Category: Victoria Hinshaw

On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed an Act of Congress declaring war on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The next day he issued a proclamation of war, here.

The War of 1812 is almost forgotten in both the U.S. and U.K., but to many Canadians, it is an important aspect of their history, ending for the most part, U.S. attempts to control and annex parts of Canada.

Historian Alan Taylor of the University of California-Davis has written a book advancing the theory that the war was “in effect a civil war between related members of a founding nation.” In The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies, Taylor looks at the conflict from multiple points of view.

An interesting article from the Canadian Broadcasting Company on Alan Taylor’s book is here.  This site will also connect you to various Canadian commemorations of the War of 1812.

As I remember from my high school American History course, the impressment of American seamen by British ships on the high seas was a basic cause of U.S. complaints. The British, embroiled in the Napoleonic Wars on the Peninsula and the Continent, claimed the right to stop and board ships to find deserters; sometimes they were also said to have taken naturalized or other Americans to force them to serve the British Navy. A further aggravation to the growing American merchant fleet were the Orders in Council,  His Majesty’s naval blockade of  continental ports, as part of the war with France.

Historians have added additional motivations for declaring war. The U.S. definitely wanted to control more of Canada. Growing controversy among the War Hawks and the fledgling political parties put President Madison in a bind. The war debate in Congress was heated and extremely partisan, only barely passed by Madison’s political allies.  Further, U.S. expansion caused continual controversy with Native Americans, who often turned to the British Army for assistance.  We all know the sad story of the fate of the Native Americans, moved farther and farther west away from their ancestral homes.

One wonders why the young, weak, and struggling United States of America would attempt to defeat the strongest maritime nation in the world. The U.S. Constitution had been in effect for less than a quarter of a century; there was no professional army; instead the government had to  rely on little-trained state militias.  One can hardly avoid the suspicion many leaders in the U.S. relied upon the British being quite thoroughly preoccupied with war against Napoleon.

Another factor was the very slow process of communication in those days.  Upon the declaration of war, the U.S. had not heard that British Prime Minister Perceval had been assassinated on May 11, 1812, and replaced by a government headed by Lord Liverpool (1770-1828, Prime Minister 1812-1827).  He had already rescinded the Orders in Council before the formal declaration, but who knew in Washington?

We don’t have to provide a spoiler alert to reveal that the war led to nothing, for all practical purposes, on the part of the U.S. and U.K.  In Canada, it was seen as confirming their unique relationship with both their neighbor to the south and the British.  The Treaty of Ghent confirmed the status quo ante bellum, that is, a return to the situation before the war was declared. The hostilities had been in vain.

Among the commemorations in the U.S., the estate of James Madison (1751-1836), near Jefferson’s Monticello, will host a number of events.  Their website is here.

The U.S. did have a few contributions to its popular history from the War of 1812, such as the composition of the Star Spangled Banner in 1814 by Francis Scott Key as he watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor. For more on the flag at the Smithsonian, click here.

During naval battles on Lake Erie, one of the more memorable of American legends took place when Oliver Hazard Perry (1785-1819), commanding the U.S. ships, won and reported to General William Henry Harrison, “We have met the enemy and they are ours: two ships, two brigs, one schooner and one sloop.”

Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) came into national prominence after his victory in the Battle of New Orleans, a totally unnecessary event that took place after the peace treaty had been signed ending the war.  That battle cost the life of General Edward Pakenham, brother-in-law of the first Duke of Wellington and the deaths of hundreds of British and less than a dozen American soldiers. Jackson later became the 7th president of the U.S, serving from 1829-1837.

From time to time, we hope to return to the battles, mishaps, and personalities of the War of 1812 .  Stay tuned.

The Wisconsin Romance Writers — WisRWA — sponsored Romancing the Northwoods in Wausau, WI on June 1-3, 2012. As usual, a great time was had by all. 

