The Battle of Stonington: Torpedoes, Submarines, and Rockets in the War of 1812

by James Tertius de Kay

hardcover with dust jacket

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1990

About the author

James Tertius deKay is also the author of Monitor: The Story of the Legendary Civil War Ironclad and the Man Whose Invention Changed the Course of History and Chronicles of the Frigate Macedonian. He lives in Stonington, Connecticut.

Reviews

[Mark Luongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This neat little book has been on my bookshelf forever. It took my preoccupation with the War of 1812 during my convalescence to read it. I'm glad I did. Makes you want to prowl the shores of Long island Sound around Mystic to take in the flavor of this little engagement between the townspeople of Stonington and His Britannic Majesty's Navy. Such interesting characters involved such as Stephen Decatur, Thomas Masterman Hardy ("Nelson's Hardy"), Robert Fulton, Mrs. Elizabeth "The Spy" Stewart and Jeremiah Holmes.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading this for genealogy purposes and was pleasantly surprised at how very readable it is.

The author has previously written books for a young adult audience which may help explain the readable and fun style. Make no mistake, this is a serious work that explains the mystery of the battle (I'm not going to give it away) but does so in a fashion that does not hurt one bit :)

[Alan Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

My wife is from Connecticut, and she read this book first. She then demanded that I read it. This is a well written book and goes far beyond the few days that the battle of Stonington took place during the War of 1812. It delves into the politics of the war that nobody (well, hardly anybody) wanted, and reminds us that England was expending vast resources fighting Napoleon at the same time and that the British government couldn't devote its full attention to a small war across the ocean. It is surprising to learn that both torpedoes and submarines were being used at this early date, and they helped the Americans fight the British to a standstill in the Long Island Sound. The best-known participants were Stephen Decatur, an American naval captain, Robert Fulton, an American inventor, and Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, a British commodore (a naval captain who had command of more than one ship) who was a hero of the battle of Trafalgar. The book reads to some extent like the books of C. S. Forester who wrote stories about the fictional British naval officer Horatio Hornblower that occurred during the same time period, and anybody who enjoys his work will like this book.

[Kevin Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been wanting to read this book for a long time. It was worth the wait. A small but interesting bit of United States history that should not be forgotten. I was happy to ready that even though the Battle lasted three days, there were so few casualties. I do agree some what with the thought that the battle happened but was not really wanted by the British. At least not by the British Officer in charge at the scene. From the evidence I read it seems he did everything ordered to do, just not as aggressively as he could have. I liked the way the Author presented the words of the people involved. If there was documentation as to their words, he had them say it. If there was no documentation of the conversation, he was clear that it was just his thinking on what was said due to his research and belief of the people in the conversation.
If you can find it, I think this is a great read.