Adventures along the Star-Spangled Banner Trail. Winner of the Association of Partners for Public Lands Media Partnership Award of the Association of Partners for Public Lands All but forgotten by Americans, the War of 1812 (1812–1815) was a dramatic watershed for the young, groundbreaking United States Republic. Ill-prepared to fight the powerful English nation, the U.S. struggled through three years of conflict but emerged more unified with new patriotic symbols like the "Star-Spangled Banner." Much of the fighting occurred in the Chesapeake region and this new book, In Full Glory Reflected, uncovers its gripping stories of devastating raids, heroic defense, gallant privateers, fugitive slaves, and threatened lands. The historic tales unfold with a lively narrative, well over a hundred vivid illustrations, and clear maps to follow the action. In addition, a travel section provides a rich guide for adventurers who want to step back 200 years and explore the tidewater world where the war was fought. In Full Glory Reflected is an enchanting invitation to travel the Star- Spangled Banner National Historic Trail and discover the amazing world of our ancestors.

The U.S. Army Campaigns of the War of 1812 (Illustrated Edition) presents a comprehensive exploration of a pivotal period in American history, woven together by the collective expertise of several distinguished historians and scholars affiliated with the Center of Military History. This anthology traverses the multifaceted military and political narratives that characterized the War of 1812, employing a rich variety of literary styles and analytical approaches. The collection stands out for its depth of research and the breadth of perspectives offered on the strategic, tactical, and human dimensions of the conflict, providing readers with a nuanced understanding of its complexities and consequences. The contributing authors, including John R. Maass, Steven J. Rauch, Richard V. Barbuto, Richard D. Blackmon, Charles P. Neimeyer, and Joseph F. Stoltz III, bring to the fore their extensive backgrounds in military history and scholarly research. Collectively, their work reflects a rigorous engagement with both primary sources and historiographical debates, situating the War of 1812 within broader historical, cultural, and literary movements. This collaborative effort enriches the anthology's narrative, allowing for a comprehensive examination of the war's multifaceted campaigns and their long-term implications on American and global history. The U.S. Army Campaigns of the War of 1812 (Illustrated Edition) is an essential resource for scholars, students, and enthusiasts of military history, offering a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the extensive and diverse analyses of the War of 1812. The anthology's integration of meticulous scholarship with accessible writing makes it particularly valuable for readers seeking to deepen their understanding of this period. It invites a renewed scholarly dialogue on the War of 1812, its legacies, and its lessons, underscoring the importance of multidisciplinary perspectives in enriching our historical consciousness.

"This volume is an attempt to present in permanent form the history of the British invasion of Maryland during the War of 1812. The story has not heretofore been fully told; the record is deplorably incomplete, and the following pages are intended to be an adequate chronicle of the events of that period in Maryland, and to that end even trifling circumstances have been interwoven in the narrative"--Preface.

This is the story of the War of 1812 like no other, brought to life in narrative form with pinpoint historical details. As the War of 1812 raged on the high seas and along the Canadian border, the British decided to strike at the heart of the United States, the relatively undefended area of the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake was a fertile farm region, a renowned place of shipbuilding and an area divided along political lines over the war. Admiral George Cockburn led the British into the bay in March 1813. After a failed attempt to take Norfolk, Cockburn led the British up and down the Chesapeake. Originally a campaign to relieve pressure from other fronts, the Chesapeake theater soon became a campaign of retribution for the British, turning what had been an economic engine for America into a region of terrorized citizens, destroyed farms and fears of slave insurrection. The blockade choked American commerce and prevented privateers from taking the war to the English. Cockburn returned in 1814 and once more terrorized the residents on both shores of the Chesapeake while stoking the political divisions that also rent the country. In August, 1814, the British capitalized on the refusal of President James Madison to bolster the defenses of the waterway that led to the nation’s capital. Cockburn again led a naval force into the bay, but this time he ran into opposition from Commodore Joshua Barney and his polyglot flotilla of warships. Barney put up an heroic though doomed fight before the British landed at Benedict, Md., in August, 1814 and marched on Washington, D.C. After defeating the Americans at Bladensburg, the British burned Washington before returning to their boats and setting out for Baltimore. There, the British armada ran into Fort McHenry and a stalwart group of defenders. Despite a massive bombardment, the British could not silence the fort or the city’s other defenses, forcing them to retreat and give up their campaign to completely shut the Chesapeake. The victory at Baltimore, coupled with victories on the Great Lakes, helped turn the war in America’s favor.

In the two hundred years following the War of 1812, the Chesapeake Campaign became romanticized in tall tales and local legends. St. Michael's on the Eastern Shore of Maryland was famously cast as the town that fooled the British, and in Baltimore, the defenders of Fort McHenry were reputably rallied by a remarkably patriotic pet rooster. In Virginia, the only casualty in a raid on Cape Henry was reportedly the lighthouse keeper's smokehouse larder, while Admiral Cockburn was said to have supped by the light of the burning Federal buildings in Washington, D.C. Newspaper stories, ordinary citizens and even military personnel embellished events, and two hundred years later, those embellishments have become regional lore. Join historians Ralph E. Eshelman and Scott S. Sheads as they search for the history behind the legends of the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake.

Harris's Brandywine is the first complete study to merge the strategic, political, and tactical history of this complex operation and important set-piece battle into a single compelling account.