1812 : The War That Forged a Nation

Rating:
Summary: Cogent, readable and enlightening
Review: 1812 is a riveting account of a dangerous time in our country's history. For a nation only 20 years of age, one whose economic health was so dependent on overseas commerce, to emback so impetuously in a war with the world's greatest maritime power--a power who nearly was succesful in stillbirthing the nations's inception--seems foolhardy at best. The justifiable goals of war: impressmant of U.S. citizens for duty on Her Majesty's ships, the equally unreasonable Orders in Council, that forced the world's seagoing traders to pay protection to the crown, was laudable. But the American rallying cry for Canadian lands today smacks of hypocrisy, given our colonial past, and Jefferson's embargos caused more financial pain --self-inflicted-- than any policy Great Britain had imposed.
As with the Revolution, this war put our national life fully on the line. In 1812, grievances that might have been successfully addressed with patience and diplomacy in the end, through war, built a national character--a sense of collective state's self-- that indeed forged a union that made the coming civil dispute a two-party war and not chaos between 18? states.
I knew none of this, appreciated none of the fragility of our fledgling union before reading this book. Borneman writes compellingly, conversationally, and has a tremendous capacity for building a broader context for events and personalities that ultimately makes sense for what might otherwise be a cocophany of battles, places and people. I highly recommend 1812 The War That Forged a Nation for anyone wanting to add depth to their picture of our nation's formative years. The book belongs on the same shelf as McCullough's John Adams, Ambrose's Lewis and Clark, and Franklin's biography.


Rating:
Summary: A national identity is formed
Review: 1812: The War That Forged A Nation, by Walter R. Borneman, is a comprehensive, if somewhat superficial, look at the war that gave the United States a national identity, even as it ended in essentially a stalemate. Borneman is mostly known for history books dealing with the western United States, and he even mentions in his Acknowledgements how this book seems to be out of his field. However, Borneman maintains that the war set the United States on a course that would result in the western expansion that is his bread and butter, and thus deserves to be looked at more closely. It's a very interesting book that covers the entire war that tells everything that happened, though it doesn't quite go into as much detail as I would have liked.

Borneman sets the stage for the war by discussing the relations between Great Britain and the United States in the first decade of the 1800s, including one of the main reasons for the United States to go to war: the impressments of American sailors into British naval service on the high seas. The United States was still considered an extremely minor power and was bullied by pretty much everybody. While the French didn't impress sailors, they did do other things, and some hawks in the American government actually advocated going to war with both Britain and France! One other reason for the war, not as popularly known, was that many westerners wanted to steal Canada out from under Great Britain while they were distracted by Napoleon on the continent. They didn't see any reason why Canada shouldn't be part of the United States, by force if necessary.

Thus, the war drums were beaten, and war was declared. Borneman does a great job showing us all of the machinations that went on behind the scenes to get the declaration of war passed in Congress, along with a couple of incidents that almost got the war started before it really did. While this information is obviously well-known to history buffs who have studied the era, it was information that I hadn't known before and I liked how Borneman laid it all out for us. He shows how Madison went along with all of this, though he was almost hoping that Congress would bail him out of the course he had set for the country.

Once the fighting starts, Borneman also explains all the battles that happened during the war, sometimes in very vivid detail. He tells us about the horribly executed three-pronged invasion of Canada that resulted in the loss of Detroit to the British, as well as the first major US victories on the high seas before the British finally started taking this upstart navy seriously. The level of detail is amazing sometimes, though for some reason I felt a bit removed from all of the action. I'm not sure if it's because he is sometimes unable to give reasons for what happened or if it's his style, but while the prose is detailed, I felt like something was missing. Perhaps it's because the book comes in two modes: detailed battle information and the reasons behind some of the events in the war, but these two modes never really mingle. Instead, we get some battle detail, then we get some "big picture" information, and then we go back to the battles, etc.

I do have to give Borneman credit, however, for making a (for lack of a better word) "boring" war very interesting to read about. He has obviously done his research and he gives descriptions of tactics in each battle (including wonderfully rendered maps!). These descriptions make you feel like you are right there on the battlefield, hearing the explosions and feeling musket balls whistle past your ear. Sometimes his descriptions make it seem impossible that so few (relatively speaking, of course) men actually died in these battles. He describes men being mown down by rows of musket fire and then we hear casualties of 81 killed and 500 wounded or the like. Of note is his account of the Battle of New Orleans, a battle that was fought after the armistice had been signed but before news had reached the participants, and could have resulted in a resumption of hostilities if the British had won. This battle is even more lovingly described than the rest of them and he really shows Andrew Jackson's leadership and tactical expertise in this chapter.

The War of 1812 was a war that some in the United States wanted for their own purposes, but one that almost to a man it was desperate to get out of as Napoleon surrenders and the British are able to concentrate on this annoying gnat of a country. Nothing was resolved officially, but it turns out to be the war that would cement the feeling of "America" on an infant country that was just trying to find its feet in the world. Borneman does a great job showing how this occurred, with Jackson's resounding victory of a battle-hardened British army being the final piece of the puzzle. While there may be more comprehensive books on the War of 1812 out there, 1812: The War that Forged a Nation is a wonderful starting point.

