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The first complete biography of Matthew Calbraith Perry to appear
in well over thirty years, this balanced assessment of the
commodore's long and varied military career deals with both his
strengths and weaknesses. Best remembered for leading a naval and
diplomatic expedition to Japan in 1853 and 1854, Perry succeeded
where others before him had failed and ended Japan's isolation from
the West by signing a treaty that established formal diplomatic
relations between the United States and Japan. Today Perry remains
a respected figure in Japan as well as the United States, and the
upcoming sesquicentennial of his expedition makes the publication
of this book especially timely. The noted naval historian John
Schroeder draws on recent scholarship as well as archival sources
to examine every phase of Perry's career, from his service under
Commodore John Rodgers in the War of 1812 to command of the Africa
Squadron, the Gulf Squadron in the Mexican War, and the East India
Squadron. He describes Perry's efforts to modernize and improve the
efficiency of the Navy, distinguishing himself not only as a sailor
and diplomat but as a naval reformer who advocated technological
innovations and better education and training for officers and
sailors alike. The author establishes how Perry's views on American
expansion in the Pacific foreshadowed the era in which the U.S.
Navy would be instrumental in forging an overseas colonial empire.
Written for general readers with an interest in nineteenth-century
American history, this interpretive biography will also appeal to
those with a specialized interest in U.S. naval history.
On September 11, 1814, an American naval squadron under Master
Commandant Thomas Macdonough defeated a formidable British force on
Lake Champlain under the command of Captain George Downie,
effectively ending the British invasion of the Champlain Valley
during the War of 1812. This decisive battle had far-reaching
repercussions in Canada, the United States, England, and Ghent,
Belgium, where peace talks were under way. Examining the naval and
land campaign in strategic, political, and military terms, from
planning to execution to outcome, The Battle of Lake Champlain
offers the most thorough account written of this pivotal moment in
American history. For decades the Champlain corridor-a direct and
accessible invasion route between Lower Canada and the northern
United States-had been hotly contested in wars for control of the
region. In exploring the crucial issue of why it took two years for
the United States and Britain to confront each other on Lake
Champlain, historian John H. Schroeder recounts the war's early
years, the failed U.S. invasions of Canada in 1812 and 1813, and
the ensuing naval race for control of the lake in 1814. To explain
how the Americans achieved their unexpected victory, Schroeder
weighs the effects on both sides of preparations and planning,
personal valor and cowardice, command decisions both brilliant and
ill-conceived, and sheer luck both good and bad. Previous histories
have claimed that the War of 1812 ended with Andrew Jackson's
victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Schroeder demonstrates that
the United States really won the war four months before-at
Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain. Through a comprehensive analysis of
politics and diplomacy, Schroeder shows that the victory at Lake
Champlain prompted the British to moderate their demands at Ghent,
bringing the war directly and swiftly to an end before Jackson's
spectacular victory in January 1815.
On September 11, 1814, an American naval squadron under Master
Commandant Thomas Macdonough defeated a formidable British force on
Lake Champlain under the command of Captain George Downie,
effectively ending the British invasion of the Champlain Valley
during the War of 1812. This decisive battle had far-reaching
repercussions in Canada, the United States, England, and Ghent,
Belgium, where peace talks were under way. Examining the naval and
land campaign in strategic, political, and military terms, from
planning to execution to outcome, The Battle of Lake Champlain
offers the most thorough account written of this pivotal moment in
American history. For decades the Champlain corridor - a direct and
accessible invasion route between Lower Canada and the northern
United States - had been hotly contested in wars for control of the
region. In exploring the crucial issue of why it took two years for
the United States and Britain to confront each other on Lake
Champlain, historian John H. Schroeder recounts the war's early
years, the failed U.S. invasions of Canada in 1812 and 1813, and
the ensuing naval race for control of the lake in 1814. To explain
how the Americans achieved their unexpected victory, Schroeder
weighs the effects on both sides of preparations and planning,
personal valor and cowardice, command decisions both brilliant and
ill-conceived, and sheer luck both good and bad. Previous histories
have claimed that the War of 1812 ended with Andrew Jackson's
victory at the Battle of New Orleans. Schroeder demonstrates that
the United States really won the war four months before - at
Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain. Through a comprehensive analysis of
politics and diplomacy, Schroeder shows that the victory at Lake
Champlain prompted the British to moderate their demands at Ghent,
bringing the war directly and swiftly to an end before Jackson's
spectacular victory in January 1815.
John H. Schroeder chronicles the expansion of the American Navy's
peacetime role in developing the nation's overseas commercial
empire during the thirty years before the Civil War. He
demonstrates how the rapid acceleration of American commercial
activity around the world increased pressure on the Navy to meet
new economic and political demands. He analyzes how the Navy's
haphazard development in the antebellum years paralleled and
interacted with commercial activity, and how the end result
impacted dramatically on the economic development of the United
States.
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