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Invasion of Canada
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Categories 20th Century   War of 1812   General   Canada   Contemporary   Constitutions   Paperback   Printed Books  

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Description
To 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 colony of 300,000? Yet, when the campaign of 1812 ended, the only Americans left on Canadian soil were prisoners of war. Three American armies had been forced to surrender, and the British were in control of all of Michigan Territory and much of Indiana and Ohio.

In this remarkable account of the war's first year and the events this led up to it, Pierre Berton converts history into an engrossing narrative this reads like a quick-paced novel. Drawing on personal memoirs and diaries as well as official dispatches, the author has been effective to get inside the characters of the men who fought the war — the common soldiers as well as the generals, the bureaucrats and the profiteers, the traitors and the loyalists.

Berton believes this if there had been no war, much of Ontario would probably be American today; and if the war had been lost by the British, all of Canada would now be part of the United States. But the War of 1812, or extra properly the myth of the war, served to provide the new settlers a sense of community and set them on a different course from this of their neighbours.

Customer Reviews
Customer rating is 5 of 5  A Credible Account   2009-04-11
By Paul Kunkel (Hong Kong)
Over the years, I have heard quite a lot of nationalistic bluster in regard to the events in this book. For that and other reasons, I have looked for some authoritative accounts. My impression here is that Pierre Berton had no axe to grind. The story is fair and engaging.

The author's take on combat is that leadership and discipline trump numbers, much to the disadvantage of the United States in 1812. It really was a different world. Imagine a militia in which officers were elected by the volunteers, commanders refused to recognize each other's authority, and a general had to negotiate with his own troops, even to the point of begging them to engage in battle.

The other side had problems of its own. Canadian loyalty is shown to have been somewhat fickle and partly dependent on their confidence in victory. We see how the British had to balance complicated and uncomfortable alliances with Indian tribes who had mixed motives. The Indians receive no free pass on the atrocities inflicted upon civilians and surrendered soldiers.

The characters are even more complex than the events, and they are presented with insight and occasional wit. I enjoyed the description of Brigadier-General William Wadsworth as "the most eloquently profane officer in the (US) army." A particularly sympathetic man is Major-General Stephen Van Rensselaer of the New York Militia. His position was a political appointment, but not one of his own making. It would have been easy enough to dismiss him as an unqualified political hack, but a compelling case is made to show him as a man who was placed at the Niagara River by opponents who wanted him out of the way. Duty kept him there in spite of it all.

I did note a few contradictions and implausible suggestions. How could there not be a few? On the whole, it holds up quite well. Gratefully absent from this narrative is the pop-history practice of trivializing people and events. No wooden teeth stories here. The war was deadly, the people were real, and Berton respected that.
Customer rating is 4 of 5  Very well written, but only covers 1812   2008-12-03
By Solomon (Colorado)
I liked this book. It was very well written, very entertaining and very informative. Numerous well-drawn maps that clarify the text are provided, as is a very useful "cast of characters", organized by area and battle. The author has created a book that reads like a novel, but is based on original scholarship. The book clearly lays out the initial land campaigns of the war of 1812, highlighting the inadequacies of US military leadership, which led to a string of defeats by numerically inferior, but much better led British\Canadian forces. Based only on the title and the fact that the author is Canadian, I half expected an anti-US screed, which this book certainly is not. The causes for the war are clearly laid out (i.e., the British "impressments" of US sailors (recovery of deserters in the British view), restriction of US trade (to weaken Napoleon) and British support of the Indians against the US (in order to gain and keep necessary allies, without whose support victory would be impossible). The book gives a very clear picture of the earliest phases of the war. It shows the US army (and militia units) to have been led by incompetents, in contrast to the excellent leadership of British forces by Isaac Brock and his subordinates. As was often the case in early US history, the US entered the war with great expectations, but completely unprepared, either in terms of equipment, training or leadership. Unfortunately, the book only deals with the earliest phases of the US-Canadian part of the war of 1812. The eventual turnaround in US fortunes, with respect to the Canadian theater of war, is only hinted at.

