continued to claim the right to seize American ships and inspect them for deserters. (War of 1812) Despite initial problems, the U.S. Navy soon won some victories at sea, offsetting the embarrassing defeats on land. A relatively strong American squadron under Commodore John Rodgers made a wide sweep through the Atlantic shortly after the declaration of war. It encountered only one enemy ship, which managed to escape, but later in the year three forays by individual U.S. warships proved far more successful. Almost overnight the War of 1812 became a glorious triumph. On February 20 President Madison sent a message to Congress transmitting the treaty of peace. He congratulated the nation on the close of a war "waged with the success which is the natural result of the wisdom of the legislative councils, of the patriotism of the people, of the public spirit of the militia, and of the valor of the military and naval forces of the country." More realistically, the fledgling nation had the extraordinary good fortune to escape the consequences of a war that it had badly mismanaged from the outset. The Battle of New Orleans, fought after the two sides had already signed the peace treaty, ironically became the war’s most famous event. The navy enjoyed well-deserved popularity for many years after the conflict, but the decisive results of the Battle of Lake Champlain did not receive full recognition for another generation. The principal gain for the United States was a renewed self-confidence and faith in the ability of its military to defend the nation’s freedom and honor. (In the Midst of Perpetual Fetes: The Making of American Nationalism,) Although neither side came away from the war with a clear-cut victory, the American people saw the War of 1812 as evidence of the success of the democratic experiment. The war ushered in a period of American history that has frequently been called “the era of good feeling,” a time w...
