Drawing on the Canadian War Museum's exclusive collection of artifacts, an acclaimed historian retells the story of the War of 1812.

There is more than one side to every story -- in the War of 1812, there were four. For Canadians, the War of 1812 was all about American invasions. For Americans, it was about standing up to Britain. For the British, it was an irritating sideshow to the Napoleonic Wars raging in Europe. And for Native Americans -- whose presence in the war is too often forgotten -- it was a desperate struggle for freedom and independence as they fought to defend their homelands.

Canadians and Americans have used the War of 1812 as a source for nation-building narratives, centred on their stories of the war. But all four groups fought and remembered their own War of 1812. Written to coincide with the 200th anniversary of the infamous war's outbreak in June 2012, this strikingly designed volume recasts the conflict as a war of four perspectives -- and four stories.

Including extensive photographs from the Canadian War Museum's vast collection, and text by distinguished historian Peter MacLeod, this fascinating and image-rich volume presents a broad perspective on a crucial event in Canadian history.

Dr. Peter MacLeod is the pre-Confederation historian at the Canadian War Museum, where he curated the exhibition 1812. A longstanding student of 18th-century Canada, he is the author of The Canadian Iroquois and The Seven Years’ War (published in French as Les Iroquois et la guerre de sept ans) and Northern Armageddon: The Battle of the Plains of Abraham (published in French as La vérité sur la bataille des Plaines d’Abraham). He lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

D. Peter MacLeod's profile page

"The text is excellent and MacLeod certainly knows his subject...the illustrations are well chosen and represent a good cross-section of period prints and paintings, as well as artifacts."

Chronicle Herald

"D. Peter Macleod's The Four Wars of 1812 summarizes the radically different interpretations that have distorted the historical record. It also demonstrates how a very brief, vividly illustrated book can offer an intelligent and imaginative account of complex historical events...Macleod concisely tells the four distinct stories that have shaped how the War of 1812 is remembered in such a way as to inspire young readers to delve deeper. The images in this handsome volume are a beautiful selection from several library and archival collections."

Montreal Gazette