The War of 1812 was the true making of the regular regiments and corps of the US Army. Three years' fighting against Britain saw the White House burned down, but also the bloody repulse of the redcoats, then the best infantry in the world, on a number of battlefields. The small constabulary force which entered the war - ill-led, ill-supported, and with an uncertain system of supply - ended it as a professional army with a system of command and services equal to any. This meticulous history of the uniforms of the American regulars is illustrated with many previously unseen paintings and photographs.