The War of 1812 was an extremely complicated war motivated by British seizures of American vessels and goods, American desire to expand into Canada, and impressment of American sailors into the British Navy. However, these are merely the immediate causes. To fully understand the War of 1812, one must delve deeper into history. This book does just that, as it covers the period leading up to the war (1803-1812) and the events of the war itself (1812-1815) through the use of a dictionary consisting of more than 1,400 cross-referenced entries covering descriptions of engagements, ships, weaponry, the compositions of regiments, significant political and military figures, and a full list of key places, issues and terms. Also included are a chronology of events, an introductory essay, and a comprehensive bibliography, subdivided by topic and fully annotated.

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Gathered together for the first time in one comprehensive volume are more than 500 alphabetically arranged entries from over 70 contributors examining the military, political, and social history of the War of 1812. This volume also contains the text of important documents such as the Embargo Act, the Rambouillet Decree, Macon's Bill No. 2, and President James Madison's War Message of 1812. Readers will also discover a chronology of political, military, and diplomatic maneuvers; a listing of the executive federal government officers during the Madison presidency; and a glossary of military, diplomatic, and nautical terms. Numerous illustrations, cross-references, bibliographies, and an index supplement a volume that is a welcome addition to school and public libraries.

This work is the most comprehensive reference work on the War of 1812 yet published, offering a multidisciplinary treatment of course, causes, effects, and specific details of the War that provides both quick reference and in-depth analysis for readers from the high school level to scholars in the field. The Encyclopedia of the War of 1812: A Political, Social, and Military History dedicates 872 entries—totaling some 600,000 words—to this important American war. It is the most comprehensive and significant reference work available on the subject. Its entries spotlight the key battles, standout individuals, essential weapons, and social, political, and economic developments, and examine the wider, concurrent European developments which directly affected this conflict in North America. A volume of primary documents provides more avenues for research. This three-volume work offers comprehensive, in-depth information in a format that lends itself to quick and easy use, making it ideal for high school, college, and university-level learners as well as general learning annexes and military libraries. Scholars of the period and students of American military history will find it essential reading.

The U.S. Army has always regarded preparing for war as its peacetime role, but how it fulfilled that duty has changed dramatically between the War of 1812 and World War I. J. P. Clark shows how differing personal experiences of war and peace among successive generations of professional soldiers left their mark upon the Army and its ways.

A beautifully illustrated look inside of Indiana University Bloomington’s renowned library of rare books, manuscripts, and related oddities. What do locks of Edgar Allan Poe’s hair, Sylvia Plath’s attractive handmade paper dolls, John Ford’s Oscars, and Ian Fleming’s James Bond 007 cigars have in common? They are just a few of the fascinating objects found in the world-famous Lilly Library, located on the campus of Indiana University Bloomington. In this beautifully illustrated A-to-Z volume, Darlene J. Sadlier journeys through the library’s wide-ranging collections to highlight dozens of intriguing items and the archives of which they are a part. Read about life and death masks of John Keats, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Dreiser; Walt Whitman’s last pencil; and vintage board games, mechanical puzzles, and even comic books. Among the more peculiar items are a pair of elk teeth and an eerily realistic wall-mount bust of Boris Karloff. Sadlier writes engagingly about the Lilly Library’s major historical collections, which include Civil War diaries and a panopticon of the war called the Myriopticon; War of 1812 payment receipts to spies; and the World War II letters and V-mail of journalist Ernie Pyle. This copiously illustrated, entertaining, and educational book will inspire you to take your own journey and discover for yourself the wonders of the Lilly Library.