The War of 1812

As a Canadian, I've grown up with at least some of the mythology left over from the War of 1812. "We won the war." That's a general Canadian attitude - correct in the sense, I suppose, that we didn't lose, we (more accurately in most cases the British with the assistance of Canadian militia and the native tribes) fought back the American invasions. "The militia myth" (the belief that the Canadian militia did the bulk of the fighting in Canada) is mentioned in this documentary. I know some of the big names from "our" side - Isaac Brock, Tecumseh and Laura Secord are appropriate to mention, naming, as they do, a British general, a native warrior and a heroic Canadian woman. I know about the American occupation and burning of the then Canadian capital of York (now Toronto) and I knew that in revenge for that act the British occupied and burned Washington. I knew about the mythology of the Battle of New Orleans that ultimately lifted Andrew Jackson to the presidency. I knew that many people consider this to be perhaps the most meaningless war ever fought. But there was still a lot packed into this that I didn't know. It was educational and it was balanced. It looked at all four sides of the war (American, Canadian, British and native) fairly and made good use of primary sources, particularly letters and journals of some of those who participated. And there was a lot I learned that I didn't know before.

A lot was made of the incompetence of the American generals in the early part of the war. Most were old, veterans of the Revolution, called back into service, well past their prime and really with little stomach to fight. Some of the accounts are actually somewhat humorous, to the extent that war stories can be humorous. The vision of general William Hull, paralysed with fear and drinking himself into oblivion before he surrenders Fort Detroit was an example. For all that early incompetence, though, the film makes the point that the War of 1812 was, more than anything else, the catalyst for the development of a professional American Army with generals who, by war's end, were the equal of anyone's. While I knew about the burnings of York and Washington, I hadn't realized that both sides participated in a virtual orgy of burnings, particularly in the Niagara area - even including the American City of Buffalo - and left at least some parts of Niagara as a burned out wasteland. Since I live in Niagara, I'm familiar with the battles in this area, but not with that part of the story. I hadn't heard before of the Battle of Chateauguay, in which largely French Canadian militia beat back an American invasion. I also wasn't familiar with the British accepting large numbers of freed black slaves into their military.

The War of 1812 hasn't really been remembered much by history, and it really wasn't (in the big picture) an especially important war - except in Canada, where it's seen as a sort of coming of age war; almost the moment of birth of a separate Canadian national identity. This documentary is both interesting and educational; a great source of information about this war which has either faded from memory or been turned into stories of mythic proportion. It's very well done. (8/10)

I have no idea what PBS is attempting to perpetrate with this film. Referencing James Madison as "Republican" is factually incorrect. He was a Democratic Republican which was the forerunner of today's Democratic party. The film was rather accurate except for the obvious political slant While the Democratic-Republican Party is formally known as "Republican", it would be wise to inform viewers that this party is not the "Republican" party of today nor it's predecessor.

A forgotten war for sure, but one that made the difference between Canada and the US, which is a lot to say about its importance. Two countries in need of heroes; natives that had to chose one side over the other and who would lose whatever their choice. All this historical significance bathing unfortunately in a soundtrack that too often overcomes anything that is said off screen. I really wanted to know more about what happened but every time there was a voice off screen explaining something, there was that insipid background music marring it all. And I struggled on, painfully trying to adapt my hearing to what was said above the obnoxious music. Sad to say, this kind of thing is frequent in documentaries, even good ones. It's as if there was competition between the sound effects and the story being told. The series The Civil War should be an example for producers: if you need to put music, at least make it uplifting, or sad, even joyous, not this syrupy hodgepodge we get in this documentary. And give us some quiet moments, perhaps nature sounds like the wind in the trees, the sound of rain... A few seconds of silence even, some time to reflect on what we see. All this I'll get eventually when it's translated into French. All that crap will be thrown out and we'll certainly get a better soundtrack, one where we can actually hear what is being said.

As a follower of history, with particular interest in American History, I question the bona fides of the one of the featured historians, Andrew Lambert of King's College, in London. In the film, (at 7:08) he made a surprisingly inept comment for a supposedly learned scholarly historian. He said, "War was pushed by the Republican Party based in the center and south." The Republican Party was not in existence until 1854. Always beware viewers of history. Despite their seemingly scholarly credentials some "historians" might not know the history they profess to know.

Best not to view for historical accuracy.

At the end of the film the narrator says "the US had gained nothing" by the end of the war. That statement alone gives reason to question the viewpoint and motives of this documentary. This film is pure and utter revisionist trash. Save two hours of your life and skip this "documentary"