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Military History of U.S. Great Lakes

Military history of U.S. Great Lakes. Battles Fought in the Great Lakes, French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, Indian Wars, War of 1812. Free online.

Varous Topics on Great Lakes Military History

The Conquest of the Old Northwest and its Settlement by Americans

Baldwin, James
NY: American Book 1901

War in the Great Lakes.

See the Menu at the top of every page for Directories of Free Online Fiction and NonFiction Books, Magazines, and more, on 400 pages like this at Century Past

Some Important Colonial Military Operations: the Sieges of Louisbourg in 1745 and 1758 …

The Struggle between the French and English for the Valley of the Ohio, 1749-1758

Huidekoper, Frederic L.
Washington: Society of Colonial Wars 1914

These two papers describing battles and military strategy originated as addresses to the Society of Colonial Wars in Washington, DC. in 1914. This edition contains a number of maps and illustrations of the military campaigns. The second paper begins on page 29 of the Viewer.

See also on this site: Parkman, Francis, Montcalm and Wolfe in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775

See our collected articles about U.S. History until 1800

Military Roads of the Mississippi Basin: the Conquest of the Old Northwest

Hulbert, Archer
Cleveland: Clark 1904

Battles in the Great Lakes, Battlefields in the Great Lakes

The Frontier Fort, or, Stirring Times in the North West Territory of British America

Kingston, William Henry Giles
Toronto: Musson 188?

Great Lakes forts, battles in the Great Lakes.


French & Indian War in the Great Lakes

The Fight with France for North America

Bradley, A. G.
NY: Dutton 1900

This is a 400-page history by a British historian, drawing heavily upon British government records, of the war that is called in the U.S. the “French and Indian War”. War in the Great Lakes, Great Lakes battles, French and Indian War in the Ohio Valley.

For works on the era of the French and Indian War, also see:
– Parkman, Francis, Montcalm and Wolfe in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775
;
Fiske, John , New France and New England in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775

The General History of the Late War, Vol 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5

Containing it’s Rise, Progress and Event, in Europe, Asia, Africa and America and exhibiting the state of the belligerent powers at the commencement of the war, their interests and objects in it’s continuation, and remarks on the measures, which led Great Britain to victory and conquest, interspersed with the characters … by sea and land

Entick, John
London: 1763

This history of the Seven Years War between England and France, written by an Englishman for a London publisher, was published shortly after the war ended. The version of Volume 1 offered here is the third edition, published in 1766. Volumes 2, 3, 4 & 5 are from the first edition, published 1763-1764. This history is included on this website because the French and Indian War was the American theater of the Seven Years War. War in the Great Lakes, French and Indian war in the Great Lakes, Battles in the Great Lakes.

For works on the era of the French and Indian War, also see:
– Parkman, Francis, Montcalm and Wolfe in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775
;
Fiske, John , New France and New England in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775

The French War and the Revolution

Sloane, William M.
NY: Scribner 1893

This is one volume in a four-volume history of the United States. Written by a Princeton history professor, it covers the period 1756 to 1783. French and Indian War in the Great Lakes, Revolutionary War in the Great Lakes.

For works on the era of the French and Indian War, also see:
– Parkman, Francis, Montcalm and Wolfe in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775
;
Fiske, John , New France and New England in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775

A Complete History of the Present War: from its commencement in 1756, to the end of the campaign, 1760…

in which all the battles, sieges, and sea-engagements, with every other transaction worthy of public attention, are faithfully recorded, with political and military observations.

Unknown Author
London: 1761

This history by an anonymous author, apparently British, covers the Seven Years War between Great Britain and France. The French and Indian War in North America was one theater in that war. French and Indian War in the Great Lakes, Battles in the Great Lakes.

For works on the era of the French and Indian War, also see:
– Parkman, Francis, Montcalm and Wolfe in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775
;
Fiske, John , New France and New England in American History in the Colonial Period – 1607-1775


Revolutionary War in the Great Lakes

“The Haldimand Papers”, Installment 1

Installment 2

Installment 3

Installment 4

Installment 5

Historical Collections Vol. 9 2nd edition 1908 343-658; Vol. 10, 1st ed. 1888, 210-672; Vol. 11, 1st ed. 1888, 319-656; Vol. 19, 1st ed. 1892, 296-675; Vol. 20, 1st ed. 1892, 1-299

Lansing: Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society

The “Haldimand Papers” are documents that were initially preserved by Sir Frederick Haldimand, who served as the Governor of the Province of Quebec from 1778-1784. The collection was maintained in the archives of Canada at Ottawa in 1886 when representatives of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society began visiting the archives to copy documents. The Society published the collection in five volumes of the Society’s publication, Historical Collections. Those volumes of Historical Collections (and many others) have been made available online by Internet Archives.

