Knights of the Sea: The True Story of the Boxer and the Enterprise and the War of 1812

by David Hanna

On a September day in 1813, as citizens watched from the rocky shore of Pemaquid, Maine, two of the last and bravest military sailing commanders engaged in a battle that would change the course of the War of 1812...

Samuel Blyth was the youthful commander of His Britannic Majesty’s brig Boxer , and William Burrows, younger still, commanded the USS  Enterprise . Both men valued honor above all, and on this day their commitment would be put to the ultimate test.

Though it lasted less than an hour, the battle between the Boxer and the Enterprise was a brutal contest whose outcome was uncertain. When the cannon smoke cleared, good men had been lost, and the U.S. Navy's role in the war had changed.

In Knights of the Sea , David Hanna brings to life a lost era, paying tribute to the young commanders who considered it the highest honor to harness the wind to meet their foes, and would be immortalized by the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The only major naval battle of the War of 1812, the battle between the Boxer and the Enterprise came to represent not only a military turning point, but a maritime era that would soon be gone forever.

INCLUDES PHOTOS AND MAPS

Genres: History, Military Fiction, American History, Nonfiction, War, Nautical, Naval History

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I am an author based in New York and Morris County, New Jersey. I grew up in the Pemaquid region of Maine.

Reviews

[Abigail Hartman · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I had managed to read this book in September rather than October/November, it would have been much more appropriate, being the 200th anniversary of the engagement between the HMS Boxer and USS Enterprise. But unfortunately I missed it by that much.

I was excited to launch into this book for a number of reasons, not least of all because it features the "lucky little Enterprise." I admit to getting a bit of a thrill as Hanna gave a brief overview of her history leading up to the morning of her fight with the Boxer during the War of 1812. And whenever Stephen Decatur was mentioned. But that's another story.

Ultimately, Knights of the Sea didn't fulfill all my expectations. Since the focus was the two ships and their respective commanders, Hanna's treatment of the War of 1812 and other notable engagements was necessarily broadbrush - which would have been fine, except that the dearth of information on the two central characters made it hard to connect with them, either. Again, most of that is probably not Hanna's fault, but I still would have liked more detail in the fight itself. The part I found most interesting and unique was the wrap-up chapter, "The Brotherhood," where Hanna compares naval officers during the Age of Sail to the elite class of knights during the heyday of chivalry.

The writing, while not spectacular, was pretty competent. It's written for anyone with an interest in history, and Hanna uses primarily laymen's terms - and when he doesn't, he defines the word in the footnotes. That said, while it serves as a good introduction to anyone who isn't a Patrick O'Brian or C.S. Forester fan, it can get irksome if you already know what a broadside is. A glossary would probably have been better, but ho hum, it isn't the end of the world.

[Steven Comfort · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most Americans, I knew little about the War of 1812. It was in the news after the January 6 riots because the last time there had been an attack on the capital was when the British sacked Washington during the War of 1812 (which lasted until 1815).

Full of facts and historical references Hanna does a great job of plopping the reader into the America of 225 years ago, but his prose is oddly dated - as if written 100+ years ago - which was unsettling to me. The sea battle at the center of the story is a convenient hub in a wheel whose spokes hold a larger story (life in America and Great Britain 225 years ago) together nicely. The spokes include: Impressment, the end of the sail-powered era of naval warfare, the chivalry of sea captains, American expansionism, New England’s special relationship with England (relative to the other states), the naval battles on the Great Lakes), privateering, global sea trade, naval “prizes”, John Adam’s, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Andrew Jackson, The Battle of New Orleans, and many more.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable book, although amateurish in its execution.

I enjoy books about the age of sail, both fiction and nonfiction, but this book has a few too many moving parts that never fully came together.

First, it is a character study of the two ship captains. In this regard, it is somewhat like a microhistory, using their lives as a window into the period in which they lived. But compared to other microhistories, it is rather superficial.

Second, it is a history of the War of 1812, but again, it is rather superficial. Historians, like myself, will find it kind of annoying because he jumps around in time and place without providing a lot of detail for any events. That will equally annoy amateurs, because they may easily get lost in the narrative. There are several other purely historical works about the war of 1812 that are worth reading.

Third, it is a history of the ships and the battle in which they fought. As other reviewers have pointed out, Hanna often cites Patrick O'Brian, author of many excellent works of fiction, when describing conditions aboard ships of this era. O'Brian is a respectable author, who did a lot of research in his writing, but it is still rather unprofessional to cite works of fiction so frequently when writing nonfiction. Additionally, Hanna's actual coverage of the battle is extremely brief, as is his coverage of its impact and how it was viewed on both sides of the ocean. I think he really missed out here.

Finally, he tries to interweave a theory that the captains in this battle behaved like medieval knights, but that thesis is, again, amateurish and superficial.

Overall, the parts never really fully mesh together. This is not fully a book about the War of 1812, the captains or the ships.

On the positive side, though, his style of writing is easily approachable and he does include enough research for it to be at least somewhat respected by the historical community, but it certainly doesn't break any new historical ground.

