Sir George Prevost commanded the British forces in North America during the War of 1812. As commander-in-chief, he pursued a cautious defensive strategy which met with some criticism but ultimately succeeded in keeping Canada in British hands. Less successful as a commander in the field, he led a failed attack on the American naval base at Sacket’s Harbor on Lake Ontario in 1813, and an invasion of the United States by way of Lake Champlain that ended in defeat at the battle of Plattsburgh in 1814.

Britain’s war against Napoleon and the United States depended upon the tens of thousands of anonymous sailors who sailed the merchant ships and warships that transported troops and supplies, and won control of the seas. Every sailor needed to perform a wide range of complex, physically demanding tasks, from steering a ship to adjusting the sails in a storm. Sailors also had to be prepared to work a ship’s artillery, fight hand-to-hand in boarding actions, and serve ashore as infantry.

Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, the leading British military figure from the 1812 era, is best known for defeating Napoleon at Waterloo. His conduct of operations against Napoleon’s troops in Spain, which culminated in an invasion of southern France, and his victory at the battle of Waterloo propelled him to the front rank of British military and political life. He subsequently served as commander-in-chief of the British Army then prime minister of Britain.