The Invasion of Canada: Battles of the War of 1812

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

It is amazing how much information Dale manages to pack into this slim
book and still have room for dozens of maps, color photographs, and
fascinating illustrations. Dale is a professional historian and
superintendent of the Niagara National Heritage Sites park system, and
his text shows it. His detail-packed prose sounds as if he has
personally walked every square foot of the numerous battlefields that
run from Detroit to Montreal.

Dale begins this book by describing the general state of American and
Canadian society at the beginning of the 19th century and the
motivations that caused a fragile American government to declare war on
one of the world’s most powerful military powers. He then takes the
reader through the triumphs and tragedies of the five main participants
in the conflict: the Americans, the British, the First Nations, English
Canadians, and French Canadians. The book’s chapters are titled
“Prelude to War: Aftermath of the American Revolution,” “The
Capture of Detroit,” “The Battle of Queenston Heights,” “The
American Capture of York and Niagara” “Montreal Saved: The Battles
of Chateauguay and Chrysler’s Farm,” “Hearts of Oak: The War at
Sea,” and “The Final Invasions: The Summer of 1814.” A concluding
chapter sums up the outcome of the War of 1812. A directory of War of
1812–related museums and a recommended reading list are included at
the back. Dale also includes a small collection of historical documents,
ranging from the letter sent to Major General Brock informing him that
the United States has declared war on Great Britain to a notice
published in a New York newspaper announcing the signing of the Treaty
of Ghent, which ended the conflict.

To the Americans, the War of 1812 was an embarrassing failure to expand
their borders. To the British, it was an annoying sideshow compared to
their much more desperate struggle against Napoleon. To Canadians, it
was our most important war because had we been on the losing side, we
would have ceased to exist as a separate nation. Clearly written and
enjoyable to read, this book is a perfect resource for anyone wanting to
acquire a quick but knowledgeable understanding of this war.