1812: The Navy's War

By: George C. Daughan

Narrated by: Marc Vietor

Length: 18 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

At the outbreak of the War of 1812, America's prospects looked dismal. It was clear that the primary battlefield would be the open ocean, but America's war fleet, only 20 ships strong, faced a practiced British navy of more than a thousand men-of-war. Still, 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.

In 1812: The Navy's War, prize-winning historian George C. Daughan tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world's greatest imperial power. A stunning contribution to military and national history, 1812: The Navy's War is the first complete account in more than a century of how the U.S. Navy rescued the fledgling nation and secured America's future.

©2011 George C. Daughan (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The War of 1812 was America's first great naval war, and George Daughan tells the story, from the coast of Brazil to the Great Lakes, from election campaigns to grand strategy to ship-to-ship combat. Sweeping, exciting and detailed." (Richard Brookhiser)

"A solidly researched, well-crafted account of U.S. sea power in the War of 1812… Daughan’s achievement is contextualizing the effect of [the U.S. Navy’s] victories…. What kept the peace, Daughan argues provocatively, was America’s post-war commitment to 'a strong navy, an adequate professional army, and the financial reforms necessary to support them' - in other words, an effective deterrent." ( Publishers Weekly)

"Vietor’s timing and pacing are perfectly aligned with the narrative style of the text." ( Audiofile)

Disturbing story, unfounded conclusions.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would recommend all but the last chapter to those interested in the pure history of the War of 1812, as the author's conclusions regarding the performance and leadership of President Madison are ridiculous, given this long tale of the executive incompetence demonstrated by his administration. There are disturbing parallels to our present situation 200 years later.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, it would be too depressing.

An in-depth history of the war of 1812

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It can get a bit long-winded at times.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

He provided some truly interesting stories and anecdotes from first-hand accounts which really spiced up the story and kept my interest.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The reader was serviceable, caused me to get a bit sleepy after a while. Possibly because his reading pace was a bit slow.

Incredible and filled to the teeth with facts

Filled to the teeth with facts on the nabal war of 1812 and how it effected political, military, and overall tactical decisions and outcomes of the war of 1812. Probably the best book out there on the Naval war of 1812. its an awesome read! I bought the book and the audible and both are fantastic! Read & listen to it!!

Very Good but Difficult

Excellent performance, but it is very hard to keep track of all of the names and locations in an audio book form. I still think it is very worth it if you don't have time to sit down with a paper copy.

Well done

Strong all the way around. It was well written and well read. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is interested in learning more about the War of 1812.

Fantastic, if complicated, account of the war

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely, but it is a complicated book with many names and dates with some intense nautical terms, so I would be careful who I recommended it to. It, I think, would be enjoyable to the regular history lover, but would be loved by someone who loves naval history like I do.

What does Marc Vietor bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His tone and ability to do accurate (well, to me at least) accents for each person in the book was enjoyable and added to the listening experience.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found myself very excited when it described the harrowing naval battles and the heroism, and loss they contained.

Any additional comments?

I'm actually thinking about listening to this one again. That's how much I enjoyed it.

Excellent history of the War of 1812.

What didn’t you like about Marc Vietor’s performance?

Needs to review pronounciations. Mackinac Island is prounounced "Mackinaw."

Any additional comments?

Good history of a little studied War.

200 years later

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

If you have the slightest interest in US History or Naval History you will enjoy this book

The Facts, Nothing But the Facts

If you are into all of the details of naval and land battles during the War of 1812, this is your book. Every sailing maneuver during battles between the heroic (but crazy) frigates along with compositions of crews, number killed and wounded, damage reports, sails and riggings carried away... all preparations taken for land battles, compositions of armies (regulars, militiamen, Indians, liberated slaves), fortifications, armaments, tactics, blunders, killed and wounded, intentional torching of towns and cities... Honestly, this really is of interest to me. In addition, there is a very detailed account of the disputes between England and the US, of the political maneuvering between the Federalists and the Republicans, of the attitudes in England exhibited by the Parliament, the ministers and the press... The War of 1812 ended in a kind a stalemate... the status quo from the beginning of the war was put back in place... but it had great significance for relations between the US and England... We got respect and England became our friend.for centuries . For Madison it was a titanic struggle.. many blunders, many bad appointments but to his credit he stuck it out and changed our government for the better...

Details and results of this overlooked war

Excellent revelation of important background. Excellent narration. To further appreciate our Navy and our history read this book.