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Incredible War of 1812 a Military History
Hitsman's account of the War of 1812 is regarded by many experts as the best one-volume history of that conflict. It is an engrossing story of the causes of the war and of the campaigns and battles that raged on land and water, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. This new paperback edition, edited by Donald E. Graves, contains the entire text of the original edition and much new material.
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First published January 1, 1965
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March 18, 2013
This book is almost entirely pure military history, and as such it succeeds admirably.
However, this also means it's a little dry. It provides many good maps, pictures, and detailed addenda. In particular the addenda concerning the contemporary and current names of the various British and Canadian regiments that fought in the war provides good supporting background. While the author writes pretty much free of national bias, his main point is that the war in Canada was largely fought and won by British regulars. Popular Canadian perceptions have the militia getting all the credit for repelling the various inept US invasions. This is simply not so. To the British 8th, 41st and 49th regiments of foot, who virtually alone stood on the frontier in 1812 against the Americans, must go the lionshare of credit in preventing Canada's conquest. The author points out that most Canadian militia did little or no fighting, the exception being some of the good fencible units that were raised.
The book is even handed in its approach to both sides. The book is well written and has good maps of the different campaign regions and many of the individual battles. The American plan for the conquest of Canada involved a four pronged assault from Detroit, Western New York across the Niagara River, and down the St Lawrence and Richelieu rivers to Montreal and Quebec. The British were able to defeat all these attempts and evened captured the area that would become Michigan. For the next two years the conflict would swing back and forth as each side gained the upper hand and lost it. Since this war was fought by both sides at the edge of the frontier, control of the Great Lakes, the easiest way to move men and material, was paramount. The biggest problem for the British Governor Prevost was how to hold this vast land with a few regiments of British regulars and Canadian militia. Pictures of many of the principles, uniformed soldiers and some of the battles also add to the narrative. The author believes that the War of 1812 marked the beginning of a Canadian identity, when they came together as a people against an external foe.
However, this also means it's a little dry. It provides many good maps, pictures, and detailed addenda. In particular the addenda concerning the contemporary and current names of the various British and Canadian regiments that fought in the war provides good supporting background. While the author writes pretty much free of national bias, his main point is that the war in Canada was largely fought and won by British regulars. Popular Canadian perceptions have the militia getting all the credit for repelling the various inept US invasions. This is simply not so. To the British 8th, 41st and 49th regiments of foot, who virtually alone stood on the frontier in 1812 against the Americans, must go the lionshare of credit in preventing Canada's conquest. The author points out that most Canadian militia did little or no fighting, the exception being some of the good fencible units that were raised.
The book is even handed in its approach to both sides. The book is well written and has good maps of the different campaign regions and many of the individual battles. The American plan for the conquest of Canada involved a four pronged assault from Detroit, Western New York across the Niagara River, and down the St Lawrence and Richelieu rivers to Montreal and Quebec. The British were able to defeat all these attempts and evened captured the area that would become Michigan. For the next two years the conflict would swing back and forth as each side gained the upper hand and lost it. Since this war was fought by both sides at the edge of the frontier, control of the Great Lakes, the easiest way to move men and material, was paramount. The biggest problem for the British Governor Prevost was how to hold this vast land with a few regiments of British regulars and Canadian militia. Pictures of many of the principles, uniformed soldiers and some of the battles also add to the narrative. The author believes that the War of 1812 marked the beginning of a Canadian identity, when they came together as a people against an external foe.
March 29, 2009
OK, I can't prove it, but I believe myself to be the world's foremost expert on the War of 1812. I have now read 5 books on the subject. What sane person has read more?
This bizare little war intersects my life in a bunch of ways. First there is personal geography. Naturally, two of the more memorable events of the war, the burning of Washington and the defense of Baltimore, are sights well known to me. I've driven by Bladensburg (where the US Army was routed before the burning of Washington) many times and wondered if there is a marker somewhere. Also, outside of the building in which I work there is an old federalist style brick mansion called the Sewall-Belmont House. On the outside of the entrance there is a little plaque commemorating that from this house, the only resistance to the burning of Washington was offered. Of course, the British responded by trying to burn down the house.
This work is the War of 1812 told from the Brittish/Canadian perspective. While we Americans consider the War of 1812 to be our "second war of independence," Canadians seem to consider the war the furnace by which they were forged into a nation.
