Customer Reviews

1812: War with America

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Jon Latimer approached this book on the War of 1812 with a goal to set this war in a broader context and to introduce a substantial amount of English archival material about the conflict. The work is well written, authoritative, and thoroughly documented. The work provides a fascinating context for understanding the United State's aspirations towards Canada and its' virulent anglophobia that persisted until the advent of World War II. My only problem with this book was that it was sometimes hard to distinguish between the affiliations of the officers and units engaged in the conflict (make a "cheat sheet"). A good read for anyone who wishes to have a deeper understanding about this complex and confused skirmish with our English kin.

Latimer's book feels like a definitive account of a conflict that is very poorly understood or studied. The book is obviously not written to be a dry recounting of troop movements or a collection of anecdotes strung together as some seem to be. The author is not shy about making some sharp comments, but his claims are very well documented with a huge volume of endnotes.

Great stuff!

Full of information. Clearly, well researched. I am enjoying it and am going to finish it. But, this book is missing oomph of some kind. It does not have a holistic feel to it. Does not seem to be tied together well from a strategic standpoint.

This book is well researched and it would not surprise me if others who have read more about the War of 1812 thought this book to be the most comprehensive. That being said, I found the presentation to be on the dry side. Sometimes history books are written in a manner so as to inspire me to read as much additional information I can about the subject matter. Perhaps, because this book is so thorough, I did not feel that inspiration here. At the end of the day, I was just a little bored with the War of 1812.

The War of 1812 is rarely referenced outside of predominantly American historiography. Often presented by American's as a second war of independence that resulted in the burning of the White House, Jon Latimer in 1812: War with America, challenges this simplistic representation with a lively description of a much more complex and nuanced conflict. Latimer, citing extensive source material, argues that the War of 1812 was not a second war for independence created by "simple arrogance" on the part of the British rather a policy of economic warfare against France of which Britain was locked in a twenty plus year conflict for survival of which the conflict with the Americans was a mere distraction (pg 4). Most importantly though Latimer argues that the War of 1812 was "fundamentally a failed war of conquest" by the United States which desired to take control of Canada resulting in Canada becoming a separate nation free of British and American control.

For most citizens of the United States the War of 1812 is usually tied to the bombardment of Fort McHenry which inspired Francis Scott Key's "The Star Spangled Banner" or perhaps Andrew Jackson's victory at New Orleans. Rarely though do we hear of the United States desire to annex Canada which Latimer convincingly argues was one of the main reasons behind many in the pro war camp of US government (pg 30-31). While the US was stymied in its attempts at annexing Canada, and was unable to resolve the issues of neutrality and impressments, for which the moral argument for war was based the British came out of the war having obtained many of their goals. While they experienced some serious setbacks and military surprises at the hands of Jackson and American privateers they thwarted the annexation of Canada, reduced the loss of precious seamen to US ships which was one of the main reasons for the conflict, and most importantly were able to contain and eventually defeat Napoleon (pg 20).

Latimer manages to tie together numerous other themes and ideas from religion to American desire for new lands into a strong work that provides an authoritative history of the issues and events leading to the War of 1812. He often does this through the use of letters, memos, and documents from not only famous politicians and leaders but common sailors and soldiers, and people giving the reader some sense of feelings and opinions of the time. The result is a masterful work which appeals to both the analytical senses of the scholar and to the more visceral senses of the layman.

Although I was somewhat familiar with political issues of that time, this is the first book I have read about the war itself. Besides giving an international overview of the war from the British perspective, Latimer provides many fine and personal details of battles and skirmishes of American involvement - far more than I was anticipating.
Judging from the extent of detail, I'd say that this is pretty well researched. Before receiving this book, the 600+ pages sounded like a long read. However, 143 pages are devoted to notes and 57 pages to bibliography.

The story as viewed from the British perspective. Very detailed and an easy read.Great book!!!

1812: WAR WITH AMERICA
JON LATIMER
BELKNAP PRESS OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS, 2009
QUALITY SOFTCOVER, $18.95, 636 PAGES, MAPS, ILLUSTRATIONS, BIBLIOGRAPHY, ABBREVIATIONS, NOTES, INDEX


The War of 1812 or Second War of American Independence was fought from 1812-1814. When Britain was fighting France in the Napoleonic Wars, neither side respected the rights of neutral merchant ships, and many U.S. vessels were seized. The British went further and impressed American sailors into the British Royal Navy. They also stirred up the American Indians along the old Northwest Territory to attack American outposts and settlements. War Hawks in the West and South united under the slogan "Free trade and sailors' rights," and the U.S. Congress voted narrowly to declare war on Britain. In 1812, an American three-pronged attack on Montreal failed miserably and Detroit fell, but on the high seas, the young American Navy scored five victories. In 1813, Detroit was recaptured, Captain Oliver H. Perry (1789-1819) defeated a British fleet on Lake Erie, and General William H. Harrison (1773-1841) broke up Tecumseh's (1768?-1813) Indian Confederacy at the Battle of the Thames, but American ships were bottled up in harbors by a British Royal Navy blockade. The British took the offensive in 1814 but were stopped for good at Plattsburgh, New York. To the south, the British Royal Navy commanded Chesapeake Bay and a land force captured Washington, D.C. and burned the Capitol and White House. However, it was repulsed at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, In December, 1814, another British naval and land force approached New Orleans but was decisively defeated by the Americans under General Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) on January 8, 1815, two weeks after the war had concluded with the Treaty of Ghent. The United States was now recognized as an independent entity and as a military power. 1812: WAR WITH AMERICA is an exceptional book on a war that very few Americans know. The author, Jon Latimer shows the war's intricate links to the establishment and the consolidation of our early republic. His book is an enthralling, invaluable reference resource for high school and college students, scholars, and history buffs.


Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida

1812 WAR WITH AMERICA by Jon Latimer is the 2008 Society for Military History Distinguished Book Award Winner for United States History.