The War of 1812 in Person

This work reproduces fifteen War of 1812 manuscripts, including diaries, memoirs, and letters. The accounts provide a range of perspectives on the war’s ground conflicts, from officers to enlisted men, volunteers and militia.

The late John C. Fredriksen was the author of more than 20 books about military history. He lived in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Edited by John C. Fredriksen
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 330
Bibliographic Info: 24 photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2010
pISBN: 978-0-7864-4792-3
eISBN: 978-0-7864-6024-3
Imprint: McFarland

Foreword by Donald R. Hickey      1

Introduction      3

Part I: The Regulars

1. Colonel George McFeely, 22nd and 25th U.S. Infantries      5

2. Captain Ephraim Shaler, 25th U.S. Infantry      42

3. Major Jonathan Kearsley, 2nd U.S. Artillery and

4th Rifle Regiment      51

4. Colonel Cromwell Pearce, 16th U.S. Infantry      70

5. Ensign Joseph Hawley Dwight, 13th U.S. Infantry      102

6. Captain Rufus McIntire, 3rd U.S. Artillery      117

7. Colonel William Clay Cumming, 8th U.S. Infantry      143

8. Captain John M. Scott, 15th U.S. Infantry      163

9. Colonel James Burn, 2nd U.S. Light Dragoons      182

10. Lieutenant Reynold M. Kirby, 3rd U.S. Artillery      195

11. Brigadier General George Izard, U.S. Army      218

Part II: Citizen-Soldiers

12. Private William Greathouse, Kentucky Mounted Riflemen      238

13. Private Charles Fairbanks, New Hampshire Volunteers      249

14. Anonymous, Fenton’s Pennsylvania Volunteers      265

15. Private Nathaniel Vernon, Pittsburgh Blues      294

Bibliography      311

Index      321

“One of the most interesting of the handful of books that have been coming out for the bicentennial of the Second War for Independence…of value…a very good book for anyone interested in this most neglected war or in the experience of the American soldier”—The NYMAS Review; “very useful”—Michigan Historical Review; “greater familiarity with the Americans who fought the War of 1812 is essential for military historians and professional soldiers to fully comprehend the development of the U.S. Army. An ideal place to start that journey is John C. Fredriksen’s collection of eyewitness accounts, The War of 1812 in Person. No scholar has made a closer study of the available sources on the American military in the War of 1812…Fredriksen has performed a noteworthy service by resurrecting a lost generation of American soldiers…students and scholars should be grateful for such a firm foundation from which to launch new studies for the War of 1812’s military facets”—Army History; “a wonderful addition to the scholarship of the War of 1812. This book provides students of the conflict with first-hand accounts from the participants themselves. It is essential reading for those who want to know what the war was like from those who fought it”—Northwest Ohio History.