On August 10, 1813, with the British Navy advancing up the Chesapeake Bay to destroy the shipyards in St. Michaels, Maryland, young Henry Middle thinks of a way to save his home town from British cannons.

Study of the Naval War of 1812, its relation to the military policy of both the U. S. and Great Britain, and its strategy and tactics.

"Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders-particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams-debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships. From the decision to build six heavy frigates,...