By Bob Tedder • For something that’s technically not a book, William White’s “….our flag was still there” becomes the best non-book I’ve encountered. Sure, it has an ISBN number, a copyright date and a reputable publisher, but the key to its non-bookiness lies in its much more descriptive and prolix subtitle: “:The Sea History Press Guide to the War of 1812 – Its History and Bicentennial Commemorations.” You are encouraged to partially read it and are allowed to rest with a good conscience over the massive sections you ignore.
I must admit this is the first press guide I’ve ever read and I approached the task with the trepidations of one whose knowledge of the War of 1812 was molded by a couple of tunes – one by Francis Scott Key and the other by Johnny Horton. Without bursting into either The Star-Spangled Banner or The Battle of New Orleans, I nonetheless will sing the praises of White’s guide to the War of 1812. You may, of course, skip Part Two, pages 89 through 145, unless you really must know the Blue Angels’ 2012 show schedule, or if you are in the mood to lament missing the 2013 Battle of Nanticoke reenactment.
However, under no circumstances ignore Part One. The guide’s first 88 pages are in essence a pint-sized coffee table book, complete with glossy pages and a panoply of full-color illustrations. These images include contemporary portraits of key participants, magnificent renderings of the war’s famous naval engagements and highly functional maps depicting the topography of the war’s confrontations.
However, the volume’s greatest contribution lies in its discussion of the war’s causes and its many fronts. Laid out chronologically, White concisely yet with great detail examines the great and the small events which constitute the War of 1812.
Unless you possess a Ph.d.’s expertise on American military history you will learn something! Now it’s up to the curious to determine which of the aforementioned songs is actually set to the music of a drinking tune. The answer is there – in the press guide.