Reviews
"In this quirky, encyclopedic debunking of the mythology of the war of 1812, Donald R. Hickey displays his peerless command of the field and, with his concise, highly opinionated writing style, unlocks many of the mysteries and details of what he insists was not a second war of independence. ... Don't Give Up the Ship belongs on the shelf of everyone deeply interested in, or who writes about, the War of 1812." -- Naval History, February 2007, " Don't Give Up the Ship: Myths of the War of 1812 is a detailed, exceedingly well documented examination of the War of 1812 and the major events surrounding the war."-- Journal of Southern History, "In this quirky, encyclopedic debunking of the mythology of the war of 1812, Donald R. Hickey displays his peerless command of the field and, with his concise, highly opinionated writing style, unlocks many of the mysteries and details of what he insists was not a second war of independence. ... Don't Give Up the Ship! belongs on the shelf of everyone deeply interested in, or who writes about, the War of 1812." -- Naval History , February 2007, "...[a] richly textured model of historical revisionism, which confirms Hickey's status as a leading scholar of the early national period." -- Publishers Weekly, " Don't Give Up the Ship! belongs on the shelf of everyone deeply interested in, or who writes about, the War of 1812."-- Naval History, "Donald R. Hickey's unique study Don't Give Up the Ship!: Myths of the War of 1812 addresses the myths, half truths, and realities of the forgotten last Anglo-American conflict. . . . The book provides a starting point for those seeking further information regarding the conflict and it should take its rightful place on the bookshelves of all War of 1812 buffs and scholars."-- Journal of the Early Republic, "Hickey's book deserves a wide popular readership. It also succeeds in broadening the scope of what academic historians should be looking at in the War of 1812."-- Journal of Military History, "Well written. . . . Hickey's treatise is an important contribution to the historiography of the second US conflict with Great Britain. . . . Highly recommended."-- Choice, " In this quirky, encyclopedic debunking of the mythology of the war of 1812, Donald R. Hickey displays his peerless command of the field and, with his concise, highly opinionated writing style, unlocks many of the mysteries and details of what he insists was not a second war of independence. ... Don't Give Up the Ship belongs on the shelf of everyone deeply interested in, or who writes about, the War of 1812." -- Naval History, February 2007, "War making and mythmaking go hand in hand in Hickey's analysis of the misconceptions, embellishments and falsehoods that continue to shape Americans' views of the War of 1812. In describing the complicated origins, conduct and outcome of the conflict, Wayne State College history professor Hickey shows how myth has helped construct a history that we can understand and accept. Three 19th-century writers in particular-British naval historian William James, American popularizer Benson Lossing and man of letters Henry Adams-promoted already familiar stories of the war. While Hickey investigates, analyzes and critiques a spectrum of legends about the war's roots, its campaigns and armed forces, and its military and political leadership, he's no mere debunker. Stories like Col. Henry Johnson's killing of Tecumseh in hand-to-hand combat survive his scrutiny. And Capt. James Lawrence did say, "Don't give up the ship"-though those were not his last words. But Jean Lafitte's role in the Battle of New Orleans is diminished to the advantage of his brother Pierre. And blacks played a long-neglected role on both sides. These are only a few of the revelations awaiting readers of this richly textured model of historical revisionism, which confirms Hickey's status as a leading scholar of the early national period. 10 photos.(Aug.)" - Publishers Weekly, June 12, 2006., .,."[a] richly textured model of historical revisionism, which confirms Hickey's status as a leading scholar of the early national period." --Publishers Weekly
