From Sea to Shining Sea: From the War of 1812 to the Mexican War; The Saga of America's Expansion

by Robert Leckie

A dramatic narrative history continuing Robert Leckie's popular series on the history of the United States that covers the first 50 years following the American Revolution.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, War

672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

About the author

Leckie was born on December 18, 1920, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He grew up in Rutherford, New Jersey. He began his career as a writer in high school, as a sports writer for ''The Bergen Evening Record'' in Hackensack, New Jersey.

On January 18, 1942, Leckie enlisted in the United States Marine Corps.He served in combat in the Pacific theater, as a scout and a machine gunner in H Company, 2nd Battalion 1st Marines Regiment 1st Marine Division (United States). Leckie saw combat in the Battle of Guadalcanal, the Battle of Cape Gloucester, and had been wounded by blast concussion in the Battle of Peleliu. He returned to the United States in March 1945 and was honorably discharged shortly thereafter.

Following World War II, Leckie worked as a reporter for the Associated Press, the ''Buffalo Courier-Express'', the ''New York Journal American'', the ''New York Daily News'' and ''The Star-Ledger''. He married Vera Keller, a childhood neighbor, and they had three children: David, Geoff and Joan According to Vera, in 1951 he was inspired to write a memoir after seeing ''South Pacific '' on Broadway and walking out halfway through. He said "I have to tell the story of how it really was. I have to let people know the war wasn't a musical His first and best-selling book, ''Helmet for My Pillow'', a war memoir, was published in 1957. Leckie subsequently wrote more than 40 books on American war history, spanning from the French and Indian War (1754–1763) to Operation Desert Storm (1991). Robert Leckie died on December 24, 2001, after fighting a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease.

Reviews

[Larry Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for a brief history of this time because I am not well versed on it and after reading some Civil War history realized that I could use some earlier information. This not only fits that bill but was very entertaining to read. It covered a lot of history in short spurts with just enough information to help me understand without getting too in depth . If your looking for all the intimate details this is probably not for you but for those looking to understand the ebb and flow of this portion of American history i highly recommend it.

[Dick · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you decide to read this book, you should understand that it is over 600 pages, so for most of us, that is not something we would read in an evening or a single sitting.

For me it was not a page turner. Why was that? Because so many of the pages revealed something I did not now or knew little of and learned more than I expected. So many of our historical figures tend to be studied for the specific time in which they were active and the time deemed more important than others, for example. By that mean that many of the characters who emerged in the 1950’s and 1860’s were pretty big well before that. The interaction of those figures and how they grew closer or apart as time went on is pretty revealing and for me, very interesting. One figure that that this book reminded me of was President Polk. This is a man who bought and sold slaves while he was in the White House.

More . . . he initiated war with Mexico with the purpose (hidden) to expand slavery into that large new territory. As I stated in my weekly quotes last week, Polk was a despicable human being.
In this book, we learn of the territorial growth of America, as well as of this country's various wars with enemies both foreign and domestic. The way it is written we were at constant warfare. This includes the surrender at Yorktown, through our war (sort of) with the Barbary pirates and through the War of 1812. Then the Indian war, the Texas war of independence and the aforementioned war with Mexico.

Here we learn more about Zachary Taylor, Andrew Jackson, William Henry Harrison; the Indian chief Tecumseh; Winfield Scott, and other military leaders some of whom emerged or re-emerged in the civil war.

Polk was/is the architect of “winning” Mexico as one of the “great land grabs in human history that has remained permanent'' - except for Alaska by Seward (another planner of land grabs), the area of the continental United States was now complete.

For me, a very edifying read.

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent account of The War of 1812 and The Mexican-American War. Robert Leckie has written numerous books that, for me, has illuminated many unknown aspects of American history. Have learned much from his books about The French and Indian War, The Revolutionary War, and now this currently reviewed one. He has a style that is engaging in that he illuminates the many personalities that inhabited our country’s history. Am now looking forward to reading his one volume books on The Civil War and World War II. The latter should be very interesting considering that he also wrote a memoir, Helmet For My Pillow, about his service in the Pacific campaign that was partially adapted for the HBO series The Pacific.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty well written book that covers the period of time from the War with the Barbary Pirates to the War of 1812 to the Mexican War. Thus, the book's title is immediately somewhat obscure--since it doesn't start with the War of 1812! In addition, the first two chapters bridge the key battle at Yorktown to the Louisiana Purchase to President Jefferson's decision not to pay tribute to the Barbary pirates. I could not really find the purpose of this book in those early chapters. Still and all, a decent volume.

The first substantive part (Listed as Part II in the Table of Contents) focuses on the American struggle with the Barbary Pirates. The chapters within this segment of the book trace the arc from Jefferson's decision not to pay tribute to the American efforts to suppress threats to American interests and shipping by the pirates. The chapters show the trials (capture of an American ship and its crew) and the triumphs (Decatur's successes and the shores of Tripoli).

Next, the War of 1812. From impressment of Americans by the British fleet, to conflict with native Americans (including the Battle of Tippecanoe) to futile efforts to invade Canada to the Creek War to the sacking of Washington by the English to the Battle of New Orleans (fought after the signing of a peace treaty to end the war!!).

Part IV features the Mexican War. The first part of this section looks at the background, including the efforts by Texans to declare independence, followed by defeats by Texans at the Alamo and Golead--concluding with Houston's defeat of Mexican leader Santa Anna. After Texan Independence, maneuvering began. Ultimately, the United States moved to add Texas to its territory, culminating in the Mexican War. Here, the tale is told, first, of Zachary Taylor's victories in the north and, then, Winfield Scott's advance on Mexico City after an amphibious assault. Finally, the successful military victory by the outnumbered American forces.

Much as it began, without a sense of what this work is about, it seems to end in the middle of things. What did these years really mean? How do we make sense of the different events that took place?

[Michael]

"From Sea to Shining Sea: From the War of 1812 to the Mexican War; The Saga of America's Expansion" is the third book I've read by Robert Leckie. The first was "A Few Acres Of Snow: The Saga Of The French And Indian Wars," the second was "George Washington's War: The Saga of the American Revolution" and now "From Sea to Shining Sea: From the War of 1812 to the Mexican WAr; the Saga of America's Expansion." As you might have already concluded I am reading them as a multi-volume set as a review of American military history. Leckie has books covering everything from Columbus's voyage to America through the Civil War. Leckie is a writer of a style popular when I was teenager. He uses adjectives with amazing effect and his battle descriptions are first rate. The books are full of facts of which I was unaware even though I have read five hundred or so non-fiction historical works. For instance, I did not know that, even as the War of 1812 was ending, a delegation was en route to Washington, D.C, with an ultimatum which would have effectively withdrawn New England from the union. I love to read a learn new things and Leckie's books are full of those things. This book, as with all of Leckie's works, was first rate, well written and very informative. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as Ambrose, but not too shabby either. Most books I've read dealing with early American History involve the revolutionary war. This is an interesting perspective of American history from that time to our war with Mexico

[Nick Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

While Leckie occasionally wanders a bit too far into editorializing, the book is well-researched and very readable.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Leckie is a great American history writer gives us an understanding of theses conflicts

[Tej · Rating 2 out of 5]

He's a good storyteller, but it's not as academic as I'd hoped. I can't verify the accuracy of anything he says since he doesn't include end notes.