Customer Reviews

The Dawn's Early Light (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read "Dawn's Early Light" several times and have found it to be the single most readable and understandable writing on a subject that is suprisingly not well known to most American readers. Lord uses numerous primary sources- diaries, letters, and memoirs of the participants, as well as thorough research and a tightly written narrative to tell the story of the British invasion of 1814. Especially effective are his characterizations of the British and American leadership. Walter Lord has managed to convey effectively the professionalism and cockiness of the British forces and the hopelessly chaotic and desperate American defense. It reads very much like a novel.

This book is the first I have read concerning the War of 1812. In this book the author covers the period from August 1814 with the British marching onto Washington. Walter Lord offers a spendid account of the fighting at Bladensburg, the burning of Washington and the subsequent campaign against the British. The use of first hand account offers a splendid insight into the people, soldiers, sailors and politicians caught up during this period of history. A well researched and finely told account of this dramatic time in America's past. An excellent story!

This is the first book I have read on the War of 1812 and I found it to be an excellent refresher. The book presents the battles and troop movements with striking detail. The author manages to avoid boring the reader with cumbersome details. His mixture of personal accounts & interesting details results in an enjoyable read. For a history book, it is rather exciting. I highly reccommend this book to any history buff.

Most of us are taught to believe that the War of 1812 was an American fiasco. Walter Lord's The Dawn's Early Light is an exceptionally well written work which depicts just how America sent the Brits packing for a second time and along the way earned not only international respect but also forged a sense of true national identity.

This is quite a fine work. Starting with the British burning of Washington, DC, Lord follows through to the defeat of the same army at Baltimore and the subsequent annihilation of the Duke of Wellington's finest troops, those that defeated Napoleon at Waterloo, at the Battle of New Orleans. While the battle sequences are extremely well done, the behind the scene negotiations are covered equally well.

This book delivers what most historians often forget. By defeating Great Britain twice, a very young nation, one whose ideas of self government were so uncertain that some of its own citizens though it would not work, developed a sense of self, one that was to set the tone for the rest of the world to follow.

This is a remarkably well written and structured work, sure to please all but the British!

The book is very informative regarding the War of 1812. It does not cover much of the beginning of the war, but enough to give you a general idea of what happened. What it does do, is read almost like a novel. It tells the story from both the American and the British point of view. It goes into great detail about the battle of Washington and the American mismanagement leading up to the fall of Washington. From there on to the battle of Baltimore, Fort McHenry and the writing of our National Anthem and how these events help solidify the Union. And of course, it ends with the battle of New Orleans. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a a good solid history on the War of 1812.

Until very recently this was THE book to read on The War of 1812, given the publication of several new works on the subject, this may no longer be the case, but for my money, there's no better storyteller than Walter Lord. That said, this is not one of his best works, but it's still a worthwhile read, especially for dedicated fans. His prose is most effective when he's describing the actual battles, his minute-by minute account of the burning of Washington is the highlight of the book. The non-combat portions just seem to drag in comparison.

If you are looking for an informative, comprehensive, and a quick read on the War of 1812. This is the book for you. It does not delve too deeply into any one part of the various battles. I have no problem recommending this book.

Walter Lord does a very good job of explaining how the two major events, the burning of Washington and the saving of Baltimore, not only changed the course of the War of 1812 but also changed the course of American History. Without any military leadership, without any money, without much of an army, and without even the support of half the states, the United States somehow pulled victory out of the jaws of defeat. And you can' help but feel a lot of it was just plain bad luck - for the British. They had the skills, the experience, the leadership, and the spirit. How did they go from being the victors to being the defeated in just a year? How did Ross, Cockburn, and Cochrane go from being the greatest military trio on the face of the Earth to getting pushed back right at their moment of triumph?
Mr. Lord knows his history, he knows people, and he knows how to write. He is able to zoom in and out, going from the general picture to the individuals on the street with perfect timing, never losing the flow of the story while never losing our interest. I was hooked even before I finished the Forward. And the author knows how to balance the horror and gore of war with a touch of humor and human drama.
And I was able to visit Fort Mc Henry today, the day after finishing the book. How touching! How emotional! How wonderful! I would also suggest The War of 1812 (The Chicago History of American Civilization) if you wish to get the big picture.

This book is a venerable classic. Walter Lord was the premier writer of popular history in the mid 20th century, much as David McCullough is in the second half of the century. This book describes the 1814 capture and burning of Washington DC by the British and the subsequent successful defense of Baltimore and New Orleans. As with all of Lord's books (and those of McCullough) great scholarship and original research is presented with the skill of a great novelist. The result is an exciting but true story. An otherwise dry history is given great life and vitality. The characters come alive and the reader gets to appreciate the history in a most entertaining manner.

The title led me to believe that the book was primarily about the writing of the Star Spangled Banner. While the author Francis Scott Key is a minor character and the writing of the American national anthem is discussed, it comprises only a minor sub-plot in a much larger and complex story.

If I have one complaint it is that not enough space has been allocated to the causes of the war and the events of 1812 and 1813. Some of these are mentioned in a three-page forward. In my opinion, the history would have been greatly enriched by a little more background. Of particular importance was the burning of the city of York (modern day Toronto) by American forces in April 1813. Most histories of the war of 1812 cite this as a reason why the British burned Washington 16 months later. Lord never even mentions the burning of York, leaving the question as to the extent to which this influenced subsequent actions not even raised. This was very puzzling to me. Was Lord implying that the British forces did not know of this (which seems to be virtually impossible) or did it not influence their actions (also very hard to believe). Even a brief sentence would have clarified this for me. While I deem this a significant deficiency, it was not enough of one for me to reduce my five star recommendation.

Walter Lord's explanation of the War of 1812 opens our eyes to the weakness and cowardice of our villages and towns in the path of the British onslaught. His stark contrast of the courage of the garrison at Baltimore reveals the true theme behind our National Anthem. It is not a war song, but a song of hope against hope and the super human courage of that small band of Americans against impossible odds.

Walter Lord puts the reader in the soul of Francis Scott Key where we too wonder if the flag will still be there in the morning. All through the night he watches when the bombs flash to determine if the flag is still there. In the morning it is too foggy to see the flag. Then, as the fog lifts . . . I can't sing the National Anthem anymore without thinking of those men and of those who have served since. Powerful powerful book.