The British Capture & Occupation of Downeast Maine, 1814-1815/18

by George F.W. Young

A detailed history of the War of 1812 as it affected Downeast Maine, with a focus on the British occupation of the town of Castine, Maine. The British offensive in Eastern Maine in 1814 resulted in their most sizable capture of US territory, and it would have become a territorial annexation to British North America (as it was then properly called), had it not been for American checkmate of the other British offensives of that year. Includes contemporary documentation in Royal Navy dispatches and Maritime and Maine newspapers.

124 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2014

Reviews

[Dan Lutts · Rating 5 out of 5]

The British Capture & Occupation of Downeast Maine 1814-1815/1818 is a really interesting book because Maine would have become part of British North America if the Americans hadn't checkmated the other British offenses of that year on the Niagara Peninsula, Lake Champlain, and New Orleans. By the way, I live in Maine, which is a state I love.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in my "first to read on Goodreads" series. This is pretty special interest stuff...I think you know if you want to read all about the British occupation of Eastern Maine in the War of 1812. This is my field so I was interested. And Young does a good job. If you want to understand this particular series of events, here is the book for you. Maybe a bit too much detail on individual boats doing individual boat things for my taste, but I'm sure there are lots of maritime war historians who eat that stuff up.
I do wish that the Penobscot Press was a little better at reproducing maps, though. The original maps in the book were fine, but the reproduced images were really bad and hard to read.