Elizabeth Hoyt

Elizabeth Hoyt gave several workshops: Stalking the Wild Agent, Dialogue: Writing Between the Lines, and We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Muse.  All were packed with info and lots of laughs as well. 

Jade Lee, aka Kathy Lyons, presented two workshops: The Core of Romance and The Business Side from Pre-Published to the NY Times List.  Jade shared many of her experiences on this journey and had us all in stitches as well.  Here website is here. 

Jade writes historical romances set in Regency and Georgian England and for Harlequin’s Blaze line as Kathy Lyons.

Lyn Cote has found her niche in historical romance for inspirational publishers: Tyndale and Harlequion’s Love Inspired lines in several genres.  She is also getting into self-publishing.

Cheryl Yeko sported that splendid first sale Pink Ribbon.

Thanks to all the organizers: Amy Bird, Eve James, Helen Johannes, Kristin Bayer, and many others.

Imagine my delight when I looked at the program for the MSO’s weekend of May 26 — Music from the British Isles with conductor Christopher Warren-Green.

Just returned from a widely-praised concert in NYC’s Carnegie Hall, the MSO performed works by William Walton, Max Bruch (though German by birth, he was the conductor of the Liverpool Symphony) and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Here is the link to an audio version of the MSO’s performance in New York, via WQXR.

For the series of concerts of British music, the guest conductor was Christopher Warren-Green, who is the music director of the Charlotte, NC Symphony and the director of the London Chamber Orchestra, among many other celebrated duties, including for royal events, particularly at the royal wedding in 2011.

The Recessional piece was the first on the program of the MSO concert, the Crown Imperial Coronation March by William Walton.  Here is a link to the PBS television excerpt of the wedding processional featuring the Walton Coronation march played by the London Chamber Orchestra conducted by Christopher Warren-Green, about a minute, 20 seconds in, and continuing until the couple left Westminster Abbey.    (You can download the entire Royal Wedding Music CD from iTunes.)

Sir William Turner Walton OM (1902-1983) wrote for films and classical orchestra, opera and ballet.  According to the Wikipedia entry, “(Sir Edward) Elgar having died in 1934, the authorities turned to Walton to compose a march in the Elgarian tradition for the coronation of George VI in 1937. His Crown Imperial was an immediate success with the public, but disappointed those of Walton’s admirers who thought of him as an avant garde composer.”  All Anglophiles will recognize it immediately, very  much in the tradition of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, music meant for a glorious occasion.

Next on the program was Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra, Opus 46. The soloist was Jennifer Frautschi, a rising young talent who has performed with major orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe.  She plays a loaned 1722 Stradivarius known as the ex-Cadiz.   The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel review stated, “Frautschi brought sterling techniques and a pure, focused sound to the piece, playing with tremendous depth of expression. She gave clear character and meaning to Bruch’s setting of Scottish tunes, never lapsing into caricature.”  Click here to read the entire concert review.

Max Bruch (1838-1920) spent most of his career in  his native Germany but served as director of the Liverpool Symphony from 1880-1883.  In a Munich library, he discovered some Scottish folk tunes transcribed and he used some of them, along with tunes from Robert Burns songs, for this virtuosic fantasy. 

The final selection was the Symphony #5 in D major by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958).  In his pre-concert talk, Marquette University’s Jason Ladd said Vaughan Williams knew both of the other composers on the program quite well.  Max Bruch was one of his teachers and he visited with William Walton at his Italian island retreat of Ischia.

Vaighan Williams served in the ambulance corps in WWI and his experiences greatly influenced his music.  His fifth symphony was written between 1938 and 1943, but unllike some of his earlier works, it was not war-like in nature.  Instead, Ladd called it “meditative, comforting, and serene,” as if  anticipating the coming peace. 

To me, the concert was a complete delight, a little familiar music and two pieces relatively new to me, all three very satisfying, perhaps even nourishing.    Thanks Mr. Warren-Green, Ms. Frautschi, and the MSO.