Drawing from a wide array of archival and secondary sources, Dishman’s analysis of the War of 1812 takes a close look at the combat along the United States–Canadian border. His focus is on the military dimension of the war, more specifically the logistical challenges faced by the two combatants. Dishman’s central argument is that the key factor in the fighting was the difficulties that both sides faced in moving men and materials into the Great Lakes border region on a reliable and timely basis. The British had a long, horizontal supply line stretching from the St. Lawrence valley westward through the Great Lakes and western Ontario. The vulnerability of this line was obvious to American strategists, but it was never fully severed due to the chronic manpower and supply problems that Americans faced, caused chiefly by the lack of roads in the region.
Dishman’s close look at a specific theater...