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THE WAR OF 1812 IN THE NORTH |
Where Right and Glory Lead! is the story of one of the most hard-fought military actions in North American history. On a summer evening in July 1814, within sight of Niagara Falls, 5,000 American, British and Canadian soldiers struggled desperately for nearly five hours in a close-range, vicious battle that raged on into the dark. By morning more than a third had become casualties of what one participant remembered as "a conflict obstinate beyond description."
The two armies had fought to the point of exhaustion, and who won the battle has been a matter of dispute. The American force withdrew to Fort Erie, where it dealt the British-Canadian forces a sharp defeat, then crossed back into the United States.
Lundy's Lane was the bloodiest battle of the War of 1812 and the bloodiest fought on what is now Canadian soil. It was the high mark of the 1814 Niagara campaign, which was the longest and most sustained military campaign of the War of 1812, and cost the most casualties on both sides. The Niagara campaign was the last time that Canada suffered a major foreign invasion.
In his analysis of this still-controversial battle, Donald E. Graves narrates the background and events of the Battle of Lundy's Lane in precise detail while providing a thorough examination of the weaponry, tactics, organization and personalities of the opposing armies. The result is possibly the most thorough analysis of a musket-period action to appear in print and will appeal to those interested in the War of 1812, Napoleonic warfare and the face of combat.
The author
Donald E Graves is a longtime student of the War of 1812 and the author/editor of a number of books on that conflict: Red Coats and Grey Jackets: The Battle of Chippawa, 1814, Merry Hearts Make Light Days: The War of 1812 Memoir of Lieutenant John Le Couteur and Soldiers of 1814: American Enlisted Men's Accounts of the Niagara Campaign of 1814. Field of Glory: The Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813, the companion volume to this book, was published by Robin Brass Studio in May 1999. Future projects include a detailed account of the Battle of the Falaise Gap. A former military historian with the Canadian Forces, he is a principal in the Ensign Heritage Group, a professional firm that specializes in military history, heritage consulting, publishing and travel.
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.
Publication History of Where Right and Glory Lead!
First published in hardcover in 1993 under the title The Battle of Lundy's Lane: Along the Niagara in 1814 by the Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America, this book was an alternate selection of the Doubleday Military History Book Club and was widely praised by reviewers. This paperback edition includes some revisions and corrections, as well as twice as many pictures as appeared in the original edition.
- The details
- 352 pages
- 6 x 9 inches
- Approx. 50 photos and 9 maps
- ISBN 1-896941-03-6
- Paperback
- In Canada: Cdn$22.95
- In U.S.A.: US$24.95
- Publication, this edition: 1997
Availability
Canada and U.S.A.: The book is stocked in many bookstores, especially in "War of 1812" country the Niagara peninsula, Kingston, Ont., Amherstburg as well as in major stores in Toronto and other centres. It can be special-ordered through most independent stores or from internet bookstores. During the summer season it is available at historic sites such as Fort George, Fort Erie, Fort York and Upper Canada Village.
U.K.: Order from Spellmount Publishers, The Old Rectory, Staplehurst, Kent TN12 0AZ. Phone 01580 891118. Fax 1580 893 731.