The papers printed in the Historical Collections – a total of nearly 1,800 pages – consist largely of correspondence among British commanders at western frontier posts from 1762 to 1799, and between post commanders and the commanding general at Quebec. This includes the entire period of the Revolutionary War. The papers portray not only military life and military issues, but also civil life of the times. Because British commanders in the west relied heavily on Indian allies, the papers contain a great deal of material about treaties and conferences with the Indians, the means employed to obtain alliances, and the influence of Indians on the war. Indian wars in the Great Lakes, Revolutionary War in the Great Lakes, Great Lakes battles.

The Tables of Contents of the five volumes and the Prefaces contain only very brief guides to the Haldimand documents in that volume. Indexes at the back of every volume cover that installment of the Haldimand Papers as well as all other articles within.

For books on the Revolution see: History of the American Revolution

“Virginia and the West; An Interpretation”

Mississippi Valley Historical Review Vol III, 1916-17, 19-38

Alvord, Clarence W.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Mississippi Valley Historical Association

At the outset of the American Revolution Virginia claimed a large portion of what would be known as the Northwest Territory, including a large part of the Illinois country. The author asserts that the actions of George Rogers Clark and other American initiatives in the Northwest during the Revolution can only be understood correctly as stemming from Virginia’s determination to make good her claims to territory there. The Revolutionary War in the Great Lakes.

See our free pdf books about the American Revolution

Washington-Irvine Correspondence : the Official Letters which Passed between Washington and Brig-Gen. William Irvine

and between Irvine and others concerning military affairs in the West from 1781 to 1783

Butterfield, Consul Willshire, ed.
Madison, WI: Atwood 1882

Conquest of the Country Northwest of the River Ohio, 1778-1783 and Life of Gen. George Rogers Clark, Vol 1

Volume 2

With numerous sketches of men who served under Clark and full list of those allotted lands in Clark’s grant for service in the campaigns against the British posts, showing exact land allotted each. Over 125 illustrations

English, William Hayden
Indianapolis: Bowen-Merrill 1896

Author William English was the President of the Indiana Historical Society.
Note that the Table of Contents in Volume 1, which appears to be very thorough, actually omits mention of nearly 200 pages of appendices. Included in that portion are Clark’s “Memoir”, a number of letters, and portions of diaries.

See the resources on this site for: The Exploits of George Rogers Clark

For books on the Revolution see: History of the American Revolution

“Clark’s Conquest of the Northwest”

Ohio History XII, January 1903/Number 1, 67-94

Randall, Emilius O.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

Emilius Randall (1850-1919) of Columbus, OH was a Law Professor at Ohio State University and the official reporter of the Ohio Supreme Court. Appointed by the Governor as a Trustee of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society, he also served as Secretary and Editor. He edited 28 volumes and authored several books and numerous articles for the Society. Great Lakes battles. Revolutionary War in the Great Lakes.

See the resources on this site for: The Exploits of George Rogers Clark

The Tories of the Upper Ohio

Siebert, Wilbur H.
Charleston, W. Va, 1914

This is a short paper, published as a booklet. Other writers have noted that the Revolution was different in the west in that there was not a civil war there between patriots and loyalists. There were too few loyalists. This paper is about specific prominent loyalists in the west, their efforts to influence events on behalf of the British, and how they were generally forced to flee American towns early in the war.

See our free books on U.S. History 1789-1809

The Old Northwest in the American Revolution: An Anthology

Skaggs, David Curtis
State Historical Society of Wisconsin 1977

The Revolution on the Upper Ohio, 1775-1777

Thwaites, Reuben G., Kellogg, Louise P., eds.
Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society 1908

Volume 2 of the Draper Series. Please see the note under Vol 1, Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774, for more information about this series.

