1812: Rights of Passage

HUZZAH! FREE TRADE AND SAILORS RIGHTS! But instead American ships are captured and sailors impressed by the thousands into the British Navy, becoming slaves to the lash, while the United States has virtually no navy to back them up. Baltimore native, Nathan Jeffries, son of an American naval hero, Captain William Jeffries, and his Quaker wife, Amy, is haunted by the memories of his fiancee, his best friend, his enemy's woman and his betrayal. Chesapeake Bay is no refuge aboard his father's brig Bucephalus; facing his worst fears, Nathan is chased and captured by armed privateer schooner Scourge. In a violent world suddenly at war, Nathan must break his most solemn promise to his mother. For Nathan and the young United States, 1812 would severely challenge rights of passage. "A fascinating story of courage and treachery. Hubinger captures in thrilling detail not only the historical facts of the War of 1812, but also the vivid characters who richly portray the human side of war as well." Caroline Kosisky, Maryland Educator and Master Naturalist "1812: Rights of Passage transported me immediately into a whirlwind of maritime adventure and also illuminated the young nation from which we arose. Hubinger's young protagonists confront their own powerful—and sometimes secret—personal histories, inextricably linked to the idealism and greed, passion and racism of this formative time in our country's history. As the westward expansion extirpates native peoples and the new federal government agonizes over the looming naval confrontation with England, the characters struggle to find themselves—and to survive." Baird Straughan, Ph.D., President, LeadGreen

Bert J. Hubinger is the author of "Sea Drums and Other Poems" and editor of "The Journal of the War of 1812". This is the first published novel in his trilogy on the War of 1812.