Cheap First Invasion War of 1812 (DVD) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of First Invasion War of 1812

Should be required viewing in history classes
The emphasis in the history books and the history classes is on the war for American independence. Very little time and ink is spent on the war between Britain and the United States now called the war of 1812. That is unfortunate, because the United States was invaded, and the White House and Capitol buildings burned. Furthermore, if it were not for a sudden hurricane and if one specific British shell had exploded, the United States could have been defeated. Had this happened, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that the United States would have become a nominally independent state in the British Empire. <
> At the time, the British Empire was locked in a death struggle with the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte. The British Navy ruled the seas, but was suffering a severe manpower shortage. Thousands of British sailors had deserted to serve in the American merchant fleet, which had much better pay and working conditions. To combat this, British warships stopped American merchant ships and forcibly removed sailors that they considered to have deserted from the British Navy. This policy of impressment was the primary reason that the war began. <
> The United States was wholly unprepared for the war, with no Navy and a paltry, ill-equipped army. Furthermore, there were great regional divisions in the country. The New England states were opposed to the war, so much so that when the war began going badly, there was a meeting of the members of the New England branch of the Federalist Party. The topic of the meeting was whether the New England states should secede from the United States. <
> The lowest point of the war was when the British troops invaded Maryland and routed the small number of U. S. forces sent to oppose them. They then marched unopposed to Washington D. C. and burned several government buildings, including the White House. It is here where First Lady Dolly Madison became a national hero. While government officials and soldiers were fleeing, she stayed until the last minute, saving as many national treasures as she could. <
> However, almost immediately, the fortunes of the U. S. began to change for the better. As the buildings were burning, a hurricane arrived and began dumping sheets of rain on Washington. As if by divine providence, a tornado moved through the British ranks, causing more casualties than the American opposition. Still undefeated, the British forces moved on Baltimore. Fort McHenry guarded the entrance to the harbor and fortunately for the U. S. the general commanding the defense forces was a very capable man. <
> The British attacked, bombarding Fort McHenry throughout the night. At one point, a British shell landed in the powder magazine of the fort. Landing among hundreds of thousands of pounds of gunpowder, it failed to explode. Had it done so, the entire Fort would have been obliterated and the outer defenses of Baltimore would have disintegrated. After this, it is quite likely that Baltimore would have fallen and the United States split into two separate regions. <
> This DVD is one that should be part of very high school and college course in American history. Few people realize how close this nation came to losing that war and reverted back to British control. The history books emphasize the American victory at New Orleans, which was very impressive. However, had Baltimore fell, there would have been no New Orleans, because the British would have consolidated their control in the north and New England probably would have seceded. This would have doomed the United States and split it into at least two sections. These regions would have been at odds and would most certainly have fallen back under some form of British control. All of this is explained in this video and the acting and special effects are very good. <
>