NATIONAL MARITIME HISTORICAL SOCIETY Keynote Panel Friday, 16 May 2014 The : What We Shouldn’t Forget From the Forgotten War

Dr. William S. Dudley will host this keynote panel of historians and authors on the War of 1812. Dr. Dudley is the former director of the Naval Historical Center (now the Naval History and Heritage Command) in Washington, DC. He is also the original editor of the multi-volume Naval War of 1812: A Documentary History, providing a detailed chronology of events leading to and various battles during the War of 1812, including early development of the American 0Navy from 1775 through 1811, battle by battle descriptions of the war in the Atlantic, the Northern Lakes and the Gulf Coast, and USS Constitution's victory over HMS Java on Dec. 29, 1812.

The panel will also include award-winning historian George C. Daughan, author of 1812: The Navy’s War and The Shining Sea. 1812: The Navy’s War tells the thrilling story of how a handful of heroic captains and their stalwart crews overcame spectacular odds to lead the country to victory against the world’s greatest imperial power. The Shining Sea brings to life the overzealous quest of one of the most misunderstood commanders of the War of 1812 and stands as a cautionary tale for any leader who would put personal glory ahead of cause and countrymen.

Also joining the panel will be Colonel David G. Fitz-Enz, paratrooper, aviator, combat photographer and esteemed author of The Final Invasion: Plattsburgh, the War of 1812’s Most Decisive Battle and Hacks, Sycophants, Adventurers, and Heroes: Madison's Commanders in the War of 1812. A major event in America’s history, the saw the largest invasion ever of a foreign military into the , as the British army and navy attempted to conquer Lake Champlain and its shores. Madison’s Commanders in the War of 1812 tells the story of those that held the future of the young nation in their hands and prevailed.

Rounding out our esteemed panel of speakers is award-winning historical author William H. White, whose works include And Our Flag was Still There, which explores the issues that led up to the declaration of war, political tensions, events and the key players in the War of 1812, as well as a War of 1812 Trilogy (A Press of Canvas, A Fine Tops’l Breeze, and The Evening Gun). In the first volume, the Anne is stopped by a British and Isaac Biggs and several shipmates are forcibly pressed into service on the Orpheus, which is actively engaged in England’s long-running war with France. The second volume finds Isaac and his shipmates aboard USS Chesapeake in Boston just in time for her disastrous meeting with HMS Shannon. The third volume takes place in 1814 and witnesses the historic and horrifying bombardment of Fort McHenry from the outer harbor.

Books will be available for purchase and authors will be available for book signing.