Letters to the Editor

Abstract

To the Editor: As the author of a recent book on the life narratives of antebellum American sailors (Jack Tar's Story, 2012), I read with particular interest the scholarly exchange on the War of 1812 in the September 2012 issue of the JAH (pp. 520–55). Although the discussion was stimulating and informative, I wish more attention had been paid to how the warriors of this conflict remembered, interpreted their experiences, especially in their memoirs and autobiographies. These texts illustrate how concerns about nationalism, honor, and manliness shaped veterans' identities. They also illuminate how antebellum citizens forged public memories of the War of 1812; how they mythologized this conflict.