The War of 1812 Against the States: Heroes of a Great Canadian Victory

John Abbott is a professor of history at Laurentian University’s Algoma University College. He is the co-author of The Border at Sault Ste Marie and The History of Fort St. Joseph.

The title selected by Jennifer Crump reveals an inclination to wave the
flag, establish a set of heroes, and stroke the Canadian ego. It’s all
rather in the style of old-fashioned American spread-eagle patriotism:
Johnny Canuck flashing about in Uncle Sam’s old duds.

Only the author’s plan of organization is novel, designed as it is to
extract heroes from the crowd. Well-known information has been reworked
and arranged around the exploits of five people: Issac Brock, James
Fitzgibbon, Tecumseh, Charles-Michel de Salaberry, and William Hamilton
Merritt. Brock was the legend who inspired Canadians to have faith in
themselves and their capacities. Fitzgibbon retired to England but
assured Canadians that Canada was first in his heart. Tecumseh is
honoured for his principled support of a righteous but lost cause. De
Salaberry embodied the idea that French-Canadians’ loyalty could
extend to the British Crown, and that his country could include British
North America as well as Lower Canada. William Hamilton Merritt found
that he could embrace the United States as a peaceful and profitable
neighbour, where it had once been a dangerous and greedy enemy.

While the style and approach are certainly acceptable in a series
designated “Amazing Stories,” those needing to understand the issues
and outcomes more thoroughly, in a book of similar length, are advised
to consult Wesley B. Turner’s The War of 1812, more accurately
subtitled The War That Both Sides Won.