“Connecticut and the War of 1812”
“Yankey Torpedo” Adventures
When Congress approved the declaration of war against Great Britain in June 1812, it was committing a very small standing army and navy to fight against the world’s largest navy and a professional army of long experience. Even with the...
The Hartford Convention as the
Embodiment of Federalist New England
The notorious Hartford Convention, held in the latter days of the War of 1812, defines New England Federalism. This is true on two principal levels. First, the Convention represented a last-ditch effort on the part of the region to reclaim its...
The Battle of Goshen Point
A Victory for “Jefferson’s Gunboats” The US Navy was launched with a few large warships to represent the nation and its interests on the high seas. But when the navy engaged in its first distant-water war, against Tripoli, small gunboats...
Mrs. Stewart’s Situation
And as you engaged that Mrs. Stewart the wife of the British vice consul late resident at New London, with her family, shall be permitted to embark on board this Ship tomorrow morning, I am induced to wave the attempt of the total destruction...
Dueling Frigates
With a fleet of just six frigates (including three 44-gun “super-frigates”), five smaller sloops of war, two brigs, and a collection of small coastal gunboats, the US Navy could not face off against the British Royal Navy, which had more...
The Blue Lights
After five months in the Thames River, Captains Stephen Decatur, Jacob Jones, and James Biddle brought their ships partway downriver at the end of October 1813, aiming to make a run to sea. But the United States grounded and damaged her rudder,...
The Burning of the Fleet
The British Raid on Essex, April 7-8, 1814. On April 8, 1814, the United States suffered its greatest single maritime loss of the war. According to the official British report to the Admiralty, 27 American vessels, including several privateers,...
British Barges and Yankee Tricks
While the British 74-gun ships of the line normally took station between New London and Montauk Point, the frigates and sloops of war cruised the coast, making regular patrols all the way up Long Island Sound. But the most effective British...
Legacies
In Connecticut there remain heroes, heroines, sites, and poetry that represent the War of 1812. Fairfield County’s 1814 Powder House, the only such structure from the war in the state, enjoyed an award-winning restoration only a few years...
The People
The people of Connecticut generally did not support the War of 1812 politically, but Connecticut natives and residents were actively involved in many aspects of the conflict. These brief biographical sketches include citizens, political figures, military figures, privateers
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payday loans, US Navy figures, and a few of the British Royal Navy officers who blockaded the Connecticut coast during the war.
The Ships
From the 74-gun HMS Ramillies and 56-gun USS United States to the private armed rowboat True Blooded Yankee, and even submarines, a large number and wide variety of British and American vessels were active in local waters during the War of 1812. These two lists include vessel names, dates of construction and dimensions when known, captain’s name, and approximate dates of service in local waters.
The Flag
Connecticut’s most iconic artifact of the War of 1812 is the flag that few over the defenses during the four-day Battle of Stonington in August 1814. Unlike the Fort McHenry garrison flag raised after the battle, this banner survived nine direct hits and three nights of “the rockets’ red glare and bombs bursting in air.” The Stonington Historical Society preserves this priceless flag.
Navigate our interactive timeline chronicling Connecticut and the War of 1812. Learn More