The book is well illustrated and richly detailed from a military history point of view (full Brit orders of battle). The prose is sufficiently engaging. But, the author had a major axe to grind. Appearantly, J. Mackay Hitsman was an archivist for the Canadian Military during the war, and then as a civilian after the war. He seems to have become convinced that British Commander and Governor General Sir George Prevost was getting the short end of the stick. Prevost's lethargy in the offensive was really only a reaction to the directions he received from London. Furthermore, the Hitsman feels the need to go out of his way to correct the record about the role of the Canadian militia. He feels that subsequent popular belief has elevated the role of the militia, when it was, in fact, British regulars that bore the brunt of the fighting.
On both subjects, I think Hitsman is convincing. But still, it leaves an American reader a little bewildered. Both controversies seem a little silly. Of course, US histories often emphasize that had Prevost been more aggressive, the whole enterprise might have come crashing down around our ears. But, its not as if the Americans covered themselves in glory at Prevost's expense.
Additionally, the book is really only concerned with the conduct of the war on the Canadian frontier. Even Cockburn and Cochrane's exploits get short shrift. Needless to say, American naval success stories are all but ignored.
It also does not give much context to the political and diplomatic workings on the English side. Britain's diplomatic circumstances were complicated. The Russians want to mediate, they can't ever quite turn their backs on Nappy, the English maritime community is up in arms. But all of this is little discussed in The Incredible War of 1812. We essentially get a Canadian colonial impression of the diplomatic undertakings -- results are handed down to the reader, but we get no insight into how those results were reached.
Anyway, this was an OK read, but pales in comparison to Henry Adams or Elting's work. I'd say the great English history of the war has yet to be written, but maybe the Canadians have theirs.
This bizare little war intersects my life in a bunch of ways. First there is personal geography. Naturally, two of the more memorable events of the war, the burning of Washington and the defense of Baltimore, are sights well known to me. I've driven by Bladensburg (where the US Army was routed before the burning of Washington) many times and wondered if there is a marker somewhere. Also, outside of the building in which I work there is an old federalist style brick mansion called the Sewall-Belmont House. On the outside of the entrance there is a little plaque commemorating that from this house, the only resistance to the burning of Washington was offered. Of course, the British responded by trying to burn down the house.
This work is the War of 1812 told from the Brittish/Canadian perspective. While we Americans consider the War of 1812 to be our "second war of independence," Canadians seem to consider the war the furnace by which they were forged into a nation.
The book is well illustrated and richly detailed from a military history point of view (full Brit orders of battle). The prose is sufficiently engaging. But, the author had a major axe to grind. Appearantly, J. Mackay Hitsman was an archivist for the Canadian Military during the war, and then as a civilian after the war. He seems to have become convinced that British Commander and Governor General Sir George Prevost was getting the short end of the stick. Prevost's lethargy in the offensive was really only a reaction to the directions he received from London. Furthermore, the Hitsman feels the need to go out of his way to correct the record about the role of the Canadian militia. He feels that subsequent popular belief has elevated the role of the militia, when it was, in fact, British regulars that bore the brunt of the fighting.
On both subjects, I think Hitsman is convincing. But still, it leaves an American reader a little bewildered. Both controversies seem a little silly. Of course, US histories often emphasize that had Prevost been more aggressive, the whole enterprise might have come crashing down around our ears. But, its not as if the Americans covered themselves in glory at Prevost's expense.
Additionally, the book is really only concerned with the conduct of the war on the Canadian frontier. Even Cockburn and Cochrane's exploits get short shrift. Needless to say, American naval success stories are all but ignored.
It also does not give much context to the political and diplomatic workings on the English side. Britain's diplomatic circumstances were complicated. The Russians want to mediate, they can't ever quite turn their backs on Nappy, the English maritime community is up in arms. But all of this is little discussed in The Incredible War of 1812. We essentially get a Canadian colonial impression of the diplomatic undertakings -- results are handed down to the reader, but we get no insight into how those results were reached.
Anyway, this was an OK read, but pales in comparison to Henry Adams or Elting's work. I'd say the great English history of the war has yet to be written, but maybe the Canadians have theirs.
