The motivations and hostility towards the US of these two men has long been overstated and built up in the mythology of the time. It is said that the victors write the history, in such cases it is usually used to justify their actions rather than record the events. In many cases many years must pass before the actual truth of events, dreams and motives can come out.

The rest of the causes of the war rest with a young, aggressive group of Congressmen. The sad truth of the matter was that the English Parliament had repealed the policies of economic tyranny that had lead to the deterioration of relations between the two countries before war was declared in June of 1812. Information traveled slowly in those days and North America was plunged into war as a result. The next three years produced numerous battles, loss of life and destruction of property. It has been the practice of many historians to write of this war as a Napoleonic side show. This is at best a great disservice to the men on both sides who participated in this most deadly affair. While it is true that the number of troops engaged paled in comparison to the European Theatre it was by no means less fiercely contested. The War of 1812 was in many ways more savage than that in Europe. Particularly in the west and the south were the war took on an all or nothing character, even to the point of genocide.