The Battle of Lake Erie and Its Aftermath: A Reassessment ed. by David Curtis Skaggs (review)

The Battle of Lake Erie has long been a focal point of the War of 1812, as well as a focal point of Ohio history. This pivotal moment in the War of 1812 saw the first American squadron-to-squadron naval victory against the mighty British Navy and allowed the United States to gain access to vital routes for water-borne transport. The recent bicentennial of the engagement on September 10, 2013, provided an opportunity for a reexamination of the topic as a whole.

In The Battle of Lake Erie and Its Aftermath: A Reassessment, David Curtis Skaggs collected twelve thought-provoking and informative essays regarding the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself, and the short- and long-term consequences that were brought about by this decisive American victory. Skaggs, a professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University, is a well-known authority on the War of 1812, especially the Battle of Lake Erie. In fact, Skaggs considers this publication as an update to War on the Great Lakes: Essays Commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie (Kent, Ohio: Kent State Univ. Press, 1991), which Skaggs co-edited with William Jeffery Welsh.

Early in the introduction, Skaggs states that the intension of this volume is not to present new information, but to review the battle and its consequences. Skaggs separates the book into three sections, linking related essays and allowing the reader to more easily follow his premise. Part I, “Military Operations,” contains five essays. Larry Nelson’s essay describing the importance of the Maumee River as a critical route to Lake Erie sets the stage for the next four, which directly address the battle itself. These five essays, two of which were written by Skaggs, establish a clear picture of the engagement and its importance. This section also contains a number of illustrations and maps that help the reader to understand the full scope of the battle.

The third section is simply titled “Consequences.” These five essays deal largely with expansion and Native American decline in the western territories. According to this volume, the Battle of Lake Erie opened up key waterways that allowed for access to targets of military importance and further military operations, as well as eventual expansion west. Another key theme in this section looks at how this westward expansion led to subjugation of Native American populations following the war.

The final section, “Memory,” contains two essays particularly interesting and useful to those who study historic preservation. The first essay by Deborah Lee Trupin and J. Scott Harmon looks at how experts have restored and preserved Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s famous “Don’t Give Up the Ship” flag that flew above the USS Niagara during the engagement. The second essay, by Walter P. Rybka, looks at the reconstruction of the USS Niagara, which was orchestrated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Skaggs stresses the importance of these two essays in that these two symbols serve as a testament to the legacy of the Battle of Lake Erie and the War of 1812.

The Battle of Lake Erie and Its Aftermath is a volume that serves multiple purposes. First and foremost it is a compelling and informative look at one of the most important naval engagements of the nineteenth century. The clear and succinct nature of the volume makes it an excellent read for a general audience or those interested in military history. Furthermore, Skaggs included a full bibliography that lists primary and secondary sources. The ease with which one can find important source material within the text makes it an important tool for students and scholars alike. The quality of the research in this book, as well as its readability, makes it a very important addition to the body of scholarly works regarding the War of 1812. Although it may not contain a...