Customer Reviews (1)

Why a militia?
How did the US obtain its enduring affection [some would say obsession] with citizens being able to possess firearms? Cress tackles this topical issue by looking back at the pre-Revolutionary colonies and the early US, up to the War of 1812.He shows detailed arguments put forth at that time - essentially that a militia should always be available at short notice, to defend the public interest. A frontier mentality necessitated by sprawling territories, and a concomitent weak central British rule, before independence. When the settlers would have to face hostile natives and occasionally other European powers.

After the Revolution, Cress explains the attitudes towards a permanent standing army. Specifically the fear that it might trample liberty. To counteract this, the army was kept small, and a citizens' militia was kept as a reserve.

There is a little irony here. Part of the reason for the attitude was the behaviour of the British government before the Revolution, and the sometimes hamfisted way it used the British army to enforce its decrees. Actions which help trigger the Revolution. So this was seen as a possibility too, if the Americans kept a large army. It turns out that this attitude was also common amongst Britons. By continental European standards, the British army was usually kept quite small, for much the same reason. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive book is the first to chronicleboth wars and document the sites on whichthey were fought. It sheds light on how the warsled to the forced removal of Native Americansfrom the region, secured the Gulf South againstEuropean powers, facilitated increased migrationinto the area, furthered the development of slavebasedagriculture and launched the career ofAndrew Jackson. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Splendid Historical Research
The authors have assembled a wealth of material about the Creek War and the resulting War of 1812. The book belongs in every Southern library for reference purposes. It is recommended reading for serious history students. ... Read more

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Discusses the causes, events, campaigns, personalities, and aftermath of the War of 1812. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process.We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Describes the War of 1812, including its prelude, battles and campaigns, conclusion, and aftermath. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Very nice summary of the war
In the many history books he has written for young people, scholar Don nardo has always managed to present all the basic, important, pertinent facts about his subject, and then throw in some interesting, little-known details besides.He does the same thing in this excellent, well organized, and extremely well documented volume on the War of 1812.Mr. Nardo's prose is always lively, but in some parts of this book, notably the famous "great chase" of Old Ironsides by some British warships and the American naval victories on the Great Lakes, his descriptiions are better termed rousing, suspenseful, and uplifting.Adults will get almost as much out of this book as kids. ... Read more

Product Description
The war of 1812 is often credited with having aroused fierce anti-American sentiment among upper Canadians, creating a unity which ensured continued loyalty to Britain and played an important role in the defence of the colony. It is also claimed that all of upper Canada benefited from British military spending, setting the province on a course towards prosperity. In this revisionist history, George Sheppard challenges these assumptions. Sheppard demonstrates that the colony was a fragmented and pluralistic community before the war and remained so after it. Upper Canadians were divided by racial, religious, linguistic, and class differences and the majority of settlers had no strong ties to either the United States or Britain, with most men avoiding military service during the war. Reviewing the claims submitted for damages attributed to the fighting, he argues that British forces as well as enemy troops were responsible for widespread destruction of private property and concludes that this explains why there was little increase in anti-American feeling after the war. Much of the wartime damage occurred in areas west of York (now Toronto).This was the cause of grievances harboured by settlers in the western part of upper Canada against their eastern counterparts long after the war had ended. As well, some upper Canadians profited from wartime activities while others suffered greatly. Only later, in the 1840s when these issues had faded from memory, did Canadians begin to create a favourable version of wartime events. Using garrison records, muster rolls, diaries, newspapers, and damage claims registered after the war, the author delves beyond the rhetoric of wartime loyalties and reveals how the legacy of war complicated colonial politics. ... Read more

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Once regarded as a backwoods frontier skirmish, the War of 1812 has become an object of increasing historical scrutiny. A new consensus is emerging among scholars which views the Second War with England as a defining moment in the history of North America. This reference tool enables users to view this important conflict from a variety of American, British, and Canadian perspectives. Compiled by a recognized authority, this bibliography describes over 850 printed primary sources, including letters, diaries, journals, and memoirs. In addition to the usual army and navy accounts, the book also includes narratives by women, clergy, politicians, diplomats, merchants, and Native Americans. ... Read more

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This work was transcribed from records of the British Admiralty pertaining to American prisoners of war held at Bermuda, Cape of Good Hope and Jamaica during the War of 1812. Those interned included American marines, merchantmen and sailors. Information i ... Read more

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This work was transcribed from records of the British Admiralty pertaining to American prisoners of war held at Barbados, West Indies; New Providence, Bahamas; and Newfoundland, Canada during the War of 1812. Those interned included American marines, merc ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from American Review of Canadian Studies, published by Association for Canadian Studies in the United States on March 22, 1998. The length of the article is 1290 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Plunder, profit, and paroles: a social history of the War of 1812 in Upper Canada.
Publication: American Review of Canadian Studies (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1998
Publisher: Association for Canadian Studies in the United States
Volume: 28Issue: 1-2Page: 197-200

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Product Description

Although frequently overlooked between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the War of 1812 tested a rising generation of American leaders; unified the United States with a renewed sense of national purpose; and set the stage for westward expansion from Mackinac Island to the Gulf of Mexico. USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides," proved the mettle of the fledgling American navy; Oliver Hazard Perry hoisted a flag boasting, "Don't Give Up the Ship"; and Andrew Jackson's ragged force stood behind it's cotton bales at New Orleans and bested the pride of British regulars. Here are the stories of commanding generals such as America's double-dealing James Wilkinson, Great Britain's gallant Sir Isaac Brock, Canada's heroine farm wife Laura Secord, and country doctor William Beanes, whose capture set the stage for Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner." During the War of 1812, the United States cast off its cloak of colonial adolescence and -- with both humiliating and glorious moments -- found the fire that was to forge a nation.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (50)

Not about forging America at all
I am at a predisposition against military histories, so this was not as exciting for me.I bought it expecting some of this for sure, but the title promises a political and cultural slant that was almost completely absent.For what it was, it was pretty good and very detailed, but this was not about forging America at all.

