Washington Irving's War of 1812 Service

From Wikipedia.

I didn't know Washington Irving served during the War of 1812 until yesterday's post, so had to find out more.  Good old Wiki to the rescue.  Best place to find out info fast.

Washington Irving had had success with his book "A History of New York" in 1809 and then became editor of Analectic Magazine where he wrote biographies of naval heroes like James Lawrence and Oliver Hazard Perry.  He was also among the first magazine editors to reprint a poem by Francis Scott Key titled "Defense of Fort McHenry."  And, we all know what happened to that poem.

Like many merchants (his family had a prosperous business) and New Yorkers, he opposed the War of 1812 as it hurt business.  But when the British attacked and sacked Washington, D.C. in 1814, that convinced him to enlist.  As I have written about earlier this month, after the attacks on Washington and Baltimore, New York folks believed they were next to have a British visit.

Irving served on the staff of Daniel Tomkins, governor of New York, and commander of the state's militia.  Apart from a reconnaissance mission to the Great Lakes region, he saw no action.

The war proved a disaster for many merchants, including his family.  In mid-1815, he went to England to attempt to salvage the family's trading business.  He remained in Europe for the next 17 years.

--Brock-Perry