War of 1812 in Person

The late John C. Fredriksen was the author of more than 20 books about military history. He lived in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

“One of the most interesting of the handful of books that have been coming out for the bicentennial of the Second War for Independence...of value...a very good book for anyone interested in this most neglected war or in the experience of the American soldier”—The NYMAS Review; “very useful”—Michigan Historical Review; “greater familiarity with the Americans who fought the War of 1812 is essential for military historians and professional soldiers to fully comprehend the development of the U.S. Army. An ideal place to start that journey is John C. Fredriksen’s collection of eyewitness accounts, The War of 1812 in Person. No scholar has made a closer study of the available sources on the American military in the War of 1812...Fredriksen has performed a noteworthy service by resurrecting a lost generation of American soldiers...students and scholars should be grateful for such a firm foundation from which to launch new studies for the War of 1812’s military facets”—Army History; “a wonderful addition to the scholarship of the War of 1812. This book provides students of the conflict with first-hand accounts from the participants themselves. It is essential reading for those who want to know what the war was like from those who fought it”—Northwest Ohio History.

• Table of ContentsForeword by Donald R. Hickey      Introduction      Part I: The Regulars1. Colonel George McFeely, 22nd and 25th U.S. Infantries      2. Captain Ephraim Shaler, 25th U.S. Infantry      3. Major Jonathan Kearsley, 2nd U.S. Artillery4th Rifle Regiment      4. Colonel Cromwell Pearce, 16th U.S. Infantry      5. Ensign Joseph Hawley Dwight, 13th U.S. Infantry      6. Captain Rufus McIntire, 3rd U.S. Artillery      7. Colonel William Clay Cumming, 8th U.S. Infantry      8. Captain John M. Scott, 15th U.S. Infantry      9. Colonel James Burn, 2nd U.S. Light Dragoons      10. Lieutenant Reynold M. Kirby, 3rd U.S. Artillery      11. Brigadier General George Izard, U.S. Army      Part II: Citizen-Soldiers12. Private William Greathouse, Kentucky Mounted Riflemen      13. Private Charles Fairbanks, New Hampshire Volunteers      14. Anonymous, Fenton’s Pennsylvania Volunteers      15. Private Nathaniel Vernon, Pittsburgh Blues      Bibliography      Index