A Good, Concise History of the War of 1812
Walter R. Borneman's "1812, The War That Forged A Nation" is a readable and well-written account of one of America's least understood conflicts.The book begins and ends with the political moves in both Washington and London that brought about the war, but the bulk of the narrative is operational and tactical history.The emphasis on the military side of the conflict at the expense of the political side may be off-putting for some readers who enjoy a greater context and are happy with only brief descriptions of armies marching.This is not to say that Borneman's account is completely lacking in political considerations.Indeed, his chapter on the Hartford Convention is very illuminating, but the soul of this book is very much military history. Borenman's accounts of America's naval wars in the Atlantic and upon the great lakes are first rate, as is his description of the great land battles in Canada and the British burning of Washington D.C.Perhaps the best reading in this book is his clear, straight-forward account of the battle of New Orleans.One can almost smell the powder and blood in the air as the British made the same mistake before Jackson's position as Robert E. Lee was to make at Gettysburg nearly fifty years later with Pickett's Charge.While occasionally prone to offering flourishes that come of as a little less than scholarly, Borenman nevertheless largely succeeds in presenting this chapter in American history.

Very Entertaining and Interesting History
I found this book to be very interesting and readable.The author writes in a conversational and easy to understand manner.Also, the chapters are easily digestible and discuss the key events in the war in a colorful way that brings them to life.

One element that would have improved this book is more maps of the battles that occurred.Without maps, it was hard to figure out where the participants were fighting geographically and what tactics helped one side or the other win.

I also felt a sense of detachment from the participants.The author does not spend a lot of time delving into the mindsets of the key commanders.It would have been interesting to learn of the thoughts and emotions each side was experiencing (including the President) to make the experience more real.

Overall, though, this book is very interesting.

War of 1812
Just want to preface my review with the fact that I'm in my 20's, was a history major in college, and enjoy reading history books now for fun, to expand my knowledge, but will read these books on a plane, at the beach, and other non-quiet locations so I'm not reading them very intensely.That being said ...

I just could not get into this book.I've always loved the War of 1812 and James Madison so I was excited by seeing this book, the synopsis, and particularly the length of the book. Books on this war tend to be too long because it is not one that many people seem to "care" about.I cannot say, however, that Borneman did a poor job; he simply does not write a way that I like to read.I think this book was written more in a format of a lecture instead of a book (and I think I would have enjoyed the lecture).I found myself reading line after line after line after line (literally there would be four points in one sentence) and by the time I was finished I realized I ended up two years and three generations later than when I began the sentence.Make sense?Exactly my point.

Borneman tends to go off on tangents that are meaningless and very hard to follow.Again, these side stories, if you will, would be interested in a lecture style format but are hard to follow while reading.The book is well-researched, and I enjoyed certain parts of the book which were then filled by technical details about the number of boats lost, the number of sailors lost, and then far-fetched opinionated statements that consistently made me question the author's credibility.

In the end I think my frustration with the book is personal preference (but my frustration did cause me to write a review which I rarely do).If you want to read a history book that is easy to follow but will still teach you something I recommend Joseph Ellis.If you want technical military details thrown around trite sentences amongst puns, juvenile expressions, and silly opinions (Borneman clearly thinks very little of Jefferson and Madison's presidency) you might enjoy this book.

In one sentence: the book was all over the place and hard to follow.Borneman's research should be lauded, but his editor should be looking for another job.

Very readable account of the War of 1812
This is a very readable account of the War of 1812 aimed at ordinary readers who want to learn more about it.Borneman is not really a historian, or at least not an academic historian; this is reflected in his bibliography which consists mostly of secondary sources. So, there is nothing new here that has not been told in other books.But I don't have any problem with that.I got just what I wanted from the book: a brief history (under 300 pages) of the war that was informative, accurate, well organized, and enjoyable to read.Some reviewers have criticized Borneman's writing style which is very familiar and conversational; I did not mind it.

Borneman sensibly split his narrative into 3 parts:"Drumbeats", "Bugles", and "Finale". The first covers the events that lead to the war. The second covers the first part of the war in which America took the offensive, attempting several times to conquer parts of Canada. The third covers the last year of the war during which American was on the defensive against an England no longer restrained by the Napoleonic War in Europe.He does a good job covering both the land and naval engagements.While there are some maps, some extra or improved ones would have helped since some locations described in the text were not on any maps.

My only real caveat (which other reviewers have shared) is that Borneman claims on his final page (and his subtitle) that the War of 1812 made the United States more united and changed the nature of the "United States" from a plural to a singular term.Given the fact (which he acknowledges) that we still had to fight the Civil War, this seems farfetched.While it might be true that Americans after the war chose to fondly remember their victories and forget their defeats, there was still a lot of division between the different regions of the country.It took a lot longer for the "United States" to really be a singular entity. ... Read more