The War of 1812 Documentary

PBS's two-hour documentary, The War of 1812, uses stunning re-enactments, evocative animation, and the incisive commentary of key experts to reveal little-known sides of an important war.

From 1812 to 1815, Americans battled against the British, Canadian colonists, and Native warriors; the outcomes shaped the geography and the identity of North America, yet some Americans may only recognize it for the “Star-Spangled Banner.” The broadcast is accompanied by a companion book and website, as well as comprehensive bi-national educational resources.

Watch The War of 1812 Documentary

Interviews were conducted with twenty-six leading authorities on the war — American, British, Canadian and First Nations historians — presenting important accounts and research.

The Experts

• Walter Borneman is the author of several books, including 1812: The War That Forged a Nation, The French and Indian War: Deciding the Fate of North America, and Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land.
• René Chartrand is a Canadian historian and former senior curator with National Historic Sites of Canada for nearly three decades; he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. His book Forts of The War of 1812 will be coming out in February 2012.
• Ronald J. Dale is the War of 1812 Project Manager for Parks Canada. He is the author of The Invasion of Canada and The Fall of New France, and is a noted authority on the Canadian involvement in the war.
• Doug DeCroix is the former director of Research and Special Projects, Old Fort Niagara and current Executive Editor of Western New York Heritage Magazine.
• James Elliot is a Canadian journalist and author of many works on the War of 1812, including Strange Fatality: The Battle of Stoney Creek.
• Donald Fixico, a Shawnee Native American, is the Distinguished Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University, and author of Treaties with American Indians: An Encyclopedia of Rights, Conflicts and Sovereignty and Rethinking American Indian History.
• Dianne Graves is a Canadian historian and author of In the Midst of Alarms: The Untold Story of Women of the War of 1812 and a member of Ensign Heritage, a historical consulting group.
• Donald E. Graves is the director of Ensign Heritage, a historical consulting group, and he is an internationally recognized expert on the military history of the War of 1812. He wrote the introductory essay in The Incredible War of 1812: A Military History and was author of Where Right and Glory Lead: The Battle of Lundy’s Lane, 1814.
• Major John R. Grodzinski is Professor of History at the Royal Military College of Canada and author of The War of 1812: An Annotated Bibliography.
• Donald R. Hickey is a professor of history at Wayne State College, Wayne, Nebraska. He is the author of Don’t Give Up the Ship!: Myths of the War of 1812 and The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict.
• Jim Hill is manager of Heritage Operations at the Niagara Parks Commission in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
• Rick Hill, a Tuscarora-Mohawk Native, is an artist, a professor of history, and an expert on the tribal history of New York State and Ontario.
• Andrew Lambert is Laughton Professor of Naval History at King’s College University of London, and author of War at Sea in the Age of Sail. He is an expert on British trade and naval history.
• A. Jack Langguth is professor emeritus of journalism at the Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and the author of Union: 1812.
• Vince Leggett is the founder and president of Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation. He is an expert on African American participation in privateering and the Colonial Marines.
• Robert Malcolmson was a Canadian naval historian of the War of 1812, and the author of Capital in Flames: The American Attack on York, 1813 (read the Canada's History review). Mr. Malcolmson died in 2009.
• Robert Miller, a Shawnee Native American, is a professor of law at Lewis and Clark College, and the author of Native America: Discovered and Conquered.
• Anthony Pitch is a lecturer, tour guide and the author of The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814. He is a prominent expert on the British campaign in the Chesapeake.
• Sir Christopher Gerald Prevost is the great-great-great-grandson to George Prévost, Governor-in-Chief of British North America during the War of 1812. He wrote the foreword to The Incredible War of 1812: A Military History.
• Scott S. Sheads is a ranger, historian and historic weapons officer at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland. He is co-author of The War of 1812 in the Chesapeake.
• John Sugden is the author of Tecumseh, a biography of the Shawnee war chief. He is an expert on Native American history in North America, a lecturer, and holds several degrees.
• Victor Suthren is a Canadian naval expert and author of The War of 1812.
• Wolf Thomas is a professional actor, and a re-enactor and interpreter focusing on the Niagara region in the War of 1812.
• Peter Twist is the director of Military Heritage, a historical military uniform and arms supply company. He has served as consultant on numerous film and theater projects (including Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl), and is an expert on the military history of the War of 1812.
• John Weiss is a British historian and the author of The Corps of Colonial Marines: Black Freedom Fighters of the War of 1812.
• Patrick Wilder is a retired historian with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He is the author of The Battle of Sackett’s Harbor, 1813.