The Forgotten War of 1812

That sounds interesting, Don.

If I remember right, Fulton's Demologos (sp?) was not ironclad, but had very thick framing and planking to withstand shot. It was steam powered.

Hi Don. To the best my recollection they did not talk about Fultons steam warship.

According to the video, the first ironclad was made as far back as the tenth century. The Vikings made one called the Iron Beard. Later, it was the French that started building ironclads to get an advantage against the British. Soon after, the British took France to task by building the HMS Warrior. The HMS Warrior is both ironclad and steam powered, with larger guns capable of firing exploding shells.

As far as the American references, it was all about their use in the American Civil War. It was very interesting. You wouldn't want to be the guys manning those things. They were extremely loud, hot, and they had terrible ventilation. At times they could barely see what they were doing through the cabin filled smoke. If the ship sinks, you are pretty much a goner. 

Interesting. I'll have to find that DVD at my local library.

If they talked about Civil War ironclads, did they also talk about Fulton's steam warship (though I don't know if it ever actually got up steam during war- I think it was just used as a floating battery).  Still, to my knowledge, it was the first steam warship.  The Brits had steam tugs for their navy, but I don't believe they had any actual steam warships- nothing with guns.

Tojo, exactly. That battle was incredibly lopsided. If I have my numbers right... something like 13 American fighters killed, over 2000 British killed. This was England's elite force. They just came from winning the war against Napoleon. They were battle tested and experts. The American force was a ragtag outfit and they miraculously decimated them. The video lists the English ranks of those lost in that battle and it is truly jaw dropping. It is astounding.

How about the most famous battle,the Battle of New Orleans being fought almost a month after the treaty was signed due to poor communications.

Ikar, that could be. It is incredible to realize that they burned the White House to the ground, and most of the city of Washington was set ablaze. If it not for a sudden and terrible hurricane that sprang up, it would have been leveled. In one breath the storm doused the fires, and then trounced the English force that started the fire. If that was not enough, a tornado sprang up and traveled straight down the city into their encampment. The storm killed more of their soldiers than the American forces that ultimately ran from them. There were some very odd things that happened in this war. In fact, the video says that it was as if the finger of God wiped them out. There is much more.

Yes, a lot of history there. I totally agree. I want to get out there and see all these things.

Thank you for the suggestion, Steve. I never watch the History Channel, so I didn't know about this one. I will definitely look it up.

I think I cought part of it on the History Channel some time back.  The burned down the White House and the marks are still on the foundation, but the biggest thing that reminds me of that was is sitting in Boston Harbor.  I wish I could go up there and see it once.