Tecumseh and Brock: The War of 1812

369 Pages·2012·4.831 MB·English

by  James Laxer

Tecumseh & Brock
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Tecumseh
Tecumseh & Brock
The War of 1812
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James Laxer
Copyright © 2012 James Laxer
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16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Laxer, James
Tecumseh and Brock / James Laxer.

Includes bibliographical references.
Issued also in electronic format.
ISBN 978-0-88784-261-0

1. Tecumseh, 1768?–1813. 2. Brock, Isaac, Sir, 1769–1812.
3. Canada—History—War of 1812. 4. United States—History—
War of 1812. 5. Canada—History—War of 1812—Participation,
Indian. I. Title.

FC442.L394 2012 971.03’4 C2011-908635-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2011945361

Jacket and text design: Alysia Shewchuk
Typesetting: Sari Naworynski
Map adaptation: Alysia Shewchuk

We acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program
the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada
through the Canada Book Fund.
Printed and bound in Canada
To Sandy, Michael, Kate, Emily, and Jonathan

contents
Author’s Note .............................................. ix
Introduction: Two Wars in One ............................... 1
Chapter 1: Tecumseh, the Shooting Star ........................7
Chapter 2: A Warrior’s Odyssey ..............................29
Chapter 3: A New Power .................................... 45
Chapter 4: Isaac Brock and the Defence of the Canadas ......... 61
Chapter 5: Showdown ......................................77
Chapter 6: The Prophet ..................................... 95
Chapter 7: Brock on the Eve of War ......................... 109
Chapter 8: The United States Declares War on Great Britain .... 123
Chapter 9: Two Warriors ................................... 143
Chapter 10: The Capture of Fort Detroit ...................... 149
Chapter 11: Death of the General ............................ 163
Chapter 12: York in Flames ................................. 179
Chapter 13: Tecumseh’s Last Days ........................... 195
Chapter 14: The Creek War ..................................211
Chapter 15: Out of the Furnace of War,
an Upper Canadian Identity ............................229
Chapter 16: Bloody Niagara ................................247
Chapter 17: Rockets’ Red Glare ............................. 257

Chapter 18: American Victories at Lake Champlain
and New Orleans ......................................279
Chapter 19: The Treaty of Ghent ............................. 293

Epilogue: Two Mysteries ...................................297

Notes .................................................... 303

Select Bibliography ........................................ 329
Acknowledgements ........................................ 341
Index .................................................... 343

author’s note
In this book, I have chosen to use the words “natives” and “native
peoples” when discussing indigenous peoples in both the United
States and British North America. The terms “First Nations” and
“aboriginal peoples,” while commonly used in Canada, are not regu-
larly used in the United States. The usual reference today in the
United States is either to “Native Americans” or to the specific group
to which the author is referring, such as “Shawnees.” The word “Indian”
is used when it appears in a quote from the writings of the period.