As the weather gets cool and wet and oh-so-autumnal around here, it’s always fun to escape to the tropics–even if only for a few minutes, and even if only for research. 😉
Last week I realized with some surprise that my hero had to sail to Bermuda to get a count of the British fleet amassing there, so I had to scrabble to get some handy-dandy research. (Shucks.) See, Bermuda became a very strategic port for the British during the War of 1812. Its position off the coast of the U.S. made it a perfect rallying spot for the fleet coming from Europe, and it’s where Vice Admiral Cochrane kept his flagship and headquarters through much of the war.
I imagine it was a terrible thing, commanding all your troops from Bermuda, especially in the winter months. Eh? 😉
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| Bermuda from space |
Now, my primary research book talked a lot about who arrived in Bermuda when, with how many ships that had how many guns, who was on what transport, who argued with whom…but it left out a little detail like, oh, the name of the port. So some quick internet research came to the rescue, and I discovered that the British fleet had anchored in Bailey’s Bay.
On the hill above the bay was Mount Wyndham, a picturesque home that became the Admiralty House during the war.
And in the turquoise waters, if you squint just right, you can imagine my hero’s ship, Masquerade, at anchor in the bay, a goodly distance from Cochrane’s flagship, Tonnant (which means “thundering).
And now my little boy-o, who isn’t feeling very well today, needs some attention, so I’ll just leave you here in the warm, sultry sunshine of Bermuda…
Roseanna M. White is a bestselling, Christy Award winning author who has long claimed that words are the air she breathes. When not writing fiction, she’s homeschooling her two kids, editing, designing book covers, and pretending her house will clean itself. Roseanna is the author of a slew of historical novels that span several continents and thousands of years. Spies and war and mayhem always seem to find their way into her books…to offset her real life, which is blessedly ordinary.
Ahhh..the history behind an excellent book-in-the-making! Cannot wait!
Brrrrr! Yeah, you definitely needed the trip to the tropics. =)
And my little guy is doing much better.
Glad it was helpful! And I found the port information here, oddly enough, on a page about the Bermuda military–it had a section on 1812.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_of_Bermuda
Though I always double-check things I find on wikipedia. =) A cross-searched and found a bit about the Admiralty House in the Bermuda newspaper too. Not sure what I did with that link…
This was very helpful…I'm writing a book that takes place about this time, and it's been really hard finding port information! Thanks for the info! 🙂
Mid 40's today. SO glad to be in Bermuda (and praying for your poor sun) 😉