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 enlarge | Author: Walter R. Borneman
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy Used: $6.33
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Avg. Customer Rating:  44 reviews
Sales Rank: 305890
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0060531126
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.52
EAN: 9780060531126
ASIN: 0060531126
Publication Date: October 1, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Enlightening and Entertaining February 3, 2008
1812: The War That Forged A Nation, by Walter R. Borneman, is an enlightening and entertaining story weaved into one.
It was amazing to me to realize what bumbling idiots we allowed to infiltrate not only our military but also our government even at the early time period of 1812. The cast of clowns begins with Aaron Burr but ends with a real hero in "Old Hickory" himself Andrew Jackson. I never realized how close we game to grabbing the lands of Canada. If it weren't for absolute incompetence we would have have certainly more than 50 stars waving on our national flag.
Borneman's book is more of an overview and is many areas is somewhat lacking in the finer details. Fortunately for the book it makes for a quick and enjoyable read.
Breakdown Review:
Storyline: 3 out of 5 more detail in the stories would have been better
Writing style: 5 out of 5 stars. There is candor in Borneman's writing style, something that is unique to a historical book.
Depth: 3 out of 5 stars.
Entertainment/Education value: 4 out of 5 stars. I could see someone teaching a class from parts of this book.
 The conversational style robs the narrative of all credibility January 24, 2008
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
First, an admission: I only read the first chapter.
That's as far as I could get.
I regard myself as an extremely avid and knowledgeable US history aficionado, and am used to reading books that are written *much* better. Ambrose, McCullough, Ellis, Fischer, McPherson. These are authors who know how to write a historical narrative. Borneman writes with a stilted style that gives the impression of your war veteran uncle telling you the story. Phrases like "Enough said", "greased his palm", "Perhaps.... (twice in the first chapter) abound. The aforementioned sentence ending with a question mark and topped off with an inordinate amount of personal musing, theorizing and essentially completely guessing make this book intolerable. I find it really hard to believe that this many people find this an acceptable account of US history, especially my once-revered Remini.
Aargh.
 A WONDERFUL REINTRODUCTION TO A TOPIC AND A FASCINATING STORY FROM HIGH SCHOOL January 4, 2008
i learned about the war of 1812 during high school, and was fascinated by it even back then. i've always wanted to revisit the topic but never really found a book readily at hand that looked interesting. this one is written like a novel that you can curl up with and read by the fire.
don't get me wrong, it's full of factual information but it is presented in such a coherent and interesting way that you can watch the events slowly building up and unfolding as if you were there and participating in the campaigning. i picked up this book, and didn't put it down until i had finished it which for me is a feat in itself as i generally read only a few pages a day of most of the books i read
i'm thinking of revisiting this book sometime as i truly want to know the details of this incredible war that truly forged a nation, proud and strong.
Forging Nationhood October 21, 2007
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
That the War of 1812 `forged' a nation, is hardly a novel concept. Indeed it has been the favourite ex post explanation and justification from the American perspective since the very conclusion of the war. In fairness, while Borneman doesn't lay claim to any new insight, unfortunately his purported theme fails even as a pivot or point of departure for this most recent recounting of this most curious war. There is one chapter devoted in an almost maudlin way to the origins of the American Anthem and the book's final pages build to a conclusion that was never seriously argued or developed: that the war was a great unifier of the until then, loosely federated states, and indeed, the factious American populace itself. This is not to say the war did not have the effect claimed, but just that the argument was not well made out and did not set the theme of the work as its' title promised.
Nor does the author recognize, or even realize, the possibility that the war forged not one but two nations. It is only in the book's afterward `P.S. section' that idea finally dawns on him and then only after being challenged by a Canadian. Remarkably, he dismisses the notion on the basis that Canada did not become a nation until many years after the treaty of Ghent so therefore the war could not be seen to have had this singular effect. Implicit in this view is the belief that but for the revolutionary war that which is now America would have remained a colony of Britain and without the war of 1812 it would have remained a hapless and divided secondary power. The countervailing view is that it had not been for these two nasty wars the 49th parallel would presently not be a scar on the North American map and that America would now occupy 9/10th of the continent instead of only 2/5th. When American tourists to Canada ponder why it is that a people that look, talk and drive cars just like them live in a separate country, they need only to read up on the war of 1812 to understand why. When the war started 80% of Upper Canada's (Ontario) population was American born or second generation. As Bornemane himself acknowledge the country (colony - whatever you want to call it) was like a ripe plum just about ready to fall into the American lap. But the pillaging of the farms and businesses of the settlers and the burning to the ground of the communities of York (Toronto) Newark (Niagara Falls) and Port Dover by those that should have been their friends, neighbour s and natural allies, created a cleavage in the nascent consciousness that Canadians to this day have not fully recovered. Seen this way the war of 1812 didn't so much forge one nation as it (accidentally) created another.
Still, this book is a good read. As an introduction to, and as a survey of the war's salient points there are few if any better. Borneman's prose moves a good pace and while packed with information is never too dense nor boring. No notable new insight is added by this work; William Hull is still an abject coward; Wilkinson a conniving one; Armstrong, Dearborn, Hampton, all incompetents; Scott, Brown, Jackson, heroes all; but unlike most earlier works, the author is fair and even kind in his treatment of the participants regardless of the side they fought on. Particuliarly, I was impressed by the recognition he gives to the critical role of the Canadian militia as most earlier American and British writers barley acknowledge their existence. This was an enjoyable read and a welcome addition to the growing library on the War of 1812.
A good introduction to a little-understood war April 16, 2007
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
The War of 1812 is a conflict that isn't well-known in the United States (it's much more well-known in Canada, where much of the war was waged), most likely because it didn't result in any major change other than the USA being confirmed as a true independent power that was there to stay in the Americas. People probably know two things about the war -- that the Star Spangled Banner was written during it, and that the Battle of New Orleans occured after the Treaty of Ghent was signed (but not ratified in Congress and Parliament).
Borneman's book does a good job of telling the story about the rest of the war, that more events happened than the creation of the future-national anthem and the battle in front of New Orleans. Campaigns of the war, such as the multi-front invasion of Canada in 1812 and 1813, the battle of the Chippewa in 1814, the war at sea and on the Great Lakes, are described in detail. So is the period leading up to the war, such as the rise of the War Hawks, impressment of US sailors into the Royal Navy, and the attempt by Tecumseh to create a Native American alliance against the encroaching Americans.
The writing, the storytelling, is smooth and compels the reader to turn the page and read on. It's also a reasonably-sized book, so it could be completed in a few days. I would recommend it to anybody interested in learning about the War of 1812.
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