The Final Invasion: Plattsburgh, the War of 1812's Most Decisive Battle [Hardcover]

The author clearly did his homework before writing this account
of the 1814 British/Canadian attack on Plattsburgh, NY. Had it
succeeded, things might look differently today in terms of U.S. territory and we would have another humiliating defeat to look back on.
The events leading up to the combined land/sea battle are well laid out and the battle itself is described in rousing detail, particularly the bloody Naval conflict on Lake Champlain. All the events in the book are also put into perspective with the invasion of Washington DC and Baltimore which was part of a recently discovered British grand strategy.
A few minor omissions and errors keep the book from being great history but don't hurt the overall narrative too badly. The newly discovered Prevost papers ( he was C.O. of the invasion and Governor of Canada ) lend new light on the subject but seem to have biased the author toward Prevost. Prevost was overly cautious in his approach and abandoned a partly successful attack with a huge numerical superiority at Plattsbugh. Worse still, he abandoned supplies and equipment in a hasty withdrawal which was not pursued. The author goes to some length to justify this even the Prevost was court martialed for it.
The Niagra Campaign on the other side of N.Y. state is not mentioned at all despite the mistaken withdrawal from Plattsburgh of most of the U.S. regulars to fight in it. The author also errs in reffering to the Royal Americans as the 62nd foot- they were known as the 60th for most of their career and also gives the imppresion that the Washington DC invasion force suffered much fewer battle casualties than in an accidental explosion. This is untrue, read "by Dawn's Early Light" by Lord to get a good picture of this battle.
Overall, other than omitting the Niagra campaign, these are minor quibbles that don't lessen the fact that this is a well written history of a neglected chapter in American History and a great victory by American arms during a dark hour.

This book is a companion to a documentary produced for PBS. Unlike television, books demand solid research, detail and well structure arguments. Like so many television companion books, this is popular history that suffers from incomplete research.

While a wide range of sources may have been consulted, the lack of a bibliography leaves the reader to consider the few titles and documents listed in the endnotes. For example, there is considerable discussion of the British Army, without any reference to any of the key secondary sources dealing with the period, let alone documents. One would have preferred more discussion on the quality of the officers corps, the fighting units and structural problems rather than the facing colours, rows of buttons and descriptions of Polish cuffs. Much would have been revealed had CO 42, the Secretary of State Correspondence for Canada been consulted. At times I was uncertain if the author was elaborating on his research to support the thesis or simply list the other authors he has dined or had drinks with.

As noted elsewhere, there are a host of errors. As with all popular histories, if you read this book, do so with care.

This book is a companion to a documentary produced for PBS. Unlike television, books demand solid research, detail and well structure arguments. Like so many television companion books, this is popular history that suffers from incomplete research.

While a wide range of sources may have been consulted, the lack of a bibliography leaves the reader to consider the few titles and documents listed in the endnotes. For example, there is considerable discussion of the British Army, without any reference to any of the key secondary sources dealing with the period, let alone documents. One would have preferred more discussion on the quality of the officers corps, the fighting units and structural problems rather than the facing colours, rows of buttons and descriptions of Polish cuffs. Much would have been revealed had CO 42, the Secretary of State Correspondence for Canada been consulted. At times I was uncertain if the author was elaborating on his research to support the thesis or simply list the other authors he has dined or had drinks with.

As noted elsewhere, there are a host of errors. As with all popular histories, if you read this book, do so with care.