Home >
Nice reports on the War of 1812...
Nice reports on the War of 1812...
Item # 709888
November 28, 1812
BOSTON PATRIOT, Nov. 28, 1812
* Commodore Isaac Chauncey
Page 2 has: "Copy of a; Letter from Com. Chauncey to the Sec'y of the Navy" datelined from Sacket's Harbor in which he notes his military exploits and ends with: "...The officers & men under my command are all extremely anxious to meet the enemy. We cannot command success, but we will endeavor to deserve it."
Most of a column is taken up with reports from: "The Northern Army" with a nice variety of military reports from the War of 1812. And page 3 has: "War Intelligence On the Ocean" which includes: "American Prizes" as well as a report: "The American Wasp and the British Frolic".
Four pages, nice condition.
background: The strategic landscape of the War of 1812 on the Great Lakes was defined by a frantic naval arms race centered at Sackets Harbor, where Commodore Isaac Chauncey worked tirelessly to build a fleet capable of challenging British dominance on Lake Ontario. When Chauncey penned those words in November 1812, he was fresh off the Attack on Kingston, an aggressive maneuver where his flagship, the Oneida, led a small squadron to corner the British vessel Royal George under the batteries of the enemy's main naval base. Despite the heavy fire, Chauncey’s tactical boldness signaled to the Secretary of the Navy—and the American public reading the Boston Patriot—that the U.S. Navy was no longer content with a defensive posture. His use of the "endeavor to deserve [success]" quote reflected a commander who was deeply aware that his green crews and hastily built ships were the only line of defense against a British invasion from Canada. By framing his mission through the lens of Roman-style stoicism, he managed to turn a tactical stalemate into a narrative of honorable perseverance, solidifying Sackets Harbor as the "cradle" of American naval power in the northern theater.
Category: War of 1812
Available Now
$33.00
