This commemorative brochure details the disappointing first campaigns of the War of 1812. Although the United States declared war on Great Britain, events soon illustrated that the nation, as well as the Army, were ill-prepared for the conflict. On the battlefield, the Army's training, logistical, and leadership deficiencies resulted in a series of embarrassing defeats. Despite these setbacks, the Army ended the year looking optimistically toward the next campaign season to restore its confidence and reputation. "The Campaign of 1812" is the second brochure in The U.S. Army Campaigns of the War of 1812 series."

Steven J. Rauch is the command historian for the U.S. Army Signal Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia. He received bachelor s and master s degrees in history from Eastern Michigan University. He was commissioned in the U.S. Army as an ordnance officer and retired from active duty in 2002. During his military service, he served as an Army ROTC instructor at the University of Michigan and an assistant professor of history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He has written and presented scholarship about the War of 1812 in various forms, including the "Michigan Historical Review," the "Encyclopedia of the War of 1812," the Society for Military History, and the "Journal of the War of 1812.""