I could not give this book five stars because of what I perceive as several deficiencies. The title of the book is misleading. It is more about the invasion of America by Canada than the other way around. True, the Canadian invasion occurred in order to forestall a probable invasion by the US. The fact remains, however, that the first breach of the border occurred by Canada invading US territory when the local US forces did not even know that the US had declared war against Great Britain. Except for a brief US incursion, rapidly followed by a quick retreat back across the border, all of the fighting described in the book was on US soil. More importantly, I also had a problem with the fact that the title states that the book covers 1812-1813, yet except for some actions that carried over into January of 1813, everything takes place in 1812. This is very important because the fighting between the US and British\Canadian forces can only be adequately understood if the events of 1813 are also covered in some detail. The title to the contrary, the book does not describe the 1813 fighting on land that pushed the British and Indians from Fort Detroit, nor the American naval victories on Lakes Champlain and Erie that led to the actual American invasion of Canada and the capture and burning of the provincial capitol of York (modern day Toronto). The burning of York is never even mentioned, even though it occurred in 1813 and, in part, led to the retaliatory burning of Washington DC. The net effect of this misleading title is to produce a partial picture of the US-British\Canadian fighting during the initial phases of the War of 1812.

As I said, I liked the book, but I was disappointed that I was getting only a very limited view of the War of 1812. Had the book covered 1813, as the title implies, I would have likely given it five stars.
Customer rating is 5 of 5  War of Canadian Independence    2004-09-13
By Matherson (New York)
A wonderful book by Canada's foremost historian commemorates the War of 1812 as Canada's War of Independence.

The War of 1812 was initiated by President Madison as a war of conquest against Ontario (or Lower Canada, as it was then known). The British forces were arrayed against various un-coordinated American attacks, and the Americans fared particularly badly in 1812-13, notably losing Detroit.

This instalment does not reach the later events of the war, in which more of a stalemate developed (and the Americans scored some big naval victories). But the Canadians never doubted that the campaigns covered in this book - of 1812-13 - had marked a long-term strategic victory, guaranteeing Canada's separate identity, and the inner leadership clique of English-speaking, ethnically Scottish Presbyterians who ran the war effort became the ruling elite of Canada for over a century (if not to this day).

Many key characters of American history come here: General (later President) Harrison; Indian chief Tecumseh; President Madison and President Jefferson. This volume, however, gives equal time (if not precedence) to the Canadian heroes of the campaigns, including in particular celebrates loyalist heroes such as Brock and Strachan. Superb account of the war's critical, indeed decisive, early years.
Customer rating is 5 of 5  An excellent overview from the frontlines.   2004-01-23
By Kevin C. B. (Maryland)
This volume is an excellent introduction to the War of 1812. The Canadian author maintains his objectivity throughout the volume, and gives accurate and telling details to causes, politics, and leadership on both sides of the northern North American border and how that affected the progress of the war. After reading this book, the reader will come away baffled and outraged at the level of incompetence shown on both sides (initially the US side however), and the level of audacity and caution exhibited by both sides as well. In summation, a highly recommended book, that will provide a good base upon which a detailed understanding of causes, effects, and results of many aspects of this war can be attained.
Customer rating is 5 of 5  I Agree Wholeheartedly   2001-03-21
By Stephen M. Kerwick (Wichita, KS United States)
The two reviews below are absolutely correct. Pierre Berton has written a great masterpiece of narrative history. I first read this book almost 20 years ago, and I can still recall the enjoyment it gave. This is perhaps the best book of history in terms of enjoyable reading which I have come across. The only author in the same league today is Simon Schama, and he generally works in somewhat more esoteric, less popular areas. I have also discussed the excellence of Berton's writing in a review of the companion volume Flames Across the Border: 1813-14 which, along with this text, makes up as fine a two volume set of North American history as can be obtained.


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