Dispelling a cherished Canadian myth
It is a popular but totally untrue myth
that Canada is a peaceable kingdom and Canadians are an unmilitary
people. In fact, Canada was created through armed conflict, or
the threat of such conflict, and throughout their history Canadians
have proved themselves to be a far more warlike people than some
would like to believe.
Fighting for Canada is a study of seven battles fought to defend
Canada or by Canadian soldiers fighting overseas on behalf of
their nation. The work of six professional military historians
(four of them combat arms officers), the emphasis throughout
is on the tactical level of war the sharp end of the business
where soldiers kill and are killed, and where personal leadership,
training and experience are of foremost importance. In scale,
intensity and result, the military actions examined in Fighting
for Canada vary widely.
Edited and with introduction and linking
passages by Donald E. Graves, Fighting for Canada will
appeal to any reader interested in military history, the nature
of combat and the meaning of courage.
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The battles
Ticonderoga,
1758: the bloodiest
military action fought in North America prior to the Civil War,
as a French force defeats the British (by Ian M. McCulloch)
Queenston Heights,
1812: an outnumbered
but professional army defeats a major American invasion in the
War of 1812 (by Robert Malcomson)
Ridgeway, 1866: where experience proves far
superior to numbers when Fenians invade Canada (by Brian A. Reid)
Leliefontein,
1900: a mounted
rearguard action fought with great valour by both sides in the
Boer War (by Brian A. Reid)
Moreuil Wood,
1918: a rare cavalry
action on the Western Front in World War I (by John R. Grodzinski
& Michael R. McNorgan)
Le Mesnil-Patry,
1944: enthusiasm
and courage prove unavailing against the ruthless determination
of the Waffen SS in Normandy (by Michael R. McNorgan)
Kapelsche Veer,
1945: a grim and
unrelenting account of a tragic and costly battle for a boggy
Dutch island that should never have been fought (by Donald E.
Graves)
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The editor
Donald E. Graves has been called "the
master of the battlefield narrative." His work on the 1814
battle of Lundy's Lane, Where Right
and Glory Lead,
has been called "an exercise in military history at its
best" and its companion volume, Field
of Glory: The Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813,
published in 1999, was described by one reviewer as "exciting,
entertaining and readable." He is the author/editor of several
other works on the War of 1812 and author of South
Albertas: A Canadian Regiment at War,
an account of the South Alberta Regiment's exploits in the Second
World War described by one reviewer as the best unit history
ever published in Canada. Donald Graves is the director of Ensign
Heritage, a firm that specializes in heritage consulting and
travel, and lives with his author wife, Dianne, in Almonte, Ontario.
For a complete list of works by Donald E. Graves, go to Books by Donald E. Graves.
To visit the website of Donald E. Graves, go to Sword
and Pen.
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The contributors
Captain John
R. Grodzinski is an officer of
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) and editor of the Canadian
Forces' Army Doctrine and Training Bulletin.
Robert Malcomson is the author of Lords of the Lake:
The Naval War on Lake Ontario, 1812-1814 (1998) and HMS
Detoit: The Battle for Lake Erie, 1813 (1990).
Lieutenant Colonel
Ian McCulloch, The Royal Canadian
Regiment, is Deputy Director, History and Heritage, Department
of National Defence, Ottawa.
Major Michael
R. McNorgan is an officer of The
Royal Canadian Dragoons attached to the Directorate of History
and Heritage, Department of National Defence, Ottawa.
Lieutenant Colonel
(Retd.) Brian A. Reid is a former
officer of the Royal Canadian Artillery and author of Our
Little Army in the Field: The Canadians in South Africa, 1899-1902
(1998).
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