1949 1st edition; E.P. Dutton & Company publishers; hardbound in denim blue boards with (a little faded) gilt lettering on spine; very good condition for age with unmarked pages; no dust jacket; a very interesting historical account.
 
The War of 1812 -
The War of 1812 was a conflict fought between the United States, the United Kingdom, and their respective allies from June 1812 to February 1815. Historians in Britain often see it as a minor theater of the Napoleonic Wars; in the United States and Canada, it is seen as a war in its own right.
 
From the outbreak of war with Napoleonic France, Britain had enforced a naval blockade to choke off neutral trade to France, which the US contested as illegal under international law. To man the blockade, Britain impressed American merchant sailors into the Royal Navy. Incidents such as the Chesapeake–Leopard affair inflamed anti-British sentiment in the US. In 1811, the British were in turn outraged by the Little Beltaffair, in which 11 British sailors died. Britain supplied Indians who raided American settlers on the frontier, hindering American expansion and provoking resentment. Historians debate whether the desire to annex some or all of British North America (Canada) contributed to the American decision to go to war.
 
On June 18, 1812, US President James Madison, after heavy pressure from the War Hawks in Congress, signed the American declaration of war into law.
 
With most of its army in Europe fighting Napoleon, Britain adopted a defensive strategy...