Battle for the Bay

By (author): Joshua M. Smith

As the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 approaches, a new chapter in the history of the war is being opened for the first time. Although naval battles raged on the Great Lakes, combat between privateers and small government vessels boiled in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine. Three small warships — the Provincial sloop Brunswicker, His Majesty’s schooner Bream, and His Majesty’s brig of war Boxer — played a vital role in defending the eastern waters of British North America in this crucial war.

The crews of these hardy ships fought both the Americans and the elements — winter winds, summer fog, and the fierce tidal currents of the Bay of Fundy — enduring the all-too-real threats of shipwreck and possible capture and imprisonment. In peacetime, these patrol craft enforced maritime law. In wartime, they engaged in a guerre de course, attacking the enemy’s commercial shipping while protecting their own. Now, for the first time, Joshua Smith tells the full story of the battle for the bay.

Battle for the Bay is volume 17 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

AUTHOR

Joshua M. Smith

Joshua M. Smith grew up in the United States on Cape Cod and coastal Maine. He now teaches at the US Merchant Marine Academy, where is he also director of the American Merchant Marine Museum. He is the author of Borderland Smuggling: Patriots, Loyalists, and Illicit Trade in the Northeast, 1783-1820.

Reviews

Two hundred years ago, the winds of war swept the United States and British North America, fanning the conflict raging on land and at sea. Naval combat churned the waters of the Great Lakes while privateers and government vessels engaged in a guerre de course in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine.

In Battle for the Bay, Joshua M. Smith tells the complete story of the warships that defended the eastern waters of British North America. Fighting the Americans and the elements, and risking shipwreck, capture, and imprisonment, the crews of the Provincial sloop Brunswicker, His Majesty’s schooner Bream, and His Majesty’s brig of war Boxer fought for King and country — and a little profit. Although seldom operating in squadrons, these naval vessels escorted British ships between ports, patrolled the Bay for hostile forces, and raided the enemy coast, playing a vital role in this crucial war.

Battle for the Bay: The Naval War of 1812 is Volume 17 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.


“Joshua M. Smith’s Battle for the Bay is a perfect addition to Maine bookshelves.”
Portland Press Herald

“Smith’s account is well researched, immensely readable, and another excellent addition to the growing New Brunswick Military Heritage series. Combined with clear maps and well-chosen artwork, this book provides the perfect starting point to a war enthusiast’s driving expedition down the eastern seaboard.”
Canada’s History

“Battle for the Bay fills an important gap in our knowledge of the War of 1812 in the Maritimes.”
Chronicle Herald

&#34It’s a wonderfully fun short book about a side of the War of 1812 that is otherwise seldom seen.”
Waterloo Region Record

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As the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 approaches, a new chapter in the history of the war is being opened for the first time. Although naval battles raged on the Great Lakes, combat between privateers and small government vessels boiled in the Bay of Fundy and the Gulf of Maine. Three small warships — the Provincial sloop Brunswicker, His Majesty’s schooner Bream, and His Majesty’s brig of war Boxer — played a vital role in defending the eastern waters of British North America in this crucial war.

The crews of these hardy ships fought both the Americans and the elements — winter winds, summer fog, and the fierce tidal currents of the Bay of Fundy — enduring the all-too-real threats of shipwreck and possible capture and imprisonment. In peacetime, these patrol craft enforced maritime law. In wartime, they engaged in a guerre de course, attacking the enemy’s commercial shipping while protecting their own. Now, for the first time, Joshua Smith tells the full story of the battle for the bay.

Battle for the Bay is volume 17 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

Reader Reviews

Details

Dimensions:

128 Pages
7.75in * 5.5in * 0.359in
163gr

Published:

April 22, 2011

Publisher:

Goose Lane Editions

ISBN:

9780864926449

9780864927590 – EPUB

Book Subjects:

HISTORY / Military / Naval

Featured In:

All Books

Language:

eng

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