Filled with his mother and uncle's stories, by the time T.R. went to Harvard, he was already dreaming of writing a book on a neglected aspect of American military history, the role played by the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812. Indeed, right in the middle of classes on mathematics at Harvard, (Morris TR Vol 1, 565) T.R.'s mind would wander from his tedious course work to the accomplishments of the infant U.S. Navy, the clash of the "fighting tops".