This volume of documents covers the first years of the Revolutionary War on the Ohio River frontier.

For books on the Revolution see: History of the American Revolution

Frontier Defense on the Upper Ohio, 1777-1778

Thwaites, Reuben G., Kellogg, Louise P., eds.
Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society 1912

Volume 3 of the Draper Series. Please see the note under Vol 1, Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774, for more information about this series.

Frontier Advance on the Upper Ohio, 1778-1779

Kellogg, Louise P., ed.
Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin 1916

Volume 4 of the Draper Series. Please see the note under Vol 1, Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774, for more information about this series.

This volume is a collection of historical documents for the Revolutionary War in the west from May, 1778 to July, 1779, described by editor Louise Kellogg as the most momentous period in that theater of war. Kellogg, an historian at the Wisconsin Historical Society, describes military events during this period in a 28-page introduction. Since there does not appear to be a list of the many documents in the volume, reading the introduction first would be a help in putting the documents into context. Dunmore’s war, battles in the Great Lakes. .

Frontier Retreat on the Upper Ohio, 1779-1781

Kellogg, Louise P., ed.
Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin 1917

Volume 5 of the Draper Series. Please see the note under Vol 1, Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774, for more information about this series.

The North-west during the Revolution: Annual Address before the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Tuesday evening, January 31, 1871

Walker, Charles I.
Madison, WI, 1871

“Contains Historical Notes by Lyman C. Draper. This address contains much new matter relative to an interesting period in our frontier history, especially pertaining to the British and Indian forays, having their origin and stimulus at Detroit, the headquarters of British influence in the Northwest during the border warfare of the Revolution.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)


Indian Wars in the Great Lakes

The Land of the Miamis

Barce, Elmore
Fowler, IN: Benton Review 1922

An account of the struggle to secure possession of the Northwest from the end of the Revolution until 1812. Chapter headings, with explanatory notes, are:

-A Brief Retrospect. Indian Wars of the Early Northwest.
-What the Virginians Gave Us. Topographical description of country north of the Ohio River.
-The Beaver Trade. At the Close of the Revolutionary War.
-The Prairie and the Buffalo. The Buffalo as main food supply of the Indians.
-The Wabash and the Maumee. The chief line of communication with tribes of Early Northwest.
-The Tribes of the Northwest. Description and Location of 7 Tribes opposing Settlement.
-Real Savages. From the standpoint of the Frontiersmen.
-Our Indian Policy. Indian right of Occupancy through liberal policy of Washington and Jefferson.
-The Kentuckians.
-The British Policies. Reluctance to Surrender Northwest, Influence with Indians.
-Josiah Harmar. First Military Invasion of Northwest by Federal Government.
-Scott and Wilkinson. Kentucky Raids on Miami Country 1791.
-St. Clair’s Defeat. First great Disaster for Federal Armies.
-Wayne and Fallen Timbers. Triumph of Federal Armies over Indians and British.
-The Treaty of Greenville. Submission of Miamis and Surrender of Ohio Lands.
-Governor Harrison and the Treaty. Purchase of Miami Lands, Rise of Tecumseh, Tippecanoe.
-Results of the Treaty. Struggle of Harrison’s Political Enemies.
-The Shawnee Brothers. Tecumseh and the Prophet.
-Prophet’s Town. Capital of Shawnee Confederacy.
-Harrison’s Vigilance. He saves the Frontier Capital.
-The Council at Vincennes. Dramatic meeting between Harrison and Tecumseh.
-The Second and Last Council. Last meeting before Harrison marches into Indian Country.
-The Muster and the March. Muster of Volunteers and Arrival of Federal Troops.
-The Battle of Tippecanoe. Destruction of Tecumseh Confederacy.
-Naylor’s Narrative. Description of Battle by Participant.

“Lewis Wetzel: Warfare Tactics on the Frontier”

West Virginia History 50 (1991) 79-90

Carroll, George
West Virginia Archives and History

Lewis Wetzel was among the most famous Indian fighters on the frontier at the end of the 18th century, living near the future site of Wheeling, West Virginia at a time of frequent Indian attacks. He excelled at guerilla tactics and ruthlessly hunted Indians, often by himself. The author describes his manner of fighting, which was common among frontiersmen, and assesses the military value of such tactics. Indian wars in the Great Lakes.