August 2, 2022
The subtitle of this book notes that it is a military history of the War of 1812, and it certainly achieves its mission of concentrating on this side of the war. It is also written by a Canadian and looks at the war from the vantage point of our northern neighbors. And, yes, it was weird to read the words "the enemy" and realize that they referred to Americans. If one is looking for a pure military history of this war, this is the book, as it goes into tremendous details about troop placements, orders of battle, casualty figures, etc. But I emerged at the end somewhat dissatisfied, as the focus on the minute details of the military aspects of the war meant that I never got a good feel for the "big picture" components that would explain why the British had success where and when they did, and why the Americans had success where and when they did. The book does a good job of highlighting how strange certain aspects of the war were. Since a lot of the inhabitants of Upper Canada were recently relocated Americans, some leaders of the U.S. (most notably Henry Clay) believed that taking over this part of Canada would be pretty easy. It obviously was not. There were some British/Canadian units that defected, but the book never really discussed how the largely French population of Lower Canada reacted to a conflict that had the potential to allow them to escape British rule. I was also disappointed that two of the biggest episodes of the end of the war- the peace negotiations at Ghent and the Battle of New Orleans- were discussed in a very short (ten pages) final chapter. If one is looking for a one-volume treatment of the War of 1812- military, political, social- this is not your book.
November 11, 2013
Title: The Incredible War of 1812
Author: J. Mackay Hitsman
Genre: Nonfiction, Military History
Length: 398 pages
Reviewer: Pearson Moore
Rating: 5 stars
Summary
J. Mackay Hitsman provides a thorough, satisfying, and thought-provoking single-volume history of the War of 1812.
From the Publisher
Hitsman's account of the War of 1812 is regarded by many experts as the best one-volume history of that conflict. It is an engrossing story of the causes of the war and of the campaigns and battles that raged on land and water, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. This new paperback edition, edited by Donald E. Graves, contains the entire text of the original edition and much new material.
Review
"The Incredible War of 1812" is the fourth history I have read of the war. While it is not my favorite history, in its own way it provides a better explanation of the conflict than other analyses. Casual students of the war may prefer Pierre Berton's masterful two-volume history, and this remains my favorite by far. However, more serious students will find in Hitsman's short history much food for thought and rigorous but engaging discussion of several important ideas.
Hitsman frequently repeats the refrain that the War of 1812 was a 'Little War'. He acknowledges the great importance of the war in the Canadian psyche, but if anything he tries to detach himself from it rather than embracing the fact, as Berton did in his analysis. I think both approaches are enlightening, but I found Hitsman's bias particularly informative in that he was able to lay bare some of the fundamental drivers of the effort on both sides of the Great Lakes. Americans in Washington suffered ambition, greed, and untested confidence. The British, on the other hand, were genuinely surprised to find a local populace moved to passionate defense of their homeland.
Hitsman does not overplay early American incompetence in land battles, but I feel he tends to give insufficient credit to the fledgling American Navy and his acknowledgement of the efficacy of American privateers seems grudging at best. I suspect I will have to look to British accounts of the war to gain a better understanding of naval battles, but the immediate aims of my research center around land engagements and strategies, so Hitsman's work met my needs quite nicely. Readers seeking a detailed analysis of sea battles will need to look to other histories.
Overall
This is a fine history, more engaging than most military histories, and a work that would prove edifying to any serious student of the era.
Rating: 5 stars
Author: J. Mackay Hitsman
Genre: Nonfiction, Military History
Length: 398 pages
Reviewer: Pearson Moore
Rating: 5 stars
Summary
J. Mackay Hitsman provides a thorough, satisfying, and thought-provoking single-volume history of the War of 1812.
From the Publisher
Hitsman's account of the War of 1812 is regarded by many experts as the best one-volume history of that conflict. It is an engrossing story of the causes of the war and of the campaigns and battles that raged on land and water, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. This new paperback edition, edited by Donald E. Graves, contains the entire text of the original edition and much new material.
Review
"The Incredible War of 1812" is the fourth history I have read of the war. While it is not my favorite history, in its own way it provides a better explanation of the conflict than other analyses. Casual students of the war may prefer Pierre Berton's masterful two-volume history, and this remains my favorite by far. However, more serious students will find in Hitsman's short history much food for thought and rigorous but engaging discussion of several important ideas.
Hitsman frequently repeats the refrain that the War of 1812 was a 'Little War'. He acknowledges the great importance of the war in the Canadian psyche, but if anything he tries to detach himself from it rather than embracing the fact, as Berton did in his analysis. I think both approaches are enlightening, but I found Hitsman's bias particularly informative in that he was able to lay bare some of the fundamental drivers of the effort on both sides of the Great Lakes. Americans in Washington suffered ambition, greed, and untested confidence. The British, on the other hand, were genuinely surprised to find a local populace moved to passionate defense of their homeland.
