Western Pennsylvania during the War of 1812 was far more active than one today might imagine. This two volume work studies that era from the voices of the day in Western Pennsylvania. Here you will find how people felt about the war. How people lived lives during this time and all of the anguish, heart-break, and fears are reported through the newspapers, magazines, books, letters, diaries, and various archives that survive today. Mark Painter spent a number of years researching and creating this archive. This is a wonderful two-volume work about the War of 1812 in the words of those folks who lived and suffered through it. It is something rare, first hand accounts that people of the day planned their future with. Also rare is the voice of a people as they saw their world change. The fear of the British, the fear of loosing their freedoms-won less than thirty years before, the fear of the Native Americans, and the citizens pride in the United States are reflected in this book. There are so many ways you can read this two-volume work. Beyond being a history, this book is an excellent reference for those folks looking into their Western Pennsylvania Genealogy. There are lists from various Pennsylvania Archives-local and State militia and Federal Army units.