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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Have Book, August 8, 2000
The War of 1812 is sometimes called the Second American War of Independence and sometimes, with tongue in cheek I should imagine, as the Canadian War of Independence. Most often, however, it is referred to as a forgotten war. Small wonder then that, until recently, there has been a dearth of good books on the subject.John Elting attempted to change that back in 1991 with the publication of this book. I picked it up after reading several Canadian accounts and when looking for another perspective. The book is a decent size; 353 pages of text, maps bibliography, index and illustrations. There are no appendicies, but there is a good section on Elting's sources, which could serve as mini-reviews in themselves. As a description of a war, the book follows the standard structure of describing the opening political scenes, the preparations for war and so on through the many campaigns and battles. Where Elting excels is in the detailing of the inner workings of the American government, it's successes and, just as often, its follies. It is obvious that, as a former military man, he has little time for politicians who want to "play war". No incompetent is spared his dry wit and droll humour. He wrote the following about two politically appointed and conflicting militia generals after an aborted post-Queenston invasion of Canada: "Smyth called another council and decided to suspend offensive operations...Porter denounced Smyth as a coward; Smyth challenged Porter to a duel; and the Republican heroes exchanged pistol shots. Unfortunately, both missed." The book is replete with such wry yet relevant remarks. He describes the American farcical, early attempts at invasion with a critical eye and depth. At the same time, he dolls out credit where warranted and has praise for worthy officers such as Winfield Scott and the long suffering American infantrymen who are marched, counter-marched, starved, frozen, ill-clothed, rarely supplied and wasted in ill-conceived battles or uncapitalized gains. He details their growth from raw recruits in 1812 to outstanding regulars by 1814. Elting covers as much as the British side as he can (there being a shocking lack of British accounts at the time of writing) and while the depth of detail may not be as great as for the American side, there is plenty to satisfy the reader with. He explains the grim opening situation for the British side, the problems of manpower and transportation on the frontier and so forth. The book is a great study of the American account of the war and afterwords a reader will be well versed in the machinations of the Madison government and the growth and development of the American Army. I wish I could say that it is the ultimate study of this war, but I don't think I could correctly do that. In reading the book, I felt a subtle pro-American feel throughout. Some British accomplishments are glossed over; the Battle of Chrysler's Farm, a major event in Canadian history, is spread over less than two pages and descriptions of British actions and tactics are less than flattering. You get the feel that Elting wants the British to be wearing the black hats. Fair enough from the American viewpoint I guess. The most uncomfortable sections for me were in his descriptions and references to the British allies - the aboriginals. He describes them in a manner reminiscent of John Wayne movies. Elting prepares the reader for this in his opening prologue by saying: "it is necessary to deal bluntly with two of present-day America's favorite figures, the American Indian and Thomas Jefferson and his disciples" in order to understand the nature of the war. I'm not convinced that by alluding to the aboriginals as savages, murderers, cowards and skulkers that I have a better understanding of the war. One of these days, we'll understand that while the taking of scalps and other acts are horrible activities in our eyes (especially today), it was a perfectly normal thing to do in some North American Indian cultures. They were equally confounded by the white man's treatment of his enemy prisoners. How could you keep your enemy alive after trying to kill him? I'm not condoning the violence perpetrated upon soldiers and settlers, but if one is to understand the nature of aboriginal warfare... I have one more minor quibble and this, I think, derives from my wargaming hobby. The maps; of sixteen maps, few have actual troop positions marked on them. Not even the tactical maps of Chippewa or Lundy's Lane show the relative positions of the two forces. It is a minor point since the text outlines all of the movements minutely. I guess Mr. Elting spoiled me with his Napoleonic Atlas! The strongest points of the book are the descriptions of the Washington and New Orleans campaigns. The actions are written about at length. Mr. Elting's writing talents come to the fore here. I was especially surprised by his account of Andrew Jackson, the hero of New Orleans. I never realized what an incompetent military commander this man was. He was saved by his own tenacity and audacity and by British bungling. In conclusion, if you are looking for "the" book on the War of 1812, this is not it. However, I doubt there is a book out there that describes the development of the American army against the backdrop of the political circus of the time as well as you will find here. Its treatment of the American side is fair and even-handed. If, in my opinion, Mr. Elting had been able to do the same for the British/Canadian side, this would be "the" book of the War of 1812. That not withstanding, a scholar or casual reader of the conflict would be remiss if this book was not part of the personal library.
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