War of 1812 Bicentennial

How the British surprised the Americans in 1812 and captured Mackinac Island without firing a shot, how they used the island as their most important base in the northern Great Lakes during the War of 1812, how the American invaders in 1814 were driven off by British soldiers and Indian warriors—this exciting story, including much that has never been told before, is related in WAR 1812! by historian George S. May. It is the absorbing story of men and women under great stress and of how they met war's challenge.

George S. May, a native of Ironwood, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, graduated from the University of Michigan, where he received the Ph.D. in american history in 1954. He has taught history at Allegheny College, worked as a researcher and editor with the State Historical Society of Iowa, and, since 1956, as historic sites specialist and research archivist with the Michigan Historical Commission. He has written and edited many historical articles and books, including the Fort Mackinac Division Press's popular booklet, The Doctor's Secret Journal.