Review: The Invasion of CanadaEditorial Review - Kirkus ReviewsAt the start of the War of 1812, the U.S. expected to overrun Upper Canada (Ontario) and annex it to the Union--a miscalculation almost as little-known to present-day Americans as it is universally known to Canadians. ""How was it,"" asks Canadian writer Berton, ""that a tiny population, badly divided""--most, indeed, were recent arrivals from the US--""was able to ward off continued attack by a powerful neighbor with vastly greater resources?"" His answer is a catalogue of ironies and follies--dramatized through dispatches from each of the warring camps--which leaves hardly a legend intact, including the Canadian belief that the populace closed ranks to turn back the attacker. Linchpin of Berton's reconstruction is Tecumseh the charismatic Shawnee--whose dream of a united Indian nation, as a bulwark against further US expansion, exactly suited the British desire for a buffer state. We see expansionist governor William Henry Harrison parlaying with Tecumseh; then, impressed but uncomprehending, plunging toward the pointless slaughter at Tippecanoe that drives the Indians over to the British (and, decades later, gains Harrison the presidency). ""How does one keep them keyed up to fight, yet hold them back from action?"" a British Indian agent worries. Redcoat commander Isaac Brock, plagued by ""this wretched backwater of York"" and its recalcitrant people, yearns to be with Wellington in Spain; but he is resolute, and his troops are disciplined and well-drilled. His American counterpart, William Hull, pressures the locals to defect--and then flees, allowing Brock to say he's deserted them, and surrenders Detroit without a fight. Brock, with this triumph, has secured the Indians' allegiance and united the local populace. Hull is vilified; but ""had he refused to surrender, had he gone down to defeat. . . his soldiers dead to the last man, the civilians burned out, mobbed out, and inevitably scalped, the tired old general would have stridden into the history books as a gallant martyr."" Ultimately, Brock will die on the heights at Queenston--the victim of an American assault that is otherwise a disaster and ""the first Canadian war hero."" The British will find themselves as much the prisoners of their Indian allies as the American captives--whom only Tecumseh (soon to die too) can save. And the Americans, once eager for a truce, will have to avenge their defeats. ""The war, which began so gently, has turned ugly, as all wars must."" Detail maps pace the dispatches, and an appended cast of characters reminds the reader of who's who. Graphic, engrossing--and to an even greater extent than Berton's The Dionne Years (1978), a small subject writ large. User reviewsReview: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Joseph - GoodreadsFirst 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 ... Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Eddy Allen - GoodreadsTo America's leaders in 1812, an invasion of Canada seemed to be "a mere matter of marching," as Thomas Jefferson confidently predicted. How could a nation of 8 million fail to subdue a struggling ... Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Matt Laduke - GoodreadsVery Interesting. My 3rd Great Grandfather was part of the Michigan Militia during the Surrender of Fort Detroit. Was cool to put a story behind facts. Will not be the last book I read on this subject. Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Bob - GoodreadsBerton conjures an array of diaries, letters, and official documents into a riveting novel-like narrative. This is historical writing at its best, in my opinion. Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Julie Feher - GoodreadsThis one passed across the desk and since next year is the bicentenial, I thought I'd give it a read. It started off well but became bogged down a bit in the middle for me (a bit of the ol' too much ... Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Debbie - GoodreadsGreat book along with it's sequel Flames across the Border which cronicle the War of 1812. Sounds boring but in Berton's capable hands is anything but. Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Malcolm - GoodreadsVolume one of Pierre Bertons two volume series about the War of 1812. This book is historically correct but focuses not on telling us every detail of the war, but rather tells us about the soldiers ... Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Vanessa - Goodreadslike a Jerry Bruckheimer flick! Read full review Review: The Invasion of Canada: 1812-1813User Review - Kevin - GoodreadsAn 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 ... Read full review | User ratings| 5 stars | | | 4 stars | | | 3 stars | | | 2 stars | | | 1 star | |
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