Henry Clay and the War of 1812

Any biography of Henry Clay’s 46 year political career quickly becomes entangled with his monumental, though youthful, political leadership of the War Hawks in urging the Madison Administration to arm the United States for war with Great Britain. He continued to advise in the war’s progress and ended by being one of the five distinguished Americans to treat for peace with a difficult team of mediocre British envoys. There has been no detailed treatment of his major role in this early American war until this present work.

The late Quentin Scott King, a Navy sonarman veteran of World War II, was a librarian in government libraries, a reporter covering Capitol Hill, and a Congressional press secretary. He lived in Washington, D.C.

Quentin Scott King
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 468
Bibliographic Info: appendix, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7875-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1390-1
Imprint: McFarland

Preface  1
1. Youth 3
2. Kentucky Lawyer 12
3. Kentucky Legislator 24
4. In Defense of a Vice President 37
5. Apprenticeship for High Office 49
6. Burr Trial/British Impressment 59
7. Restless Politician 68
8. The Western Star 79
9. Mr. Speaker 90
10. Irresolution and Intrigue 104
11. Embargo 115
12. Politics and Diplomacy 124
13. Coercion Charge 132
14. Declaration of War 138
15. War in the West 151
16. Battle Action and Election 166
17. Political Reaction 174
18. War Effort Adrift 188
19. Remember the River Raisin 201
20. Diplomacy Renewed 213
21. The Disastrous Spring of 1813 219
22. The Congressional Summer 229
23. In the Eye of a Hurricane 240
24. Resignation 252
25. In Transit to Europe 265
26. Idling at Gottenburg 273
27. Gathering of the Commissioners 286
28. Sine Qua Non 297
29. Rupture 310
30. Negotiating to Negotiate 320
31. Washington Under Attack 336
32. Washington Ablaze 349
33. British Policy Is Delay 361
34. Wellington Inserts Himself 375
35. Treaty of Ghent 384
36. Post-War Contentions 396
37. Battle for New Orleans 403
38. Last Days in Europe 414
Appendix: Treaty of Ghent, 1814  429
Chapter Notes  433
Bibliography  449
Index  453

• “Recommended”—Choice
• “Very highly recommended”—Midwest Book Review