Customer Reviews

Niagara 1814: The final invasion (Campaign)

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Jon Latimer's Niagara 1814 covers the see-saw fighting on the Niagara frontier in the waning days of the War of 1812. For both specialist and general readers, this volume in Osprey's campaign series offers a well-written introduction to one of the more interesting - although ultimately fruitless - campaigns of that long-forgotten conflict. Although based primarily on secondary sources, the author was able to pull together a good amount of material from both sides to produce a campaign narrative that is both thorough and balanced. Overall, a very good volume and one well-suited to the Osprey format.

Graphically, Niagara 1814 is quite attractive. In addition to about 60 B/W photos and illustrations, the volume has six 2-D Maps (the northern theater of war, 1814; the Niagara frontier; Brown's advance to Lundy's Lane; Battle of Plattsburgh; Porter's sortie from Fort Erie; McArthur's raid into Upper Canada) and three 3-D BEV maps (Battle of Chippawa; Battle of Lundy's Lane; Assault on Fort Erie). The small size of these battlefields are particularly well-suited for BEV maps, with some maps actually showing trees. All three battle scenes by Graham Turner (charge of Horton's dragoons; attack of Miller's 21st US Infantry at Lundy's Lane; melee around the British batteries) are quite nice and add to the campaign narrative. The volume also has a 1-page bibliography and an index.

The introductory sections cover the usual material on the origins of the campaign and opposing commanders, forces and plans. These sections are a bit thinner than in other campaign series volumes and readers unfamiliar with the War of 1812 may find it difficult to get their footing. Latimer does make the point that the backbone of both sides in this campaign was a small core of well-trained regular troops, although these armies were fragile since they could not expect to receive regular replacements. Artillery, engineers and naval units also played significant roles in the campaign. The author provides a 3-page order of battle for both sides as well.

The campaign narrative proper is about 60 pages in length, mostly focusing on the fighting in July-September 1814. Given the limited number of troops, the short length of the campaign and the small area of operations, the author is able to provide a great deal of detail in these 60 pages. Readers should find it easy to follow the campaign narrative, which is broken into nice chunks and with plenty of supporting maps. Although Chippawa and Lundy's Lane are clearly major set-piece battles, the author also provides plenty of detail on the other movements and minor actions. The section on the battlefield today is a bit short and could have had more on the current Fort Erie (which I visited a couple of years ago). Visiting Fort Erie, there is an interesting monument that lists the horrific number of casualties suffered during assault on 15 August.

After reading the previous two reviews, there really isn't much more I can say about this book outside of the fact that I do agreed with both of them. The book is well written and a great introduction to the Niagara campaign. If anyone is interested in reading more, I strongly recommended Donald E. Graves' Where Right and Glory Lead! and Red Coats & Grey Jackets. First book deals with Lundy's Lane and second book deals with Chippawa. Both are excellent books that back up what you read in this book but in greater details.

I have to admit that when I visited Lundy's Lane, I was quite disappointed that its a cemetery now!! But the museum is quite nice. Chippawa is well preserves and all three forts in that area, Fort Erie, Fort George and Fort Niagara are well worth the visit if this book interests you. Living in Alaska don't get me into these areas too often but it well worth a trip. Book come highly recommended of course, might be an useful guide book!!

The author, Jon Latimer did a great job of breaking down the Niagara campaign into its various component battles. The book is well written and the sequence of events is easy to follow.

The book effectively covers the primary battles of Chippawa, Lundy's Lane, Plattsburgh, and the siege of Fort Erie. These engagements are covered in enough detail to allow the reader to easily follow the action. The book also covers the lesser engagements at Conjocta Creek, Cook's Mills & Malcolm's Mills, and the American sortie out of Fort Erie. Although the detail is not as extensive as the major battles, the author still does a great job of describing these engagements.

The campaign maps are clear, uncluttered, and easy to read. Each map indicates the major military unit involved, the route of advance, and the relevant geographic reference points. The battles of Chippawa, Lundy's Lane, and Fort Erie are also supplemented with 3D bird's eye view maps. All these maps provide just the right amount of information.

The book contains a wide assortment of black & white and color drawings. The author also included three 2-page color illustrations. These drawings give the reader an excellent feel for the events described in the adjoining text.

Early on, the author describes the various commanding officers. These descriptions are insightful when their decisions and conduct are described later in the book. Another helpful part is the Orders of Battle. This concise list is an extremely helpful reference tool for the reader.

Bottom line: This is a well written and easy to read narrative. The author did an excellent job describing the various battles to paint the overall campaign picture. This narrative is then supported with a wide assortment of illustrations. The reader will certainly walk away with a clear understanding of this campaign.