“William Clark’s Journal of General Wayne’s Campaign”

Mississippi Valley Historical Review Vol I, 1914-15, 418-44

Clark, William (Lieut.)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Mississippi Valley Historical Association

Entitled by the author, “A Journal of Major-General Anthony Wayne’s Campaign Against the Shawanee Indians in Ohio in 1794-1795”. According to the editor, “the particular value of this journal is the light it throws on the conditions in Wayne’s army. The hostile feeling of the volunteers toward the regular army and the general atmosphere of discontent with Wayne’s management on the part of some of his subordinates are clearly brought out in the manuscript.”

See our Military Books PDF Free Download

History of the Early Settlement and Indian Wars of Western Virginia…

embracing an account of the various expeditions in the West, previous to 1795; also, biographical sketches

DeHass, Wills
Wheeling: H. Hoblitzell 1851

“This most valuable work is not a mere compilation of facts, but a history drawn from sources original and reliable. The author says “all statements of doubtful authority have been discarded, and no evidence received but that of the most unquestionable character.” A distinctive feature of the work will be found in Part VII, containing biographical sketches of some of the most prominent actors in the border wars. Among the principal subjects relating to our topic, are, Indian Towns on the Ohio, French Claims on the Ohio, Bouquet’s Expedition, Capt. Cresap exonerated, Col. Angus McDonald’s Expedition against the Indians in Ohio, Battle of Point Pleasant, Dunmore’s Expedition, Massacre at Gnadenhutten, Crawford’s Campaign, etc.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

Notes, on the Settlement and Indian Wars, of the Western Parts of Virginia & Pennsylvania …

From the Year 1763 Until the Year 1783 Inclusive; Together with a View, of the State of Society and Manners of the First Settlers of the Western Country

Doddridge, Joseph
Wellsburgh, Va. 1824

“This work is the production of a gentleman, who was reared in the wilderness, and was intimately acquainted with the whole subject on which he writes; it is drawn from original sources, and almost entirely from personal observation. Brought up in the wilderness, the inmate of a cabin, Dr. Doddridge spent his whole life in the midst of those dangers and vicissitudes which made up the life of the borderer, and he has detailed a variety of minute circumstances, which render the book exceedingly valuable. It is one of the original authorities, and although erroneous in some respects, we have every reason to believe is in the main correct; and scarcely a subsequent production relating to Indian Wars, can be picked up, that does not give extracts, or make assertions based on ” Doddridge’s Notes,” and most frequently without acknowledgement of the source from which their valuable item is taken. This work and “Wither’s Chronicles,” a work of like character and equal merit, have long been considered of primary importance in collections of books relating to America, and especially to those relating to the Ohio Valley.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

Border Wars of the West …

comprising the frontier wars of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and Wisconsin; and embracing individual adventures among the Indians, and exploits of Boone, Kenton, Clark, Logan, Brady, Poe, Morgan, the Wetzels, and other border heroes of the West

Frost, John
NY: Miller, Orton. 1856

“General Anthony Wayne and the Battle of Fallen Timbers”

Ohio History IX, October 1900/Number 2, 214-37

Hunt, Samuel F.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This is a centennial oration by a Cincinnati judge, delivered on the battlefield site in 1894. He briefly describes conditions that led the U.S. Government to send General Wayne and his army on this expedition, then describes the campaign. As one would expect of a commemorative speech, the emphasis is on the heroism of the troops.

Mad Anthony Wayne, Battle of Fallen Timbers, military history of the Great Lakes, Indian wars in the Great Lakes

The Remarkable Adventures of Jackson Johonnet, of Massachusetts

who served as a soldier in the western army, in the expedition under General Harmar and Gen. St. Clair, containing an account of his captivity, sufferings, and escape from the Kickappo Indians

Johonnet, Jackson
Greenfield, Mass: Phelps 1816

Our Western Border: Its Life, Combats, Adventures, Forays, Massacres, Captivities, Scouts, Red Chiefs, Pioneer Women, One Hundred Years Ago

McKnight, Charles
Philadelphia: J.C. McCurdy 1875

“The author seems to have carefully sifted Doddridge, Withers, Pritts, DeHass, McClung and McDonald, and has connected chronologically, the more salient and memorable of the Combats, Massacres and Captivities, chiefly embraced between Dunmore’s War of 1774, and the Battle of Fallen Timbers, in 1794, when the power of the Western Confederation was forever crushed by “Mad Anthony” Wayne.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

