Naval War of 1812 on the lakes: Terrific video and book recommendations

[Broadsword56]

Came across these recently and I highly recommend them:

In the wake of the eighteen-twelvers; fights & flights of frigates & fore-'n'-afters in the war of 1812-1815 on the Great Lakes (1913)
https://archive.org/details/wakeighteentwel00snidrich

This book was written in 1913, which is now 102 years ago...it blows my mind to realize that puts the book closer to the events of 1813 than to our own time! Take the historical accuracy with a *large* grain of sea salt, and savor this book for its over-the-top, wildly romantic style. No one writes this way anymore. But there's something about it that made me feel like a thrilled child, sitting next to a crackling fire while an old man tells tales of the long-ago days when great men o' war prowled the lakes.

For a visual treat, watch this video documentary by the American Society of Marine Artists:
PART THREE: WAR ON THE LAKES
http://youtu.be/aUlpSSJBGOI

A great overview of the lakes campaigns and major events, but what makes it special is that it's illustrated entirely by maritime paintings. They make it particularly atmospheric, and you get a close look at some of the less-seen and less-known ships of the war. Modelers and miniatures players will find it enlightening and inspiring.

[Nightmoss]

Thanks for the links. The maritime paintings really are superb!

[7eat51]

Thank you for the links, Gina. We need more on 1812. Can't wait to have appropriate fleets to do battle.

[Popsical]

Fantastic documentary. Im always impressed by the US docu's that i watch regarding your history. Very impartial and respecting of the opposition.
In this one the end is very good too, alluding to the treaty of Ghent, where the British public and governments tiredness of war helped create the peace and borders of latter US and Canada. Thanks for this, it was great.

[John Paul]

I mentioned this before, so I'll mention it again you can watch the entire War of 1812 Documentary on the web site of the Society of American Marine Artists!

It's the best thing about their web site anyways!