In 1807, tensions were high between Great Britain and the US. One of the causes was impressment. Impressment was the kidnapping of sailors on American ships to force them into the Royal Navy. Some of the impressed seamen were deserters, but others were not. The issue came to bloodshed Read more
On December 8, 1814, a British fleet reached Ship Island 60 miles east of New Orleans. British rowboats armed with small carronades and carrying British soldiers ran off a motley American flotilla. The British crossed bayous to put an army on the east bank of the Mississippi River, south of Read more
In the War of 1812, whoever controlled Lake Erie, controlled the Northwest Territory. The British had taken Detroit and it may not have stopped there. The British had a fleet on the lake and the United States had to match it. The 28-year-old Oliver Perry was given command on the Read more
Jean Lafitte was born around 1780. Little is known of his childhood. When he was in his twenties, he began a life of crime, specifically piracy. He established a warehouse in New Orleans where he would sell goods taken by his older brother Pierre. Pierre was a pirate in Read more
When Francis Scott Key learned that a friend was being held by the British, he decided to try to arrange his release. Dr. William Beanes had been abducted from his home in Baltimore and was being held on a British warship. Key Read more
In August, 1812, the HMS Guerriere cruised along the east coast capturing American merchant ships and hoping to battle any American warships. Captain James Dacres issued a challenge to “any American frigate who dares to do battle.” Capt. Isaac Hull accepted the challenge in the USS Constitution. The American Read more
Jacob Brown was born on May 9, 1775. Raised a Quaker, he would later overlook their pacifist beliefs. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1790. After teaching for a few years, he settled in upstate New York and became prosperous and a leading member of his community. Read more
I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on an event that was mentioned a lot yesterday as the news covered the storming of the Capitol. It was correctly pointed out that this was not the first time that people of ill-intent had broken into the building. That Read more