War of 1812 (E.H.#41)

The war of 1812-15 was a bloody confrontation that tore through the American frontier, the British colonies of Upper and Lower Canada and parts of the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The conflict saw British, American and First Nations forces clash, and in the process, shape the future of North American history. This volume explains what led to America's decision to take up arms against Great Britain and assesses the three terrible years of fighting that followed on land and sea, where battles such as Lake Erie and Lake Champlain launched American naval traditions. "I am most favorably impressed by the Essential Histories series on the American Civil War. Written by four of the best historians of the military course of the war, these volumes provide a lucid and concise narrative of the campaigns in both the Eastern and Western theaters as well as penetrating analyses of strategies and leadership. Ideal for classroom use or fireside reading."Background to war; warring sides; outbreak; the fighting; portrait of a soldier; the world around war; portrait of a civilian; how the war ended; conclusion and consequences.