The War of 1812 Tourist

The War of 1812 has been mostly forgotten in the US. At the time, it was a war that many thought should not have been waged. It was, however, a major event: it precipitated the American invasion of Canada (and an attempted retaliatory invasion of America by Canada), it led to the capture and burning of the American capitol in Washington DC, and it marks the last time that foreign troops ever entered and fought inside the continental United States (though much of the fighting actually took place in Canada). Yet, it was also a war with an ambiguous end and no clear winner-and the United States of America does not like to celebrate or remember wars it did not win. Over the years, Lenny Flank has visited most of the battlefields and historical sites from the War of 1812, both in the US and in Canada. So at one level, this book is a sort of historical travelogue. But at another level, it is a plea to remember: to consider and preserve the places where history was made, in a war that is today mostly forgotten. Illustrated.