Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay [Hardcover]

Christopher George (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000

This title traces the abuses of the inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay by Royal Navy raiding parties under arrogant Rear Admiral George Cockburn.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

George's modest monograph is a detailed account of the War of 1812 as it was conducted on the waters of Chesapeake Bay. In contention were the British Royal Navy under Admiral Cockburn and American gunboats and militia. For most of 1813, the British prevailed by using their superior naval power effectively and ruthlessly, to the point of serious atrocity in the burning of Havre du Grace, Maryland. In 1814 the British returned with enough Napoleonic veterans to essay full-scale invasion, which led to the burning of Washington and, eventually, to being repulsed at Baltimore. The campaign was waged by somewhat scratch forces on both sides. Indeed, most of the Americans were amateurs, yet they learned better than the British to fight on their home ground and achieve a useful victory. George's writing is plain, but his judgments are balanced, and his research has been thorough. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: White Mane Publishing Company; First Edition edition (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572490586
• ISBN-13: 978-1572490581
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,099,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Liverpool, England, on January 10, 1948 in the same hospital in which John Lennon of the Beatles was born eight years earlier, Oxford Street Maternity Hospital. I have lived most of my life in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, having first emigrated to the United States in 1955 with my parents. I have long been interested in writing and history, having begun an unpublished history of Liverpool while I was still in school in the city in the 1960's. I have published numerous poems in the last forty years and am now one of the editors of Loch Raven Review, a quarterly on-line journal that publishes quality poetry, fiction, and essays. We also publish an annual volume which is available on Amazon. In the 1990's I developed an interest both in the War of 1812 and Jack the Ripper. I am the author of Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay published by White Mane (2001) and the soon-to-be published A to Z of Jack the Ripper and the Jews: Aarons to Zverieff due out from Loch Raven Press in 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Revisiting the 2nd War of American Independence, October 25, 2005

By 

W. Dudley (Harwood, Maryland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay (Paperback)

Christopher George has written a fine short study of the War of 1812 on Chesapeake Bay. Its main contribution is in the new material he has found concerning some of the British participants, particularly that of General Ross who was killed in the Battle of North Point. George has made good use of personal correspondence as well as official documents and makes the dramatic events of those days come alive. He has also done his best to skewer some of the myths and distortions of fact that have developed over the years, as seen in his five appendices. This book is recommended for all readers who have an interest in the history of the Chesapeake region and for others who need to be reminded of how desperate things were for those citizens left without an effective defense along the shores of the bay for two long years.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining and informative read, July 5, 2002

By 

Bobby Dillard (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay (Hardcover)

The War of 1812 is often overlooked in school and popular culture. That is a shame because the author of this book shows that the story of the war, specifically the combat along the Chesapeake Bay, is just as exciting and engrossing as any other story in America's history. Mr. George describes with vigor the humuliating defeats the US experienced (Bladensburg) and the heady triumphs (Fort McHenry) plus everything in between. Aside from the battles, the reader will also come face to face with little known American heroes such as Joshua Barney (a man whose visage deserves to be on a postage stamp as any in US history) and equally as little known British villains such as Admiral Cockburn.

After reading "Terror on the Chesapeake" one will wonder why the heroes, villains, and battles of the War of 1812 haven't received more attention.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Military Analysis, June 5, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Terror on the Chesapeake: The War of 1812 on the Bay (Hardcover)

Great details on the battles, leaders and units. Well supported with maps and drawings. C. George has not glazed over minor details that military historians want to read about. Recommend you read it with 'Dawn's Early Light" by W. Lord (excellent) and "Burning of Washington" by A. Pitch (OK, touchy-feely). Pitch is good at social and political events and not battle.