David Roy

Rating:
Summary: Great Story about the War of 1812
Review: As he has shown in his other books, especially the History of Alaska, Walter Borneman's writing style is both informative and extremely entertaining. Although most present-day Americans know little about this "forgotten war," this book enlightens us to the fact that the War of 1812 changed the way U.S. citizens regarded themselves. Following the Battle of New Orleans, they were confident of their place in the world. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the history of our country.

Rating:
Summary: The Why, What Happened, and After Effects
Review: Lost between the Revolution and the Civil War, the war of 1812 has always seemed to me to have been a somewhat silly kind of war. This new book does an excellent job of explaining the why as well as the what happened. No less important was the after effect of the war. As a result of this war, the United States was no longer a group of eighteen states but a country. And it was a country that turned its eyes westward to building a nation where before was the Louisiana Purchase. This book is sub-Titled: The War That Forged a Nation. After this, the European powers paid much more attention to these ex-British colonies.

The famous Battle of New Orleans was fought after the signing of the Peace Treaty. Little known is that the treaty provided for peace to be established in phases as the distance from Ghent (Belgium) increased. So while the treaty had been signed, the war was still going on in New Orleans because the sailing ships of the day hadn't had time to get there. It was reading the Treaty of Ghent (on a slow boat with a limited library) that C. S. Forester came up with the idea of a story based on changing orders being given to a ship captain as new orders cought up with him. This fictional ship captain was Horatio Hornblower.

Rating:
Summary: A PLEASURE
Review: My professional reading is mostly technical/medical, but I read a substantial number of history books for pleasure. I have closed many books after a few chapters, not willing to waste my time on a poorly constructed tale. That was not the case with Borneman's book. The writing style flows easily from the page, and geographically and politically disparate facts are woven into a coherent story. I wish I had read this prior to visiting the great lakes portion of the US/Canada border.

Rating:
Summary: War of 1812
Review: The extensive footnotes belie that this amazing story is simply fiction. Ill-defined objectives, undependable resources, and inconsistant implementation amplified the effect of relatively minor and loosely linked actions on the overall outcome of war. Borneman spins these threads together to create and enjoyable tale. I highly recommend this ook.


Rating:
Summary: A great read
Review: The impact the War of 1812 had on American history is often overlooked by many people. Walt Borneman not only brings to life this very important time period, but he does it in a manner that the reader immediately becomes engrossed into the story. It is obvious by his remarkable attention to detail that Borneman's research is impeccable and that he has a true passion for both history and writing. I would recommend this book for both history buffs and for those people like me who just want to expand their basic knowledge of American history.

Rating:
Summary: A few flaws
Review: this book is a great addition to the scant literature on oen of americas most overlooked and fascinating wars, the war of 1812. Many important figures were involved incldued Admiral Perry and General scott and Andy jackson, as well as the important politicians of the day, madison, Monroe, Clay and the rest. It was an important conflict in cementing american power and every american should read it, but with one reservation, the writing style is amatuer at best, and becomes hard to get through for someone used to excellent history writing. To be sure this is interesting writing and not dry history, but it leaves something to be desired. THis book is recommended, but perhaps for amatuers, or those interested in popular history, or those not easily annoyed by writing style.

Seth J. Frantzman

Rating:
Summary: Thorough and professional
Review: This one volume summary of the War of 1812 is best described as thorough and professional. Compared to other recent popular histories, it is a bit dry, but it does include a useful collection of maps that help to clarify the discussions. References, index.

In many respects, the War of 1812 can be described as our war with Canada. Impressment of American sailors by the British Navy was the main reason for the war, but western interests headed by Henry Clay thought British Canada could easily be won for the US. Most battles were fought on the border with Canada: near the Niagara River, near Lake Erie, especially between Ft. Miegs (Toledo) and Detroit, or near Lake Champlain. York (Toronto), capital of Upper Canada was captured and burned early in the war. Washington, DC was invaded and burned in retaliation. Baltimore was spared only after a siege of Ft. McHenry, which resulted in the Star Spangled Banner being penned. Famous naval battles gave us victories on Lake Erie and Lake Champlain and the "Don't give up the ship!" tradition. Finally after the truce was signed, Andy Jackson defeated the British in the Battle of New Orleans. The British anticipated that frontiersman rabble would run when challenged by their professional military might. Early in the war, some did, but by the end the US had established itself as capable on land and at sea.

All the details are here including a discussion of personnel, weaponry, tactics, and the course of battle. We also learn some names enshrined as place names on modern maps: Dearborn, Decatur, Lawrence, Montgomery, Jackson, etc. Most are forgotten heros from the early 19th century. History buffs will find this one an informative addition to their libraries.


Rating:
Summary: Finally, an A in History.
Review: Why can't history text books be this well written? If they were, I and most of my fellow citizens might not be so pathetically ignorant about our American heritage! 1812, The War That Forged A Nation by Walter R. Borneman is an historical account that weaves in the passion and intrigue of our forefathers to create a tapestry of human drama. With the detail of an historical researcher and the skill of a story-teller, the author presents the reader with a living, breathing understanding of this event. An enjoyable and informative read, that I highly recommend.