States was fought on many fronts: single ship actions in the Atlantic; a US invasion of Canada, which the Canadians heroically resisted; the burning of the new US capital, Washington, by the British, the President's house subsequently painted white to hide the fire damage; and an unsuccessful attack by the British on New Orleans. The war is usually seen as a draw. However, as this book demonstrates, it was in fact a British victory. The United States achieved none of its war aims, and the peace, concluded in December 1814, met Britain's long-term maritime needs. This book reassesses the war, showing how the British achieved success through an effective commercial maritime blockade which had devastating consequences on the vulnerable, undeveloped US economy. Neutral vessels were included-- one of the causes of the war had been the United States' objection to British interference with US ships in Britain's war with Napoleonic France-- and Britain's refusal to concede this point enabled the strategy of commercial maritime blockades to be reused by Britain to good effect in subsequent wars, including those of 1914-18 and 1939-45"--Page 4 of cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 305-318) and index.
Table of contents: title: Convoys and blockades: the evolution of maritime economic warfare; title: War at a distance: constraints and solutions; title: From business partners to enemies: Britain and the United States before 1812; title: The United States blockaded: Admiral Warren's 'united command,' August 1812-April 1814; title: Blockades and blunders: Vice-Admiral Cochrane's command, April 1814-February 1815; title: Trade and war: the effects of Warren's blockades, August 1812-April 1814; title: Capital and credit: the impact of the final phase; title: Results and conclusions.