The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812In the summer of 1814 a squadron of Royal Navy ships attacked the tiny Connecticut seaport of Stonington, and declared its intention of destroying the town. Over the next four days the British barraged the nearly defenseless civilian population with some fifty tons of explosives, before mysteriously upping anchor and sailing away, leaving Stonington largely intact. Though a mere footnote in America's early naval history, the Battle of Stonington has remained a source of curiosity for two hundred years. Why did the British single out Stonington and then fail so miserably at their goal? To solve the mystery of this curious battle, and explain Britain's failure to level the town, the author takes the reader back some forty years to the Revolution to unfold a surprisingly complex set of circumstances involving people on both sides of the Atlantic and across America. Drawing on contemporary news accounts, secret Royal Navy correspondence, and other primary sources, he investigates events leading up to the puzzling attack and then recounts the exciting details of the battle itself. It is a memorable, masterly told story of brave and honorable people, divided loyalties, and new ideas fighting traditional, old-world values. As the book develops, James Tertius de Kay introduces a fascinating cast of characters that ranks with the best of fiction: Thomas Hardy, the hero of Trafalgar who led the British attack; Jeremiah Holmes, an American merchant captain who led the defense of Stonington; Stephen Decatur and Robert Fulton, two well-known American patriots; and a number of enterprising smugglers and spies. At the same time de Kay pays tribute to the significant roles played by new naval weapons--American submarine vessels and torpedoes, British rockets and bombs--that revolutionized the art of war. The Battle of Stonington brings all these elements into brilliant focus to provide a lively narrative history not just of the events at Stonington but of the entire period. It is a compelling, often humorous story. |
Other editions - View all
The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812 James T. De Kay No preview available - 1997 |
The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812 James Tertius De No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
action Admiral American anchor attack on Stonington August barges Battle of Stonington Bermuda blockade boat bomb ship bombardment brig Britain British broadside cannon Captain Hardy captured Chesapeake civilians coast Cochrane Cockburn command commodore Congreve rockets Connecticut crew destroy destruction Dispatch Eagle Eastport enemy England eventually explosion fighting fire Fishers Island flag fleet forces frigate Fulton Gardiner’s Island gunpowder guns harbor Hardy’s Hero Holmes’s Hornet’s Nest Hotham James Stewart Jeremiah Holmes Joshua Penny knew land later letter Lieutenant London Long Island Sound Macedonian Majesty’s Ship midshipman miles military militia Moose Island move Mystic River naval Nelson newspaper Niles o’clock officers Pactolus Palmer prize quickly raid Ramillies Robert Fulton rockets Royal Navy sail sailors ship-of-the-line ship’s ships-of-the-line shore side sloop squadron Stephen Decatur Stewart submarine target Terror Thames Thomas Masterman Hardy torpedo town troops United vessels victory village warfare Washington Yankee York