The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon by Jeremy Black

The good folks at the University of Oklahoma Press forwarded a review copy of Jeremy Black’s new book, The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon. In my usual fashion, I am making an initial post about the book before a full reading.

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ISBN: 978-0-8061-4078-0
Hardcover
288 pages
6″ x 9″ x 0″
1 B&W Illus., 3 Maps
Published: 2009, Oklahoma University Press

Jeremy Black (Photo: athens.edu)

The quick perusal reveals several compelling reasons for recommending the book. First, it is written from “an Atlantic vantage point, which accounts for its contribution to the academic coverage of the war as the latter tend to reflect national perspectives, mostly American, but also Canadian.” (Black, xiv) It goes without saying that any serious scholar of military history would seek out the work of historians and indeed primary sources providing insights from a variety of vantage points. Second, Black speaks to the impact of the war not only on America but also on Canada. Black speculates on how the history of the United States would have been very different had it expanded into Canada, “not the least because the slave states of the South would have been in a decided minority.” (Black, xii) Third, Black covers the naval operations so crucial to the war’s outcome. Fourth, the books addresses the consequences of the war. Black discusses the war’s “impact on America’s politics, public culture, economy, and territorial expansion” as being even more important than the military results. (Black, xiii) Finally, the book promises to explore the implications of unwanted expeditionary war, a topic with relevancy today.

Professor Black’s new book is Volume 21 in the Campaigns and Commanders Series. Black, a prolific writer, has authored more than seventy (70) books. He is Professor of History at the University of Exeter and a senior fellow at the Center for the Study of America and the West at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia. He has lectured extensively around the world.

The Campaigns and Commanders Series at the University of Oklahoma Press include the following:

Title	Volume		Author(s)
The War of 1812 in the Age of Napoleon	21		By Jeremy Black
A Dragon’s Head and a Serpent’s Tail	20		By Kenneth M. Swope
With Zeal and with Bayonets Only	19		Matthew H. Spring
Once Upon a Time in War	18		Robert E. Humphrey
Borrowed Soldiers	17		Mitchell A. Yockelson;
The Far Reaches of Empire	16		John Grenier
Napoleon’s Enfant Terrible	15		John G. Gallaher
Three Days in the Shenandoah	14		Gary Ecelbarger
George Thomas	13		Christopher J. Einolf
Volunteers on the Veld	12		Stephen M. Miller
The Black Hawk War of 1832	10		Patrick J. Jung
William Harding Carter and the American Army	9		Ronald G. Machoian
Blood in the Argonne	8		Alan D Gaff
Blue Water Creek and the First Sioux War, 1854-1856	6		R. Eli Paul
The Uncivil War	5		Robert R. Mackey
Bayonets in the Wilderness	4		Alan D Gaff
Washita	3		Jerome A. Greene
Morning Star Dawn	2		Jerome A. Greene
Napoleon and Berlin	1		Michael V. Leggiere