Frontier Militiaman in the War of 1812 Southwestern Frontier

by Gilbert, Ed; Hook, Adam

• ISBN13: 9781846032752
• ISBN10: 184603275X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-09-23
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Summary

The great military effectiveness of semitrained local militia is one of the enduring legends of American military history. In this book Ed Gilbert reveals the truth behind this legend, shedding light on who these frontier men actually were and their role in the war of 1812. He chronicles how untrained and ineffective militia forces were transformed into a formidable fighting force through hard campaigning, fierce combat, and Andrew Jackson's equally fierce discipline. Contemporary illustrations and artwork depict the rough life on campaign, the uniforms worn by the militia, and how they fought and won crucial battles against Creek forces before inflicting a stunning defeat on the British Army in 1815, opening up the frontier for the new nation. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Ed Gilbert was a Marine artilleryman and a Battalion Training NCO in the Marine Corps Reserve. He holds a Ph.D. in geology, and is now a geologist and geophysicist involved in petroleum exploration in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Ed has written for hobby, historical, and veteran's magazines, and is the author of operational histories of the Marine Corps' armored units in World War II and the Korean War. He is currently at work on a history of the Marine Corps tank battalions in the Vietnam conflict. The author lives in Katy, Texas.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 4
Chronology	p. 6
Recruitment	p. 10
Origins of War
Training	p. 16
Daily Life on Campaign	p. 22
Appearance and Equipment	p. 26
Weapons
Belief and Belonging	p. 32
Campaign - the Creek War	p. 34
Early campaigns
The second campaign
The climactic battle - Horseshoe Bend
Interlude: The Pensacola Campaign	p. 44
Campaign - the Struggle for Louisiana	p. 47
The night battle
Probes and alarms
Decisive victory - the battle of New Orleans
The final days
After the battle
Legacy of the battle of New Orleans
Museums and Collections	p. 62
Reenactment	p. 62
Collecting	p. 63
Selected References	p. 63
Index	p. 64
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.