Hitsman does not overplay early American incompetence in land battles, but I feel he tends to give insufficient credit to the fledgling American Navy and his acknowledgement of the efficacy of American privateers seems grudging at best. I suspect I will have to look to British accounts of the war to gain a better understanding of naval battles, but the immediate aims of my research center around land engagements and strategies, so Hitsman's work met my needs quite nicely. Readers seeking a detailed analysis of sea battles will need to look to other histories.
Overall
This is a fine history, more engaging than most military histories, and a work that would prove edifying to any serious student of the era.
Rating: 5 stars
July 11, 2010
If you ask Americans and Canadians who won the War of 1812, they both say "We did!" I joked to my friend, the son of the author, "Why would I want to read history written by the losers?" Why indeed?
I find it useful to read the other side's version of events. It adds balance, but I don't think this book is useful without some knowledge of the American side of events.
Basically, the war was a draw. Both sides had victories and losses. Canada occupied Maine and burned Washington, but withdrew immediately afterward. America occupied portions of Upper Canada and burned the provincial legislature and governor's mansion in York.
In the end, England was much more preoccupied with Napoleon in Europe and did not dedicate their top military units to the war while America was hobbled by state militias which were poorly trained, inexperienced and generally unwilling to fight outside of the United States territories.
I find it useful to read the other side's version of events. It adds balance, but I don't think this book is useful without some knowledge of the American side of events.
Basically, the war was a draw. Both sides had victories and losses. Canada occupied Maine and burned Washington, but withdrew immediately afterward. America occupied portions of Upper Canada and burned the provincial legislature and governor's mansion in York.
In the end, England was much more preoccupied with Napoleon in Europe and did not dedicate their top military units to the war while America was hobbled by state militias which were poorly trained, inexperienced and generally unwilling to fight outside of the United States territories.
October 17, 2012
I'll admit I'm partial to Donald Graves, the way he writes history and his editing. That said J.M. Hitsman's republished edition tied together some areas of the War of 1812 that were missing for me. As written, it is a easy read for people not interested in Canadian History as much as some. The insertion of personal papers and articles is something that seems to be missing from other histories and Donald Graves images finish off a nice read. Just in time for all of the 200th anniversary events!
May 7, 2008
Pierre Berton does a much better job in his two volumes
Read
August 9, 2011Written from a Canadian perspective, it is generally considered to be the best War of 1812 history out there. It was great.
October 9, 2020
A fairly comprehensive account of the War of 1812, albeit strongly biased toward the British-Canadian version of events. British victories, whether on land or sea are generally given much more extensive coverage and the challenges faced by the British-Canadian strategists given far more analysis. The New Orleans campaign for example, is given less coverage than some skirmishes along the Niagara frontier. Will have to read another account to redress this imbalance. This book was rated #23 out of a Goodreads list of 75 books on this relatively unknown conflict. The Troy Bickham account seems promising. Anyway, this one has decent maps for the most part and rather extensive set of references and interesting portraits with brief biographies of important personalities. A good solid read on an interesting subject, despite the author's clear slant. He was a Canadian after all!
March 18, 2022
As the title says, this history book covers the War of 1812 between Britain and the U.S.A. from a military perspective. It does cover the causes of the war and how the ongoing wars in Europe between Napoleonic France and the Allies (led by Britain) contributed to the cause of this war as well as heavily influencing the resulting conclusion of the war. It is a well researched and documented history book. Interesting and important characters in this war such as Sir George Prevost, Tecumseh and U.S. Generals Hull, Dearborn, Harrison and Scot are examined for their impact on the war. There are many helpful maps that bring the major battles covered into a clearer focus. If you have an interest in this War of 1812, I recommend this book and a good overview of the entire war and its place in the world.
May 21, 2021
Dry. Its no wonder this war is skipped in most history overviews... its boring and inconsequential almost at every turn. Pass unless your a huge 1812 nerd.
February 23, 2014
This book is a very detailed offering of the war of 1812. If you want to have a quick read heavy on the action and light on the documentation this will not be for you. It is very well researched with lots of excerpts from the key players on both side do the war.
February 13, 2014
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This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 3, 2017
A concise, if dated, overview of the War of 1812 presented primarily from the Canadian perspective. It does get bogged down with details of the movement of individual British reinforcement groups, which is out of sync with the scale of unit description presented by the balance of the text.
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