The Life, Campaigns and Generalship of Isaac Brock
Jonathon Riley
Foreword by Donald E. Graves
Isaac Brock was the British general responsible for defending the long frontier of Upper Canada with meagre forces in the opening days of the War of 1812. Revered by generations of schoolchildren as the "Saviour of Upper Canada" and commemorated by a towering monument on Queenston Heights, Brock is best known in Canada for his vigorous measures to defend against the invading American forces and for the daring exploit at Queenston Heights in which he died. Brock was a resourceful field commander who believed in offensive measures to keep his opponent off-balance and he is probably best known in the United States for managing to cow U.S. General William Hull into surrendering Detroit, to that general’s eternal shame.
Jonathon Riley describes Brock's upbringing in the Channel Islands, his family life and his military career in Europe and the West Indies, including his service at Den Helder and Copenhagen. He covers in detail how Brock prepared Britain's Canadian provinces for the impending war with the United States, the events of the capture of Detroit, as well as the Battle of Queenston Heights, which cost Brock his life but from which he emerged as a major historical figure. The book includes an assessment of Brock's abilities as a general by an author who is himself a general with experience in various theatres of war.
Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley, CB, DSO, PhD, MA was appointed Director-General and Master of the Armouries in April 2009, responsible for the Royal Armouries collection of arms, armour and artillery on display at the Tower of London and other major museums in the UK. He spent 36 years in the British army, latterly as Deputy Commander of NATO ISAF in Afghanistan. Before that he held military commands on operations in the Balkans as a battalion and brigade commander, in Sierra Leone as Joint Task Force Commander, and in Iraq as Divisional Commander. He has an MA and a PhD in history and has published nine books, the most recent being Decisive Battles: From Yorktown to Operation Desert Storm (Continuum, 2010). Click here for biographical page on Jonathon Riley at the Royal Armouries, including a list of his previous books.