A Collection of Some of the Most Interesting Narratives of Indian Warfare in the West, Containing an Account of the Adventures of Colonel Daniel Boone

Metcalfe, Samuel L. comp.
1821

The author explains that as he was traveling in 1820 he met a man who had been an early settler in Kentucky and told him some “interesting anecdotes of Indian warfare”. Metcalf decided to continue to collect such stories about the early settlement of the western countries before they would be “consigned to oblivion”.

“The Western Indians in the Revolution”

Ohio History XVI, July 1907/Number 3, 269-91

Notestein, Wallace
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

This was the prize-winning paper in a 1905 competition sponsored by the Ohio Sons of the Revolution, with the assigned topic of “The Western Indians in the Revolution”. The author covers the roles of the three groups in the west; the frontier settlers, the British military, and the Indians, explaining the relationship between the Indians and the British. Great Lakes Indian Wars, Revolution in the Great Lakes.

The Conspiracy of Pontiac and the Indian War after the Conquest of Canada, Vol 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Parkman, Francis
Boston: Little, Brown 1898

In the late 19th century Francis Parkman was America’s premier historian of French Canada and of the Northwest under French rule. His narrative of “Pontiac’s Conspiracy” (now referred to as ‘Pontiac’s War’ or ‘Pontiac’s Rebellion’) was for decades the standard interpretation of the many Indian attacks against British northwest forts in 1763. This is a 1898 edition of a history first published in 1851.

The Ohio Country between the Years 1783 and 1815 …

Including Military Operations That Twice Saved to the United States the Country West of the Alleghany Mountains After the Revolutionary War

Slocum, Charles E.
New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 1910

An Historical Account of the Expedition against the Ohio Indians, in the Year 1764, Under the Command of Henry Bouquet …

Including His Transactions with the Indians, Relative to the Delivery of Their Prisoners, and the Preliminaries of Peace : with an Introductory Account of the Preceding Campaign, and Battle at Bushy-Run : to Which Are Annexed Military Papers, Containing Reflections on the War with the Savages : a Method of Forming Frontier Settlements : Some Account of the Indian Country : with a List of Nations, Fighting Men, Towns, Distances, and Different Routs : the Whole Illustrated with a Map and Copper-Plates

Smith, William, etc.
Philadelphia: 1766

“This book is an authentic and reliable narrative of one of the earliest British military expeditions into the Territory northwest of the Ohio River. It narrates the details of the first victory, gained over Indian forces, by English troops, after the savages had been taught the use of fire-arms. The whole narrative is most entertaining for the interest of the subject, and for the quaintness of that highly literary style of the last century.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774

Thwaites, Reuben G., Kellogg, Louise P., comp.
Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society, 1905

Volume 1 of the Draper Series

Lyman Copeland Draper (1815-1891) began research in the late 1830s on frontier days and particularly on the Indian wars of the Ohio River Valley, collecting documents, writing notes, and corresponding with people who had experienced historical events there. He continued his research throughout his life, leaving behind at the Wisconsin Historical Society, which he directed, an enormous volume of materials that are referred to as the ‘Draper Manuscript Collection’.

The Draper Series consists of 5 volumes of documents selected from the Draper Collection, edited by staff of the Wisconsin Historical Society at the beginning of the 20th century. Volume 1 covers Lord Dunmore’s War in 1774, and the remaining four volumes, also found on this web page, cover the period of the American Revolution. The editors began this volume with a 20-page introduction that describes the increasing violence along the Ohio River frontier from 1763 to 1774 and gives a short narrative of Lord Dunmore’s War.

To Compel with Armed Force : A Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Tippecanoe

Tunnell, Harry Daniel IV, Major
Fort Leavenworth, KS: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College 2000

“General Wayne’s Orderly Book”

Michigan Historical Collections Vol. 34 (1905): pp 341-733

Wayne, Anthony
Lansing: Michigan Historical Commission

For the period 1792-1797, this covers General Wayne’s expedition against the Indians in Ohio Territory. Includes short sketches of military officers, extracts from a diary of Lt. Boyer, and correspondence of Col. Hamtramck and Gen. Wilkinson.

