Amateurs, to Arms!: A Military History of the War of 1812

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Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1991 - History - 353 pages
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Begun in ignorance of the military reality, the War of 1812 was our "most unmilitary war," fought catch-as-catch-can with raw troops, incompetent officers, and appallingly inadequate logistics. American soil was invaded along three frontiers, thte nation's capital was occupied and burned, and the secession of the New England states loomed as a possibility. In Amateurs, to Arms! distinguished military historian Colonel John R. Elting shows how the young republic fought and almost lost its "Second War for Independence," and how it was saved by the handful of amateur soldiers and sailors who survived, masters their deadly new professions, and somehow battled Great Britain to a standstill along our wilderness borders and on the high seas.

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Amateurs, to arms!: a military history of the War of 1812

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Having reduced the U.S. Army during the Jefferson administration, the new nation was totally ill-equipped for the war it would wage against British troops in 1812. Plagued with inexperienced recruits ... Read full review

Contents

ONE Of Arms and Men Bad Roads and Short Rations I
1
TWO Disaster in the West
21
THREE Champlain and Niagara
38

8 other sections not shown

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Amateurs, to Arms!: A Military History of the War of 1812
John R. Elting
Limited preview - 1991

Common terms and phrases

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About the author (1991)

Colonel John R. Elting was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1911 and graduated from Stanford University and the Colorado State College of Education. A professional soldier for much of his life, he retired from the United States Army in 1968. He has written and edited numerous books on military history.

Bibliographic information

QR code for Amateurs, to Arms!
TitleAmateurs, to Arms!: A Military History of the War of 1812
Volume 4 of Major battles and campaigns
AuthorJohn Robert Elting
Editionillustrated, reprint
PublisherAlgonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1991
Original fromthe University of Michigan
DigitizedSep 19, 2008
ISBN0945575084, 9780945575085
Length353 pages
Subjects ›  › 

History / United States / 19th Century
  
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