Louis Arthur NortonCritiques

Interesting little book on a rather obscure figure in American naval history. Barney was a teenager when he appeared as naval hero in the American Revolution. He captained small American ships in the Pennsylvania State navy and as a privateer. His career led him to become a merchant and trader, and eventually to the French navy where he became a director of privateers during their Revolutionary War. He returned home as Napoleon took control of the country, and tried, unsuccessfully, his hand at politics. When war broke out near his Tidewater home in 1813, he led the effort to repel the British invaders of the Chesapeak with small vessels and oared gunboats. Barney took his naval forces on land to oppose the British advance on Washington D.C. in 1814, and was one of the few commands that did not behave ignominiously during the rout from the Bladensburg battle.

Norton does a great job of covering Barney's very full and interesting life. The prose is not inspiring, but the book is a must have for the naval history of the United States and on a War of 1812 bookshelf.½