Advancing the Ohio Frontier: A Saga of the Old Northwest

Wilson, Frazer E.
Blanchester, OH: Brown 1937

The subject of this history is military operations against Indians in Ohio country in the 40 years from the beginning of the French and Indian War until the signing of Wayne’s Treaty at Fort Greeneville in 1795. The four chapters are:

-Frontier Ohio -Defeat on the Upper Wabash -Victory at the Maumee Rapids -Smoking the Calumet

The Peace of Mad Anthony …

an account of the subjugation of the north-western Indian tribes and the treaty of Greenville by which the territory beyond the Ohio was opened for Anglo-Saxon settlement

Wilson, Frazer Ells
Greenville, OH: Kemble 1909

The four chapter headings are:

-The Old Northwest -The Tribes Protest -Mad Anthony Victorious -The Great Peace

Chronicles of Border Warfare: or, a history of the settlement by the whites, of northwestern Virginia…

and of the Indian wars and massacres, in that section of the state: with reflections, anecdotes, &c

Withers, Alexander S.
1831

“One of the best collections of narratives of frontier life and Indian warfare. It ranks favorably with “Doddridge’s Notes”.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)


War of 1812 in the Great Lakes

Narrative of the Suffering and Defeat of the North-Western Army, under General Winchester …

Massacre of the Prisoners: Sixteen months Imprisonment of the Writer and others with the Indians and British

Atherton, William
Frankfort, Ky: A. G. Hodges 1842

“This work recounts the adventures of the Volunteers from Kentucky under the command of Cols. Allen, Lewis and Scott, who were called to the relief of Fort Wayne. Their route was from Georgetown, Ky , to Cincinnati, thence through theState of Ohio, by way of Piqua. It narrates the subsequent defeat of the Army at Raisin, their capture and experiences while imprisoned at Montreal and Quebec. In feeling and humanity, the author places the Indians above the British.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

For history of the War of 1812, see: America in the Early 19th Century – 1809-1861

“The Siege of Fort Meigs Year 1813: An Eye-Witness Account by Colonel Alexander Bourne”, Part 1

Part 2

Northwest Ohio Quarterly Vol. 17, no. 4 (Oct 1945) 139-54; Vol. 18, no. 1 (Jan 1946) 39-48

Bourne, Alexander
Toledo’s Attic

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

An Authentic History of the Second War for Independence

Volume 2

Brown, Samuel
Auburn, NY: Hathaway 1815

This history of the war was apparently published several months after the end of the War of 1812.

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

For history of the War of 1812, see: America in the Early 19th Century – 1809-1861

Views of the Campaigns of the North-Western Army, &c: Comprising Sketches of the Campaigns of Generals Hull and Harrison …

a Minute and Interesting Account of the Naval Conflict on Lake Erie: Military Anecdotes: Abuses in the Army: Plan of a Military Settlement: View of the Lake Coast from Sandusky to Detroit

Brown, Samuel R.
Burlington, Vt, 1814

This book was published in the same year that the War of 1812 ended. The author was a participant in the campaigns he describes, and most of the narrative is a first-person account, with some overview added occasionally. It is a very different approach than that taken by Brown in An Authentic History of the Second War for Independence, found on this same web page. The account concludes with the re-occupation of Detroit in late 1813.

“Western Opinion and the War of 1812”

Ohio History XXXIII, July-October 1924/Number 3 & 4, 427-76

Cady, John F.
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society

In the author’s own words, here is the subject of this article:

“The young Republican leaders in Congress, backed by insistent and urgent public opinion in the West forced the United States into a war with a powerful nation, a war to which large sections of the country were utterly hostile, and which was regarded with enthusiasm in none but the three sparsely settled States west of the Alleghanies. The difference in the attitude of the West is traceable in part to its pride in resenting national insults, and in part to the fact that the War of 1812 was coupled with a popular Indian war for which the West believed Great Britain responsible. This paper concerns itself primarily with a consideration of these two elements, nationalistic pride and patriotism, and the inevitable Indian struggle, as the factors furnishing the grounds for differences between Eastern and Western opinion…”

For history of the War of 1812, see: America in the Early 19th Century – 1809-1861

Campaign of 1813 on the Ohio Frontier: Sortie at Fort Meigs, May 1813 …

Address of Thomas Christian, a Volunteer in Col. Dudley’s Regiment

Christian, Thomas
1870

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

“The Ohio Valley in the Preliminaries of the War of 1812”

Mississippi Valley Historical Review Vol VII, 1920-21, 39-50

Coleman, Christopher B.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Mississippi Valley Historical Association

The author explains why he believes the War of 1812 began only because influential men in the Ohio Valley, aided by elements in the south, aimed for the conquest of Canada.

