The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies

In the early nineteenth century, Britons and Americans renewed their struggle over the legacy of the American Revolution, leading to a second confrontation that redefined North America. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Alan Taylor’s vivid book tells the riveting story of the U.S.-Canada borderland, and of the soldiers, immigrants, settlers, and Indians who fought to determine the fate of a continent. During the war, both sides struggled to sustain armies in a northern land of immense forests, vast lakes, and stark seasonal swings in the weather. After fighting each other to a standstill, the Americans and the British concluded that they could safely share the continent along a border that favored the United States at the expense of Canadians and Indians. Moving beyond national histories to examine the lives of common men and women, The Civil War of 1812 reveals a brutal war and illuminates the tangled origins of the United States and Canada.