Mr. Madison's War: Politics, Diplomacy, and Warfare in the Early American Republic, 1783-1830

J.C.A. Stagg's "Mr. Madison's War" is a scholarly but not accessible account of the War of 1812. Its best feature is Stagg's insight into the strategic goals - or rather goal - of the War from the American point of view. I learned that the Americans, and in particular President Madison, hoped to wring concessions from Great Britain by seizing and occupying Canada. The Americans never accomplished this goal, and Stagg does a good job of going beyond the portrayal of the incompetence of American military leadership to show that the defiance of the Administration by New England, the lack of consistent Congressional support, and a practically non-existent administrative apparatus for war all contributed to this particular failure. The few military successes of the War, e.g, William Henry Harrison's defeat of a British Army in "Upper Canada" (what is now Ontario) and Andrew Jackson's defeat of the Creek Indians, were accomplished with the applause, but without the strong support, of Washington. Stagg portrays Congress's reactions to the Administration's war-related requests in excruciating detail, and if you want a blow-by-blow account of Madison's cabinet shuffling, this is the book for you. It is not riveting military history. It largely ignores the battle for Baltimore in 1814 (during which "The Star Spangled Banner" was written), and makes the Battle of New Orleans seem like a dull affair. On the other hand, Stagg does a superb job of not playing favorites with history. The major players - Madison, James Monroe, John Armstrong, Harrison and Jackson - are neither idolized nor demonized. Overall, it is an excellent political history of the War of 1812, but be prepared for some heavy sledding.