|
|
This entry in Osprey's campaign series looks at one of the final campaigns of the largely forgotten War of 1812 - the Niagara campaign of 1814, which saw the United States make its last attempt to seize Canadian territory.
Given the relative obscurity of the War of 1812, I would have liked to have seen an introduction that gave a general outline of the fighting on the Canadian border. Instead the introduction starts in late 1813 and takes us through the intermitent fighting over the winter of 1813-14 and the changes to the American command structure.
The Niagara campaign had very little over-all significance to the course of the war, but it did see American troops beat British regulars for the first time during the War of 1812, and was a key moment in the career of Winfield Scott. The battles of Chippawa and Lundy's Lane in particular saw the US army regain its confidence after some embarassing failures earlier in the war.
This book focuses very heavily on the campaign itself, which takes up 60 pages out of the 96, higher than has been the case in some entries in the Campaign series. The individual battles are well described, with plenty of relevent contemporary material, and a good mix of illustrations.
This book is probably of most value to anyone with an interest in the development of the US Army, which had its first significant post-Revolutionary war successes during this campaign.
Chapters
Origins of the Campaign
Chronology
Opposing Commanders
Opposing Plans
The Niagara Campaign
Aftermath
The Battlefields Today
Author: Jon Latimer
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 96
Publisher: Osprey
Year: 2009
.
Author: Author
Edition: Paperback
Pages: pp
Publisher: pub
Year: author