Required reading: Walter Lord's By Dawn's Early Light. War on the Chesapeake and Patuxent. Madison on the bridge. The burning of Washington and the attack on Fort McHenry. First published in 1972, it is still in print and yes, it is that good.
And follow the events of two hundred years ago, day by day, through 1812now.
The twitter feed is @1812now Great fun, but less extensive than the blog. From June 24:
"Dined at Lord Oxford’s. Met Sir Francis Burdett, Rogers and Lady Jane Harley, a delightful creature but un peu libre."— John Cam Hobhouse