To commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812, this book tells the complete story of the great conflict between a young United States of America and imperial Great Britain. From the roots of the conflict, through a profile of the two armies, to descriptions of the great battles and events of the war this work captures in one lavishly illustrated volume one of America's first great crises.
Scarcely three decades after the United States won its independence, the massive strength of Mother country returned, seeking to enforce its will on its wayward offspring. The combats were various in scale and ferocity, stretching from the wilds of the Canadian border to the swamps of New Orleans, while on the high seas the fledgling American navy slugged it out bravely with fearsome Britannia, achieving shocking success.
On land the Americans initially had less luck and witnessed the burning of their new capital at Washington, D.C. by British redcoats, even as a gallant bastion off...