The Invasion Of Canada: 1812-1813 (2001) - Plot & Excerpts
First of two volumes. Principally covers the war itself - preparations, battles, individual experiences, some historical assessments, but is extremely cursory on the geopolitics and has nothing to say about what the British Government is thinking, and very little on Washington. War may be politics by other means, but Berton has chosen to ignore the politics almost completely, at least in the first volume. That said, it remains a good, popular read, with much buckling of swash balanced by judgements regarding the relative significance of major players, starting with Isaac Brock, Tecumseh, Sir George Prevost, the Governor General of the Canadas, and Americans such as Henry Clay. And btw, just about all of the dramatis personae of note are Brits or Americans. Berton attributes to their struggles the creation of early Upper Canada nationalism.
What do You think about The Invasion Of Canada: 1812-1813 (2001)?
An interesting account of the War of 1812 only as it took place along the borders of the US Midwest/the Niagara River and Upper Canada (Ontario). Pierre Burton was a celebrated Canadian novelist who used mostly primary sources from soldiers, politicians, etc. in putting together this account of what he characterizes a pointless war. Canadians typically think that "Canada" won the war (though the Dominion of Canada was formed only in 1867) whereas Americans typically think that they won the war. This book pretty much makes losers of both sides, noting that those with the biggest stake in the war were the Indians, and we all know how things turned out for them. I enjoyed the beginning most, where he talks of the causes of the war, Tippecanoe, and the roots of the legendary Native American Tecumse.
—Kevin
