We had a lovely stay in the old seaport village of Stonington, CT on our recent cruise. In honor of our visit, here is a repost from a few years ago about the Battle of Stonington that was fought two … Continue reading
Tag Archives: War of 1812
Two hundred and four years ago this week, in a three day battle, the militia at Stonington, CT drove off a four ship Royal Navy flotilla during the War of 1812. Here is lightly edited repost about the battle from July … Continue reading
Two hundred and two years ago this week, in a three day battle, the militia at Stonington, CT drove off a four ship Royal Navy flotilla during the War of 1812. Here is lightly edited repost about the battle from July … Continue reading
The wreckage of one of two missing ships from Franklin’s lost expedition of 1845 is believed to have been found. It is not known yet if the wreck is of HMS Terror or HMS Erebus. The Franklin expedition was an attempt … Continue reading
Oliver Hazard Perry‘s message to his superiors was brief: “We have met the enemy and they are ours; two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.” Perry’s victory at the Battle of Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, was one … Continue reading
To commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812, the schooner Lynx, “America’s Privateer,” will be visiting New York harbor from October 25th through October 31st. The 122-foot top-sail schooner will sail into North Cove Marina on the Hudson … Continue reading
One year and one day after the Battle of Lake Erie, an American squadron, under the command of Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough, defeated the Royal Navy on Lake Champlain in a bloody battle at Plattsburgh Bay. The Battle of Plattsburgh turned back an invasion … Continue reading
The best known naval battles of the War of 1812 were single ship duels between US Navy frigates and ships of the Royal Navy. Nevertheless, the two most important American naval victories of the War of 1812 were fought in fresh water, hundreds of miles from the ocean. … Continue reading
Yesterday, I went on a field trip with the New York Shiplore and Model Club to Stonington and Mystic, Connecticut. (Thanks to Lee Gruzen, Norman Brouwer and Linda Zatkowski for making the arrangements.) Our first stop was Stonington, Connecticut, a … Continue reading
We recently posted about an upcoming event at Mystic Seaport Museum honoring the bicentenial of the War of 1812 which features the privateer schooner Lynx. We also posted about an on-line documentary, the Privateer Lynx. While we are focussing on on the … Continue reading
The Naval Heritage Society is attempting to to build a full-scale, fully functional replica of of the USS Hornet, a sloop of war built in 1805, which had a successful career in the War of 1812 and beyond, before being lost in a hurricane in … Continue reading
We are rapidly approaching the bi-centennial of the War of 1812, a largely forgotten conflict which was, in many respects, a continuation of the American War of Independence from Great Britain. The war was characterized by American incompetence and bumbling … Continue reading
Today in 1775 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Thomas Boyle was born. Going to sea at age 10, he would become one of the most successful and most famous privateering captains in the War of 1812. After several successful cruises as captain of the sharp-built “Baltimore clipper” Comet, Boyle … Continue reading
History is full of strange connections. This week an almost 200-year-old copy of “The Star Spangled Banner” is to be sold at auction house at Christie’s auction house in Manhattan. The sheet music is currently valued at between … Continue reading