Documents Relating to the Invasion of Canada and the Surrender of Detroit; 1812

Cruikshank, E. A. Lieut. Colonel, ed.
Ottawa: Govt Printing Bureau 1912

Mostly consists of correspondence of one or two pages in length from throughout the year of 1812; about 200 items in all.

“The Organization and Operational Administration of the Ohio Militia in the War of 1812”

Ohio State University Department of History

Doyle, James T.
Columbus: Ohio State Museum 1958

Paper by a graduate student, in the series “Papers on the War of 1812 in the Northwest”; a joint effort of Ohio State University and the Anthony Wayne Parkway Board.

The War of 1812 in the Old Northwest

Gilpin, Alec Richard
East Lansing: Michigan State University 1958

“The British Invasions of Ohio – 1813”

Ohio State University Department of History

Hallaman, Emanuel
Columbus: Ohio State Museum 1958

Paper by a graduate student, in the series “Papers on the War of 1812 in the Northwest”; a joint effort of Ohio State University and the Anthony Wayne Parkway Board.

History of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States of America

Hannay, James
Toronto: Morang 1905

This is a history of the War of 1812 from a Canadian perspective. These passages are from the author’s Preface:

“This book has been written for the purpose of placing before the people of Canada, in a single volume, the story of the defense of our country from foreign invasion during the last war between Great Britain and the United States of America.” “No doubt it will be said by some critics that in this book I have been too severe on the Americans who invaded our country, burnt our towns, ravaged our fields, slaughtered our people and tried to place us under a foreign flag.”

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

For history of the War of 1812, see: America in the Early 19th Century – 1809-1861

Document Transcriptions of the War of 1812 in the Northwest, Vol 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

Volume 4

Volume 5 Part 1

Volume 5 Part 2

Volume 6 Part 1

Volume 6 Part 2

Volume 6 Part 3

Volume 6 Part 4

Volume 9

Volume 10 Part 1

Volume 10 Part 2

Finding List – Index

Knopf, Richard C. and others, transcribers
Columbus: Ohio Historical Society 1957-1962

A 10-volume series of transcribed source materials. Each volume is limited to either a single collection of personal or public papers, or to a single topic.

Vol. 1. “William Henry Harrison and the War of 1812”. The official correspondence of William Henry Harrison with the War Office from Jan 7, 1812 to Dec. 30, 1813. 104 pages.

Vol. 2 “Return Jonathan Meigs Jr. and the War of 1812”. Items relevant to the prosecution of the War of 1812 in the Northwest as found in the Meigs Papers of the Ohio State Library and the Library of the Ohio State Museum. Calendar of items at the end. 242 pages.

Vol. 3 “Thomas Worthington and the War of 1812”. Items relevant to the prosecution of the War of 1812 in the Northwest as found in the Worthington Papers of the Library of Congress, with the exception of the Worthington diaries. Calendar of items at the end. 233 pages.

Vol. 4 “Anecdotes of the Lake Erie Area; War of 1812”. Several little-known but worthwhile items respecting the naval war on Lake Erie. 63 pages.

Vol. 5 “The National Intelligencer Reports; The War of 1812 in the Northwest”. All of the pertinent information on the War of 1812 in the Northwest for the period as found in the columns of the National Intelligencer, a Washington, D.C. “semi-official organ for reporting governmental business and a clearinghouse of news from throughout the country.” Part 1 (222 pages) covers Nov. 9, 1811 to Dec. 8, 1812. Part 2 (264 pages) includes all of 1813.

