Amongst My Best Men: African Americans and the War of 1812 [Paperback]

Gerard T Altoff (Author), Robyn Opthoff Lilek (Illustrator), Joseph P. Reidy (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

The War of 1812 is without a doubt one of the least known of all of America's wars. Mere mention of the war conjures in the average American's mind a series of illusions, misconceptions, and false assumptions. Chief among those fallacies is that the US won the war. Thus it is not surprising that the role of African Americans in the War of 1812 is as misunderstood as the war itself. The principle goal of this book is two fold; to acknowledge that African Americans played a much greater role in the War of 1812 than most people know or suspect and to place that role in context with other campaigns of the War of 1812.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After serving a four year tour of duty with the US Coast Guard, which included a WestPac cruise to Viet Nam, Gerard T Altoff joined the US National Park Service in 1972. He held positions at Zion National Park, in Utah, then Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota followed by Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial Superintendent. This is one of three books written by Gerard Altoff on the Battle of Lake Erie, War of 1812 subject area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 181 pages
• Publisher: The Perry Group; Revised edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887794026
• ISBN-13: 978-1887794022
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,506,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After serving a four year tour of duty with the US Coast Guard, which included a WestPac cruise to Viet Nam, Gerard T Altoff joined the US National Park Service in 1972. He held positions at Zion National Park, in Utah, then Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota followed by Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial Superintendent in Put-in-Bay Ohio. "Amongst My Best Men: African Americans and the War of 1812",(1996) and "Oliver Hazard Perry and the Battle of Lake Erie" (Revised edition 1999) and "Deep Water Sailors, Shallow Water Soldiers"(1988) were all published by The Perry Group. They were written by Gerard T. Altoff while he lived on the island. All three are essential books on the The War of 1812 and expertly cover the Battle of Lake Erie subject area. They are all still in print.

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5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, December 10, 2011

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Nicola C. James (North Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Amongst My Best Men: African Americans and the War of 1812 (Paperback)

Not much is published about the War of 1812 and certainly not much about the Black participation in it. I hope this remains in print so that students and teachers alike can learn from it.