The United States Army in the War of 1812

John C. Fredriksen's reference work on the United States Army during the War of 1812 stands as a substantial contribution to the study of America's often-overlooked second conflict with Great Britain. This volume, which combines concise biographies of military commanders with detailed operational histories of army regiments, serves a specific but important purpose: providing researchers, historians, and serious students of the era with a reliable factual foundation for further study.

Fredriksen has built a career on producing meticulous reference materials covering American military history, particularly the periods surrounding the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. This background is evident throughout the book, which reflects the careful, systematic approach expected of someone who has spent years compiling biographical and organizational data on lesser-known military figures and units. The War of 1812 remains understudied compared to other American conflicts, and works like this one help address that gap by making information accessible that might otherwise require extensive archival research to locate.

The structure of the book divides naturally into two complementary sections. The biographical entries cover the officers who led American forces during the war, ranging from well-known figures to more obscure commanders whose contributions have received little attention in general histories. Each entry is necessarily concise, given the scope of covering numerous individuals, but this brevity serves the book's purpose as a reference tool rather than a narrative history. Readers seeking dramatic storytelling or deep character studies should look elsewhere; this is a resource designed for quick consultation and factual verification.

The regimental histories that accompany the biographical material trace the formation, deployment, and service records of various army units throughout the conflict. This organizational approach mirrors similar reference works covering other periods of American military history, and it allows readers to understand not just individual commanders but the broader structure of the forces they led. For anyone attempting to trace the movements of a specific regiment or understand how the American army was organized during this period, these operational histories provide essential context.

Perhaps the most valuable feature of this book, from a research perspective, is the inclusion of bibliographies covering both published and primary source materials. Reference works of this kind live or die by the quality of their source documentation, and Fredriksen's attention to citing archival materials alongside secondary literature demonstrates the scholarly rigor expected of comprehensive historical reference texts. These bibliographic sections point researchers toward primary documents, letters, official records, and existing scholarship that can support deeper investigation into any given commander or regiment.

This is not a book intended for casual reading from cover to cover. Its value lies in its function as a reference tool, the kind of resource that sits on a shelf to be consulted repeatedly rather than read in a single sitting. Genealogists tracing ancestors who served in the War of 1812, historians researching specific engagements or units, and students working on academic papers about the conflict will likely find this the most practical audience for the work. The concise nature of the biographical entries means that readers will not find extensive analysis or interpretation, but rather factual groundwork upon which further research can be built.

The War of 1812 occupies an unusual place in American historical memory, often overshadowed by the Revolutionary War that preceded it and the Civil War that followed decades later. Works like Fredriksen's help ensure that the military organization and personnel of this conflict remain documented and accessible to those who seek to understand it more fully. While the book demands a particular kind of reader, one interested in reference material rather than narrative history, it fulfills its intended role effectively. For libraries, academic institutions, and individual researchers focused on early American military history, this volume represents a useful addition to the available scholarship on a war that shaped the young nation's development in ways that continue to warrant careful study.