CHAPTER II 



IN the sketch the writer has given of the 

 warfare against commerce which pre- 

 ceded the War of 1812, nothing has been 

 said on the subject of impressment, for, 

 while the impressment of American seamen 

 had much to do with bringing on the war, 

 it had no direct effect on commerce. In- 

 directly, however, it did affect commerce, 

 in that it stimulated bad feeling between 

 our country and England, and caused many 

 of our citizens to favor measures of com- 

 mercial restriction and retaliation which 

 otherwise would have lacked their support. 

 Indeed, one of the last arguments of a sup- 

 porter of the embargo if pushed hard in de- 

 bate was : we must do something to show 

 England that she cannot impress our sea- 

 men with impunity. 



This feeling of indignation against im- 