I would recommend this book to people who have an interest in the War of 1812 or naval history, but it is helpful to have a bit of background in both to fully understand what is going on. 1812: The War That Forged a Nation is a much more approachable work on the war itself.

[B.J. Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only one short chapter about the actual engagement between BOXER and ENTERPRISE, but then again the engagement was less than an hour long. Some good background on the navies of the era, and definitely some good background material on the two commanding officers involved. Also good stuff on the American politics especially involved in the War of 1812. So maybe not a great hit if you're looking for serious naval history, but there's some value in this book about context and the impact on early American culture.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

my old AP euro teacher wrote this and it was honestly such a good read and it's been over a decade now so i owe him nothing by leaving this good review but he was a great teacher and this was honestly highly entertaining - and i say this as someone who HATES the naval battles in Napoleon: Total War (videogame). Hard to write battles in a compelling way - especially naval battles but he does it well. nice guy. mr. hanna if you're reading this thanks for being a great teacher and you're welcome for getting a 5 on the test and making you look good i guess!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable book with a lot of interesting informaiton. The juxtaposed biogrpahies of two men fighting on opposite sides of a war is a great way to get a sense of the big picture and the era. The author includes a lot of facts that I hadn't heard before. The best part of the book is the authors description of the causes of the war of 1812; it is the clearest description I've ever read.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for someone not familiar with the subject. A quick read but lightweight for even moderate students of the subject. The sources for the quotes are limited and Patrick O’Brien receives far to many references for even a good fiction writer.

I read this in a day and did not regret it but it won’t be a book that stays.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story. Starts off well with bios of the two captains that were involved in the battle, but drags in the middle. Picks up momentum again near the end of the story.

[Lnsimon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The background of naval combat, the war and generals is detailed and well-documented. The only low point is the monotonous comparison to current wars.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick story about a forgotten battle and a forgotten war. Learned that Americans have been protesting war since the very beginning. I would like to visit the gravesite of the two captains someday.

[Bjoern · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if it might be that i had too high expectations from the book, but after having completed the reading it has left me somewhat unsatisfied.

What the books DOES is show a nice, clean, short formulated overview of both the historical context of the fight between the BOXER and the ENTERPRISE near Bristol, Maine, touching on the basics of naval fighting during the times and the politics around the war of 1812.

What the book DOES NOT is delve into the real historic dimension. Everything it touches it only well.. brushes along. Often the quotes given to exemplify naval realities like the life on ships or the life expectancy of naval officers are taken from works of fiction, which - while i definitely do not dislike the works of CS Forester and Patrick o'Brien (you just need to take a glimpse on my own book lists to know that) - strikes me as a bit unprofessional in a work of science, as approachable to the casual reader it might be meant to be. Shouldn't there be similar quotes from the letters of the great naval heroes of the time that suffice to illustrate his point but do stem from first hand experience instead of third hand reports like the fiction of those two excellent authors?
A point that struck me as especially disappointing was that at the end of the book i still have only vague ideas about the physical outlay of both combattants and that the description of the fight itself is really glossing along (using early on the excuse that other works have dedicated themselves far better to the in detail description of the fight itself than this book could hope to achieve, the author seems to have given up on providing any detail) the specifics of the battle, concentrating much on the two captains instead of for example giving the battle order (which officer was commanding the batteries/guns on each side and who were the wounded. As a direct example he mentions the spectacular and impressive image that you could not stand with stretched out arms between two of the shot holes in the rump of the BOXER but does not accompany it with a hard factual number of hits on/under the waterline)
So what we end up is lots of conjecture, an awful theory equaling Napoleon with Adolf Hitler, the knowledge that two commanding officers ended up buried besides each other after they got killed during the same fighting action and lots of hints towards the unfavorable comport of Mr Harper the sailing master of ENTERPRISE during the fight, although he got acquitted in his trial, but little tangible fact about a certainly fascinating naval action in a far too unknown war that right now lives through its 200th anniversary.

And one other thing i've taken away from this book is that i surely will want to find out more about Commodore Preble and the group of young, daring officers he supported in their carreers and which resulted in more Captains like William Burrow of ENTERPRISE.

[Betsy Connor Bowen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of a series of book reviews I will post that have been written by my husband, Robert Stephenson.

The War of 1812 is lightly studied in America but in fact it was a war with
Britain that possessed great risk to our survival and little potential gain.
In 1812, the political score looked like this:
England was fighting France (Napoleon) as it periodically had since the 1570's.
France was trying to dominate Europe and possibly invade England.
The US border with Canada had not been settled in 1783 and some wanted to annex
Canada
England wanted to possess Norther Maine, the Great Lakes and the Upper Ohio Valley -- a safe haven for their Indian allies
England was blockading French ports to prevent US exports of grain to France -- this negatively impacting agriculture and the merchant shipping industry
England, in the process of expanding her Fleet, needed skilled sailors, so she began impressing sailors on land and sea, including Americans. This was an explosive issue -- leaving merchant ships at sea without crews and offending American "honor."

