Dixie & the Dominion: Canada, the Confederacy, and the War for the Union

by Adam Mayers

Dixie the Dominion is a compelling look at how the U.S. Civil War was a shared experience that shaped the futures of both Canada and the United States. The book focuses on the last year of the war, between April of 1864 and 1865. During that 12-month period, the Confederate States sent spies and saboteurs to Canada on a secret mission. These agents struck fear along the frontier and threatened to draw Canada and Great Britain into the war.

During that same time, Canadians were making their own important decisions. Chief among them was the partnership between Liberal reformer George Brown and Conservative chieftain John A. Macdonald. Their unlikely coalition was the force that would create the Dominion of Canada in 1867, and it was the pressure of the war - with its threat to the colonies’ security - that was a driving force behind this extraordinary pact.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Frances]

This is not for those who are not interested in Canadian history. A full half of the book was involved with the formation of Canada as a country. One of the main reasons Canada was frantic to form a nation was to have an army to defend itself against the United States. The descendents of the loyalist, who fled to Canada after the Revolutionary War, had become the elite and often were resented by the Canadian populace. They also became the leaders in supporting the South in any way they could, including hiding and supporting their attempts to free prisoners and arm them against the North. They bumbled every attempt; it was often like reading about the "Three Stooges as Terrorists." This book is not for those who think the South ever had a chance, or for those who think Canada has always been our best international friend. In many ways, the constitution of Canada was written with the goal of avoiding the mistakes they thought the US Constitution had made in guaranteeing state rights. I am glad I read it, I now know a piece of history that even the most avid Civil War buff, probably doesn't.

[Catharine Lyons-King]

A truly fascinating tale - how Confederate agents, working out of Canada toward the end of the Civil War, tried desperately to turn the tide. Mayers has clearly done his homework, and he paints a lively picture of vainglorious characters and ill-starred schemes. It's really too bad he was not better served by his publisher, who seems to have put minimal or no effort into editing what was clearly a series of unrelated articles into a solid book. Luckily, the subject matter is so compelling that this does not ruin the read.