1812: War with AmericaListen to a short interview with Jon Latimer Host: Chris Gondek - Producer: Heron & Crane In the first complete history of the War of 1812 written from a British perspective, Jon Latimer offers an authoritative and compelling account that places the conflict in its strategic context within the Napoleonic wars. The British viewed the War of 1812 as an ill-fated attempt by the young American republic to annex Canada. For British Canada, populated by many loyalists who had fled the American Revolution, this was a war for survival. The Americans aimed both to assert their nationhood on the global stage and to expand their territory northward and westward. Americans would later find in this war many iconic moments in their national story--the bombardment of Fort McHenry (the inspiration for Francis Scott Key's Star Spangled Banner); the Battle of Lake Erie; the burning of Washington; the death of Tecumseh; Andrew Jackson's victory at New Orleans--but their war of conquest was ultimately a failure. Even the issues of neutrality and impressment that had triggered the war were not resolved in the peace treaty. For Britain, the war was subsumed under a long conflict to stop Napoleon and to preserve the empire. The one lasting result of the war was in Canada, where the British victory eliminated the threat of American conquest, and set Canadians on the road toward confederation. Latimer describes events not merely through the eyes of generals, admirals, and politicians but through those of the soldiers, sailors, and ordinary people who were directly affected. Drawing on personal letters, diaries, and memoirs, he crafts an intimate narrative that marches the reader into the heat of battle. |
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American April Armstrong Army Artillery attack August Bathurst Battle Battle of Châteauguay biographies blockade brigade Britain British Brock Brown Burning of Washington Campaign Canadian Captain captured carronades Chauncey Chesapeake Cochrane Cockburn Colonel command companies Creek Croker Dearborn December defence Detroit Drummond fire force Fort Erie Fort George frigate Frontier George guns Halifax Harrison Historical Society History Hitsman Hull idem Indians Jackson James January John Journal July June killed Kingston Lake Erie Lake Ontario Letters Lieutenant Lieutenant-Colonel London Lower Canada Madison Malcomson March Memoir miles Military militia Montreal Naval Niagara North November October officers Orleans Papers Press Prevost to Bathurst prisoners Private Proctor Regiment River Robert Royal Marines Royal Navy Sackets Harbor sail schooners Scott September 1814 ships shot soldiers squadron Tecumseh troops U.S. Infantry U.S. Navy United Upper Canada USNA vessels W. S. Dudley Warren Washington Wilkinson William wounded York