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Surgeon of the Lakes: The Diary of Dr. Usher Parsons, 1812-1814. Edited by John C. Fredriksen. Erie, Pa.: Erie County Historical Society, 2000. ISBN 1-883658-36-5. Illustrations. Notes. Appendixes. Pp. xvi, 114. $10.95.
Joshua Barney: Hero of the Revolution and 1812. By Louis Arthur Norton. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55750-490-3. Maps. Illustrations. Notes. Index. Pp. xiv, 226. $32.95.
The revival of interest in the early United States Navy and the War of 1812 continues unabated and these two books add to the growing primary and secondary literature at our disposal. Usher Parsons (1788-1868) was a young surgeon's mate on the U.S. Brig Lawrence during the Battle of Lake Erie, 10 September 1813, and the diary of his Great Lakes service has long been an important document in our understanding of the American effort to regain and maintain control of the upper lakes as well as the emergence of military medicine in the United States. Joshua Barney's (1759-1818) long and distinguished combat leadership during the navy's formative years constitutes an important chapter in the evolution of America's rise to naval prominence.
John Fredriksen's role as a bibliographer and editor of documents relating to the...