“Don't mention the War of 1812” must surely be the order of the day whenever a British Prime Minister visits a United States President. The Prime Minister would promise not to mention that during the war British forces had burned the White House, while the President would try to forget that his country's national anthem commemorated another British onslaught of that period. Both episodes are of course included among the thousand or so entries (ranging in length from 20 to 1,200 words) in this substantial dictionary.
Even at the time, as the dictionary shows, many politicians on both sides were unenthusiastic about the war. It would never have arisen but for Britain's much greater war with France, which caused her Navy to interfere with neutral American shipping in an effort to remove contraband goods and (supposedly) British seamen. Not long after it broke out, attempts began to negotiate peace, and following several abortive efforts, a settlement was arrived at, based upon the pre‐war status quo. But the inherent delays of travel and communication in those days meant that one of the war's most destructive battles took place after peace had been signed, and scattered naval engagements continued for six months afterwards. The war may have been inconclusive in terms of immediate causes, but on the one hand, it dealt a fatal blow to the aspirations of the more far‐sighted Native American leaders to set up a buffer state of their own, and thus assisted US expansion to the West; on the other, the failure of strenuous American efforts to occupy Canada promoted the eventual consolidation of that country.
The entries cover personalities and battles (both in large numbers), treaties and agreements, significant places, Native American tribes, weapons, regiments and ships (much action having taken place at sea or on the Great Lakes). The main emphasis is on the military and naval affairs, less being said about the political ramifications of the war, which were considerable, particularly in the USA. Readers can discern however, the remarkable degree of overlap between American generals and politicians; in particular the Battle of New Orleans made Andrew Jackson a national hero, and thus eventually a historically important President. Proof‐reading might have been improved: Sir Edward Pakenham, the British general defeated (and killed) at the same battle, is frequently referred to as “Packenham”. No indication is given of the target group of readers, but it may be taken to be undergraduate students.
The text is accompanied by a substantial quantity of supplementary material, comprising a detailed chronology of the war; an introduction summarising its causes, course and results; a bibliography of 1,200 books or periodical articles extending up to 2004, with a critical introduction; a list of web sites; some illustrations; and a few maps, not very well reproduced. There is no index, but a remarkably large number of cross‐references are provided. This book will prove a useful addition to a series whose title suggests, alas, that its publishers will never have a difficulty in finding ideas for additional volumes.
