Defending the Old Dominion Virginia and Its Militia in the War of 1812 [Paperback]

Butler should be complimented for having written what is undoubtedly the most extensive account of Virginia's role in the War of 1812. Those interested in the history of the Old Dominion or in this conflict in general will find something of value here.With the bicentennial of the War of 1812 upon us, it is fitting and timely that Stuart Butler has written the most complete history of Virginia during that war. His writing style is clear and easy to read. He not only covers the complexity of the war in Virginia, but he also sets the war in context to the region and the nation. In addition to the battles, skirmishes and raids expected in a book on this subject, Butler takes the reader further into the politics of the war, and the difficulty of adequately supplying the militia and funding it. His experience as a former employee of the National Archives and Records Administration results in a work that is well researched, citied and indexed. Butler has achieved for Virginia what every state with War of 1812 history should strive for. Any scholar of American history will want this book in their library; every library in Virginia should have a copy on its shelves and every citizen of Virginia should read it.The War of 1812 was important in Virginia, not only at Fort McHenry, in Washington, D.C., or at New Orleans. Stuart Butlers important study is the first book-length account of the war in Virginia and on Virginians and the war. Because the national army was so small and ill-prepared, national defense fell onto the shoulders of the state governments. State governors and militiamen carried much of the burden, with serious consequences for the state budget and the people of Virginia. Some became heroes, some died on battlefields, and some like their ancestors fled to the nations enemies in hopes of gaining freedom that their own native state denied them. An important addition to the bookshelf of Virginia history.This book describes historical events in Virginia during thelÓ,