Poor military and political leadership during the first two years of the War of 1812 resulted in two failed attempts by American armies to invade Canada. These disasters prompted the purging of incompetent and aging Revolutionary War veterans from the upper echelons of the army and their replacement with younger and more capable officers. In 1814, George Izard at 38 years old became one of the youngest major generals in U.S. Army history. The only general officer in the war to have received formal military training in Europe, expectations ran high that Major General Izard would turn the tide of the war in the American's favor. Despite his exemplary military performance in 1812 and 1813, Izard's generalship during the 1814 Niagara Campaign received criticism from contemporaries and historians for failing to act decisively. At the start of the campaign he found himself in command with uncoordinated and poorly communicated strategic objectives, a split command in the 9th Military District, and a Secretary of War attempting to control activities from Washington D.C. For these reasons, a deep analysis of Izard's performance is needed to determine whether his leadership furthered or hindered the strategic and operational goals of the theater of operations.

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