From the Battle of Chippawa to Lundy's Lane, A Crucible of Fire focuses on the period of the War of 1812 leading up to the siege on Fort Erie in September 1814. Following their invasion at Fort Erie and decisive victory at the Battle of Chippawa, an American army of over 5,000 men seemed poised to sweep across the Niagara frontier to Lake Ontario, link up with the American fleet, and complete the final expulsion of the British allied forces from Upper Canada. However, only a month later, the shattered remnants of this force were firmly on the defensive and feverishly digging in as the British advanced to begin the siege of Fort Erie. The fifth book in the Upper Canada Preserved series examines this pivotal period in the course of the War of 1812-1815 with particular emphasis on the events that led up to and took place at the Battle of Lundy's Lane on July 25, 1814. Excerpts from original accounts, letters, and diaries and a series of new highly-detailed maps place readers on the field where they can follow the action as each phase of this decisive combat took place in the darkness of the night and within earshot of the Great Falls of Niagara.