1812

Last week I attended a fascinating talk on the war of 1812. Professor Alan S Taylor from the University of California at Davis, spoke of this often forgotten war. Certainly in the UK, little attention was given to it. (We were more concerned with Napoleon on the European Continent). We were reminded that it was the US who declared war. The war was mainly fought in the zone between Detroit and Montreal. [Though the Battle of New Orleans is perhaps better known to history – and those who listened to and remember Lonnie Donegan].

Professor Taylor stressed how much this war – fought mainly on the boundary between Canada and the United States – resembled a civil war. In particular many of the soldiers on both sides were Irish – some were refugees who had fled to the US – others were voluntary (and involuntary) members of the British forces.


Also, many of the settlers in Upper Canada had, mainly for economic reasons – though some for political – come from the United States.

A very interesting evening – and I’ll be adding Professor Taylor’s book to my wish list (to read after I’ve completed the doctorate).

1812

I have an internal clock which often causes me to wake up at ungodly hours (about 3-15am is a frequent time when I wake up). Sometimes I will turn the radio or listen to a podcast. Occasionally at the weekend I will use my iPhone app to listen to C-SPAN Radio's live feed. They often put on programmes from their "Book TV". If you are not familiar with this - it's worth a look (and listen). The website is http://www.booktv.org/. Programmes are typically between 40 and 90 minutes - and involve an in-depth look at the subject of a non-fiction book. History, Law & Politics are typical subjects.

This Sunday I listened to an interesting programme about the war of 1812 and its significance. [yes, I know, it was a war with Britain!]. The video of the programme is available at
http://www.booktv.org/Program/13044/1812+The+Navys+War.aspx

The book can be purchased here -

The Battle of New Orleans

Those of a certain age may think of Lonnie Donegan's song about the Battle, which was fought 196 years ago today. I have to admit that I was aware of the song long before my interest in the history of the "War of 1812" was aroused.



Lonnie Donegan - Battle Of New Orleans
Uploaded by fredozydeco. - Independent web videos.

A short history of the battle can be accessed here. A map of the battlefield is available here.