England had the largest, best Navy in the World. The US had 15 serviceable ships and virtually no permanent army.
Into this dynamic, dangerous political environment the Congress decided to declare war on England.
This book discusses all these dynamic variables, their background, the intensity of the internal debate about the war, the war itself and its results -- not much.
the fascinating part of the book is the history of the two men who would lead the ships in a classic sea battle off Pemaquid Point, Maine in September 1813 - the HMS Boxer and the USS Enterprise. We learn about their lives in Portsmouth,
England and Philadelphia, respectively, and what Navy life was like in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and the traditions and codes of behavior that directed their lives.


This is a war that could have destroyed America. In the end, the outstanding effort of a few Navy officers, and the economic interests of both countries, convinced the politicians that this war was pointless.

This is and interesting exciting and sobering story. I highly recommend it. RSS 4.5.13

[Richard Radgoski]

I really like the age of Sail. I also have an affinity for the birth of our navy during that time. I'm also a fan of the British Navy of the era, especially of the events that led to Trafalgar. Add in the romance of calling these ships & captains 'Knights of the Sea' and I was intrigued.

I admit to not knowing much about the war of 1812 before reading the book, but I feel the author did a very good job of painting the setting of the war and the politics surrounding it very well. He did a great job, as well, portraying the Captains who would ultimately fall in the relatively short confrontation between Enterprise (a favorite name for ships if there ever was one) and the Boxer.

In the end, I felt the book did an excellent job and I feel I know more of what made the war so important to America now. The author does a very good job in one of the later chapters drawing corallaries to more modern events as well, that I found intriging.

Stay tuned at the end of the book for Appendix 1 and 2. These are transcripts from Court Martials from both sides (of specific people or crew). They are facinating.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting but somewhat deceiving book. In reading the overview, I expected coverage of the naval engagement between the HMS Box and USS Enterprise. However the tale was far broader in scope using the engagement as a narrow thread to collectively encompass the London and Philadelphia of the period, their social structures and the related impact on a naval career of the time. Further addressing the obvious, and in-direct drivers of America’s entry into the War of 1812, overview of the primary naval engagements of it and both the positive and negative impact to the related countries, militarily and politically. Certainly an interesting book of the period as it linked cultures, norms and the international status quo of the time to a naval event but greatly lacking in the detailed coverage of the event itself. 2 page coverage of the engagement, out of a 200+ book would seem light, if not shockingly short.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent little book that combines an in-depth look at the protagonists, both men and ships, as well as discussing the philosophy of ship-to-ship combat during the War of 1812. The book attempts to compare the justification for war on the part of the government both then and now. I think the author is successful in getting the reader to think about such things. It's description of period Philadelphia and Portsmouth, England were very interesting as it provided a backdrop to who these naval officers were
I am left to wonder what it must have been like to be able to view, albeit at a distance, a sea fight like this. The only fight of its kind witnessed by people on land. It made an impression on many, including young Henry Wadsworth Longfellow whose poem "My Lost Youth" immortalized the two captains killed in the engagement, Samuel Blyth, RN and William Burrows, USN.
I enjoyed this very much.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm gonna cut right to the chase here: This book is a mess. From the title, you'd probably guess it's about a naval battle in the War of 1812, but what it reads like is a panicked high school history paper desperately trying to meet a minimum word count; Hanna seems unable or unwilling to hold on to a narrative thread, so instead he keeps going into non-sequiturs, quoting big parts of poems or songs, or quoting Jane Austen or Shakespeare. The result is a bizarre, tedious frakenstein of raw, puzzling little scenes that never seem to have anything to do with each other or, heaven forbid, what the book's actually supposed to be about. Hanna needs to get his snot together and hire a tougher editor.

[James Bernheimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comparisons of 19th century naval officers to medieval knights is a bit overdone and the work is too reliant on secondary sources. Nonetheless, David Hanna's crisp and breezy writing creates an enjoyable and vivid portrait of early 19th century maritime culture, a misunderstood war, and the gallantry of opposing sea captains who lost their lives in a battle witnessed off the shore of Maine.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

During the War of 1812 an epic battle between the HMS Boxer and the USS Enterprise off the coast of Maine. The author parallels the lives of the two ships captains as well as looking at details of the battle.

[Larry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanna fleshes out a ship action between two brigs, one British (the"Boxer") and one American ("the "Enterprise") during the War of 1812. The two captains, both of whom died, become real people,

[Ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best history book I've read in a long time. Brings to life history, not boring. Could not put it down!

[David Eppenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love tales of life at sea during the age of sail. However, while this was a story of that genre it was rather thin and might have made a better short story.

[Kiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never thought I'd like a book so much about an 1812 naval battle, but since I know the major places in the book and love Maine history, I really liked this.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you would like to learn about The War of 1812 and the US navy this is a good book to start with.

[Nancy McDonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enlightening story of a tragic sea battle during the War of 1812.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can't get enough "Master & Commander"? Try this non-fiction recounting of the short, but important, battle within sight of the good folk of Maine.

[Brown67 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

More interesting than a textbook.

Oh man, to be shot in the torso by a cannon.

Surprising how crucial boarding could be to a naval battle.