With interest in the War of 1812 rising, this is a timely, valuable, and by no means unsympathetic treatment of the militia in that conflict. The author observes that most of the many problems that hampered the effective use of militia forces in the war were due to a lack of national consensus on how the militia should be recruited, organized, and funded. The book is well written, and integrates the problems of the militia into the large military and political problems of the war.