I am going to guess that not too many readers are aware that there is a magazine dedicated to the study and appreciation of the War of 1812. The full name is actually “Journal of the War of 1812 and the Era 1800 to 1840” so it covers a broader swath. However, clearly the war is the central focus. This fine quarterly is published by the War of 1812 Consortium and is closely identified with The Star Spangled Banner Flag House of Baltimore. Transplanted Britisher and all-around gentleman Christopher T. George is the editor and you history buffs will recognize two of the Journal’s advisors, authors Robert Malcomson and Joseph Whitehorne. So, what will you find in a typical issue of the Journal of the War of 1812? First, you will find the latest news on various wartime sites, typically as they are being preserved but sometimes as they are being threatened. Second, there is news and schedules of Living History events. If you haven’t been to one of these, you need to give it a try. We are familiar with Civil War reenacting events and it may surprise you that there are several 1812 events scattered across the eastern U.S. and Canada. Third, are the announcements of symposia, those conferences in which historians make presentations of their studies. Foremost among these is the annual National War of 1812 Symposium, to be held on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis on October 21, 2001. Fourth are the great book reviews to help you choose how to spend your reading money. Fifth and finally are the articles which cover a very wide area. The articles are well researched and typically contain hard to find material. In the past several issues were articles on the defensive plans at Baltimore, American generals, unit histories, uniform notes, weapons descriptions, secret weapons, extracts from contemporary newspapers, personal letters and journals, Russians on the west coast, and even an article on tobacco use during this period. One recent article particularly caught my interest. It is an interview between Nathaniel Hawthorne and an unnamed veteran of the Battles of the Thames and New Orleans. This Kentuckian corroborates the grisly story that Tecumseh’s flesh was converted into razor strops. I’ve spent plenty of time researching this era and I am constantly surprised at the many articles which reveal sources I was entirely unaware of. The Journal is lavishly illustrated in black and white and runs twenty to thirty large pages. There is some advertising, mostly for reenactment groups or people who supply reenactors as well as for books and other products. A subscription runs $10 annually for Americans and $12 in U.S. funds for Canadians. Send subscriptions to: Editor, Journal of the War of 1812 C/o The Star Spangled Banner Flag House 844 E. Pratt St. Baltimore, MD 21202 Back to Table of Contents -- War of 1812 #1 Back to War of 1812 List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Rich Barbuto. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com