The War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain was fought throughout nearly all of the country, from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the vast frontier between the U.S. and Canada. No theater of war suffered more than the Chesapeake Bay region where 11 battles -- including Craney Island, Hampton, Bladensburg, and Baltimore -- 63 skirmishes, and 86 raids took place. Featuring a comprehensive list of over 800 of the war's historical sites in the region, this book is an indispensable reference to the second great war for independence. One chapter each is devoted to Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Significant sites, such as battlefields and locations of skirmishes, are described in both American and British accounts.

The book also includes historic maps and drawings, descriptive overview essays, the most complete chronology of the War in the Chesapeake ever assembled, and a thorough bibliographic essay. Supported by such primary documents as diaries, journals, and newspaper articles, the material compiled in this encyclopedia surpasses any collection thus far brought together on the subject. With the bicentennial of the war fast approaching, every local library, historian, tour guide, history buff, school teacher, and genealogist will want a copy of this guide.