The War of 1812 was an extremely complicated war motivated by British
seizures of American vessels and goods, American desire to expand into
Canada, and impressment of American sailors into the British Navy.
However, these are merely the immediate causes. To fully understand the
War of 1812, one must delve deeper into history. This book does just
that, as it covers the period leading up to the war (1803-1812) and the
events of the war itself (1812-1815) through the use of a dictionary
consisting of more than 1,400 cross-referenced entries covering
descriptions of engagements, ships, weaponry, the compositions of
regiments, significant political and military figures, and a full list
of key places, issues and terms. Also included are 21 photographs, 6
maps, a chronology of events, an introductory essay, and a comprehensive
bibliography, subdivided by topic and fully annotated.