Vol. 6 “Letters to the Secretary of War 1812, Relating to the War of 1812 in the Northwest”. All of the pertinent information on the War of 1812 in the Northwest for the year 1812 as found in the records of incoming correspondence to the office of the Secretary of War. It covers almost all phases of the activity on the frontier, including military preparations and operations, Indian affairs, supplies, the building of defenses, morale, etc. The volume is divided into four parts:
– Part 1: January-May. 245 pages.
– Part 2: June-July. 144 pages.
– Part 3: August-September. 209 pages.
– Part 4: October-December. 155 pages.

Vol. 7 “Letters received by the War Office 1813” was not found online.

Vol. 8 “Letters originating in the War Office and sent to the Northwest” was not found online.

Vol. 9 “Fort Fayette Freight Book 1812-1813”. Reproduces a Freight Receipt Book containing invoices of military supplies shipped from Fort Fayette at Pittsburgh to the western frontier between May 27, 1812 and March 28, 1813. 81 pages.

Vol. 10 “Western Reserve Historical Society War of 1812 Collection”. All of the pertinent information on the War of 1812 in the Northwest for the years 1812 and 1813 as found in the records and manuscripts of the Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, OH, divided into two parts.
– Part 1: 246 pages.
– Part 2: 231 pages.

“Finding List and Index for Volumes 1 through 10”. 160 pages.

“Some Social Aspects on the Life and Organization of the Soldiers in the War of 1812”

Ohio State University Department of History

Le Roy, Paul
Columbus: Ohio State Museum 1958

Paper by a graduate student, in the series “Papers on the War of 1812 in the Northwest”; a joint effort of Ohio State University and the Anthony Wayne Parkway Board.

“The Weakness of Discipline and its Consequent Results in the Northwest during the War of 1812”

Ohio State University Department of History

Le Roy, Perry
Columbus: Ohio State Museum 1958

Paper by a graduate student, in the series “Papers on the War of 1812 in the Northwest”; a joint effort of Ohio State University and the Anthony Wayne Parkway Board.

History of the Late War in the Western Country

McAfee, Robert B.
1816

[This volume] “… is the original authority from which later writers borrowed freely. It narrates, in detail, the causes of the war—Hull’s Campaign—Harrison’s Campaign—Battle of Lake Erie—and all the incidents of the War of 1812 in Ohio and the Northwest Territory are given with great minutia of detail.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

Sketches of the War between the United States and the British Isles …

intended as a faithful history of all the material events from the time of the declaration in 1812 to … the treaty of peace in 1815; interspersed with geographical [!] descriptions … and biographical notices of distinguished military and naval commanders

Williams, Samuel
Rutland, VT, 1815

“Originally published in eight numbers as the war progressed; these were afterward collected in one volume. Contains a full account of the events of the war in Ohio and the Northwest.”
– Peter G. Thomson, A Bibliography of the State of Ohio (1880)

See the resources on this site for: The War of 1812

Select British Documents of the Canadian War of 1812, Vol 1

Volume 2

Volume 3 Part 1

Wood, William, ed.
Toronto: Champlain Society 1920-1926

Volume 1 begins with a 132-page Introduction that narrates the war. The documents are then presented in groups, as shown below. Volume 3, Part 2, which contains miscellaneous documents and an index to the set, was not found online.

Volume 1
1. Preparation. 1801-1812
2. Brock. 1812

Volume 2
3. Operations in the West: Frenchtown; and in the East: Ogdensburg. Winter of 1813 4. Operations in the West: The Maumee, Fort Meigs and Fort Stephenson, 1813 5. Operations on Lake Ontario, Spring of 1813 6. Operations on the Frontiers, Summer of 1813 7. Operations in the Lake Erie Region, 1813 8. Operations on the Montreal Frontier, 1813. Miscellaneous 9. Operations on the Niagara Frontier, December 1813

Volume 3, Part 1
10. Operations on the Frontiers, 1814 11. British Counter-Invasion of the United States, 1814 12. The End of the War, 1814-1815

The War With the United States : A Chronicle of 1812

Audio Book

Wood, William
Toronto: Glasgow, Brook 1915

Chapter titles are:

1. Opposing Claims 2. Opposing Forces 3. 1812: Off to the Front 4. 1812: Brock at Detroit and Queenston Heights 5. 1813: The Beaver Dams, Lake Erie, and Chateauguay 6. 1814: Lundy’s Lane, Plattsburg, and the Great Blockade –
Bibliographical Note

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