The American Invasion of Canada: The War of 1812's First Year

By Pierre Berton

“If history could be taught in the schools the way Berton writes about it, there wouldn’t be a more popular subject on the curriculum.” —The Globe and Mail
 
Of all the wars fought by the English-speaking peoples, this was one of the strangest—a war entered into blindly and fought (also blindly) by men out of touch not only with reality but also with their own forces.
 
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 eight million fail to subdue a struggling colony of three hundred thousand? Yet, when the campaign 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 of 1812’s first year and the events that led up to it, Pierre Berton transforms history into an engrossing narrative that reads like a fast-paced novel. Drawing on personal memoirs and diaries as well as official dispatches, the author gets 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.
 
“A popular history as it should be written.” —The New York Times
 
“A catalogue of ironies and follies—dramatized through dispatches from each of the warring camps—which leaves hardly a legend intact.” —Kirkus Reviews
 
“A wonderful historical work . . . a book of love, ambition, guile, heroism, tragedy and cowardice.” —The Detroit News

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jan 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781620874981

Reviews for The American Invasion of Canada

[mahallett · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Impossible to keep track of characters and what side they are on. Fairly good at depicting the horrors of war. The men who signed up must have been drunk or stupid so it's difficult to feel sorry for them.

[cecrow · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Pierre Berton is the master of Canadian 'popular history' - non-fiction so smooth and engaging that it's easy to stop absorbing facts and just go along for the ride. He places emphasis on describing the lives of people who lived through the events, humanizing the story. That's not to say he neglects any of the events themselves, and there's always a wealth of information to be had from his carefully researched work. What I like most is his ability to always maintain a clear view of the big picture in pairing with the colourful personal stories. I've read many his books now and I was caught up by this no less than by the others. One thing he does differently this time is relate the episodes in present tense. It lends a more immediate feel, and I think it's a style choice he reserved for this work and its sequel. I'd like to find an old interview explaining why he did that and how he felt it came off, since he never repeated it.War is not always Berton's topic but he has a knack for writing gripping battle accounts (see his WW1 book, "Vimy"). These were the days of cannon and cavalry, tomahawks and scalping, muskets and grapeshot. Mr. Berton brings not just the play-by-play action to his chronological presentation, but also the atmosphere. Along the way he debunks or casts suspicion on a number of myths and legends, and doesn't shy away from revealing the flaws of even the most honoured figures. There's ample cited evidence provided to support his three point thesis on how Canada successfully resisted the American invasion: the British presence, America's lack of preparedness and experience, and the assistance rendered by alliances with native tribes. This first volume covers only the war's initial six months, since it's all of a piece: bungling false starts by the Americans that were poorly planned and executed (sometimes comically so), of which the British and their native American allies took full advantage (sometimes horrifically so.) It primarily covers events at Tippecanoe, Detroit, Niagara and the Frenchtown massacre. A number of familiar names cross the stage including Tecumseh, Sir Isaac Brock and William Henry Harrison. Ensure you have the second volume ready.

[dinadansfriend · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The second time an invasion of the saint Lawrence valley was attempted by the Americans. This is a lively account by an iconic figure who has had the best sales of a Canadian writer on the topic. It is well written and can be read for profit by Americans, Brits, and Europeans as well.