Dawn's Early Light

Walter Lord (1917-2002) was an American author best known for his documentary-style nonfiction account A Night to Remember, about the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Scott S. Sheads is a National Park Service Ranger/Historian at Fort McHenry.

• Foreword, by Scott S. SheadsPreface1. Sails on the Chesapeake2. "Chastise the Savages"3. Face to Face4. Sleepless Hours5. Time Runs Out6. Bladensburg7. Ordeal by Fire8. Shock Waves9. Focus on Baltimore10. North Point11. For McHenry12. Britain Struggles with Herself12. "The Dawn's Early Light"AcknowledgmentsChapter NotesIndex

Still the best account available of the two key battles of the War of 1812... brings the 1814 battles around Washington and Baltimore to life, making them seem terrifying and critical, as they must have seemed to Marylanders at the time. Baltimore City Paper One of the very best books on the War of 1812 ever written. -- Blaine Taylor Captain's Locker This reissue of The Dawn's Early Light celebrates the bicentennial of the Battle of Baltimore. Scott S. Sheads, a National Park Service ranger and specialist on the event, introduces the book, which will remain a popular favorite for years to come. Lone Star Book Review Compelling and often riveting, The Dawn's Early Light employs a journalistic style that imparts facts while retaining a sense of sensationalism and dramatic color. -- Dave Burford H-War, H-Net Reviews