author
Michael Fitzgerald
1859–1925
A little-known early 20th-century writer, he is remembered for a vivid historical novel set on Cape Cod during the War of 1812. His work blends local history, regional memory, and storytelling rooted in the Massachusetts coast.
1 Audiobook
1812: A tale of Cape Cod
by Michael Fitzgerald
About the author
Michael Fitzgerald was an American author associated with Cape Cod, best known for 1812: A Tale of Cape Cod, published in 1912. The novel draws on the wartime experience of Cape communities during the War of 1812 and shows a strong interest in local tradition and regional history.
In the book's prefatory material, Fitzgerald presents himself as someone with long familiarity with the district and with descendants of the people whose stories shaped the tale. That gives his writing a grounded, place-based quality: he was not just inventing a setting, but working from local memory and historical research.
Little biographical information about him is easy to confirm today beyond the dates commonly attached to his work, 1859–1925. Even so, 1812: A Tale of Cape Cod has kept his name alive as a compact, distinctive example of New England historical fiction.