America's first crisis : the War of 1812 / Robert P. Watson.

Print version record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

"The silliest damned war" -- Stumbling toward war -- The Chesapeake affair -- "Leopardized" -- Land, empire, and intrigue -- The Indian question -- Tippecanoe and the course of history -- A declaration of war -- The invasion begins -- The battle of Queenston Heights -- Three-pronged disaster -- "Remember the raisin" -- The sacking of York -- Victories at last -- The battles of Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams -- The battle of Thames -- The making of a Navy -- A new generation of heroes -- Blockade -- The cursed Chesapeake -- "We have met the enemy and they are ours" -- The battle of the carpenters -- Saving Canada -- Turning the tables on the invaders -- Canada's bloodiest battle -- Victory on Lake Champlain -- "The Bladensburg races" -- The burning of the White House -- The defense of Baltimore -- "Oh say can you see" -- The siege of Fort Erie -- The battle of Horseshoe Bend -- The southern campaign -- The treaty of Ghent -- The battle of New Orleans -- The making of a nation.

The War of 1812, sometimes called "America#x92;s forgotten war", was a curious affair. At the time, it was dismissed as "Mr. Madison#x92;s War". Later it was hailed by some as America#x92;s "Second War for Independence" and ridiculed by others, such as President Harry Truman, as "the silliest damned war we ever had". The conflict, which produced several great heroes and future presidents, was all this and more.0In this book Robert P. Watson tells the stories of the most intriguing battles and leaders and shares the most important blunders and victories of the war. What started out as an effort to invade Canada, fueled by anger over the harassment of American merchant ships by the Royal Navy, soon turned into an all-out effort to fend off an invasion by Britain. Armies marched across the Canadian border and sacked villages; navies battled on Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain, and the world#x92;s oceans; both the American and Canadian capitals were burned; and, in a final irony, the United States won its greatest victory in New Orleans - after the peace treaty had been signed.

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