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THE WAR OF 1812 IN THE NORTH |
In the autumn of 1813, the largest army assembled by the United States prior to the Civil War invaded Canada, determined to sweep all before it and capture Montreal. For the people of British North America, it was their darkest hour and many were convinced the Americans would prevail and they would shortly become citizens of the newest states in the union.
Their fears were laid to rest when outnumbered British, Canadian and native troops were victorious in two important military actions the battle of Châteauguay in late October and, above all, the battle of Crysler's Farm fought on a muddy farm field beside the St. Lawrence River on 11 November 1813.
Field of Glory is the first full-length study of these stirring events. Written by a leading scholar of the War of 1812 and based on research in new archival sources, it is the companion to Where Right and Glory Lead, the author's critically acclaimed account of the battle of Lundy's Lane. Field of Glory relates the story of the autumn 1813 campaign its origins in Washington, the plans and preparations of both sides, and the course of events.
The centrepiece is the six chapters that recount in detail the action fought at Châteauguay and the battle of Crysler's Farm, where an army of British regulars, English- and French-speaking Canadians, and their Mohawk allies, commanded by a young colonel fighting his first battle, defeated an enemy force twice their number and preserved Canada's independence from its aggressive neighbour.
The scholarly but readable text is enhanced by more than 100 illustrations showing personalities, historic locales and the weapons, uniforms and tactics of both sides.
Readers will enjoy Donald Graves's polished narrative, dramatic yet impeccable in its scholarship. The author never loses sight of the importance of the individual and Field of Glory is studded with a cast of colourful characters soldiers and civilians, men and women, heroes and rogues who play out their roles during one of the most desperate and dramatic periods in the early history of Canada.
The author
Donald E. Graves is an internationally recognized expert on the War of 1812 and has written four previous books on that conflict. His work on the bloody 1814 battle of Lundy's Lane, Where Right and Glory Lead, has been called "an exercise in military history at its best" and has become a minor classic.
He is also the author of Redcoats and Grey Jackets: The Battle of Chippawa, 1814 (1994) as well as numerous articles on the military history of the period which have appeared in Canadian Military History, Arms Collecting, the Military Historian and other periodicals. He has also edited two volumes of memoirs: Merry Hearts Make Light Days: The War of 1812 Memoir of Lieutenant John Le Couteur, 104th Foot (1994) and Soldiers of 1814: American Enlisted Mens' Memoirs of the Niagara Campaign (1996). His South Albertas: A Canadian Regiment at War (Robin Brass Studio, 1998) was described by reviewers as the best history of a Canadian unit ever written.
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.
Cover painting
The spectacular cover painting is by Peter Rindlisbacher, noted marine War of 1812 artist, who has also contributed a number of sketches to the book.
Foreword
The Foreword is by John R. Elting, leading American scholar of the War of 1812 and the author of Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grand Armée and Amateurs to Arms: A Military History of the War of 1812.
The details
- 448 pages, hardcover and paperback editions, 6 x 9 inches,
about 100 illustrations and maps
Paperback ISBN 1-896941-10-9
Publication: 1999