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The Invasion of Canada
To America's leaders in 1812, an invasion of Canada seemed to be "a mere matter of marching," as Thomas Jefferson confidently predicted. How could a nation of 8 million fail to subdue a struggling colony of 300,000? Yet, when the campaign of 1812 ended, the only Americans left on Canadian soil were prisoners of war. Three American armies had been forced to surrender, and the British were in control of all of Michigan Territory and much of Indiana and Ohio.
In this remarkable account of the war's first year and the events that led up to it, Pierre Berton transforms history into an engrossing narrative that reads like a fast-paced novel. Drawing on personal memoirs and diaries as well as official dispatches, the author has been able to get inside the characters of the men who fought the war â the common soldiers as well as the generals, the bureaucrats and the profiteers, the traitors and the loyalists.
Berton believes that if there had been no war, most of Ontario would probably be American today; and if the war had been lost by the British, all of Canada would now be part of the United States. But the War of 1812, or more properly the myth of the war, served to give the new settlers a sense of community and set them on a different course from that of their neighbours.
In this remarkable account of the war's first year and the events that led up to it, Pierre Berton transforms history into an engrossing narrative that reads like a fast-paced novel. Drawing on personal memoirs and diaries as well as official dispatches, the author has been able to get inside the characters of the men who fought the war â the common soldiers as well as the generals, the bureaucrats and the profiteers, the traitors and the loyalists.
Berton believes that if there had been no war, most of Ontario would probably be American today; and if the war had been lost by the British, all of Canada would now be part of the United States. But the War of 1812, or more properly the myth of the war, served to give the new settlers a sense of community and set them on a different course from that of their neighbours.
363 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1980
215 people are currently reading
1458 people want to read
About the author
Pierre Berton
177 books202 followersFrom narrative histories and popular culture, to picture and coffee table books to anthologies, to stories for children to readable, historical works for youth, many of his books are now Canadian classics.
Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.
Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Born in 1920 and raised in the Yukon, Pierre Berton worked in Klondike mining camps during his university years. He spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain/instructor at the Royal Military College in Kingston. He spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where at 21 he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily. He wrote columns for and was editor of Maclean's magazine, appeared on CBC's public affairs program "Close-Up" and was a permanent fixture on "Front Page Challenge" for 39 years. He was a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs.
Pierre Berton has received over 30 literary awards including the Governor-General's Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times), the Stephen Leacock Medal of Humour, and the Gabrielle Leger National Heritage Award. He received two Nellies for his work in broadcasting, two National Newspaper awards, and the National History Society's first award for "distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian history." For his immense contribution to Canadian literature and history, he has been awarded more than a dozen honourary degrees, is a member of the Newsman's Hall of Fame and a Companion of the Order of Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
March 25, 2023
“Peace, Order and Good Government” or “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”
“The key words in Upper Canada were “loyalty” and “patriotism” – loyalty to the British way of life as opposed to American “radical” democracy and republicanism.”
Pierre Berton’s THE INVASION OF CANADA is a colourful, in depth and very much grass roots telling of the story of the first two years of the War of 1812, a war that nobody really wanted, a war that didn’t really have a reason for happening, and a war that nobody really won. The USA’s declaration of war, (on England, mind you, not on Canada directly – at that time, after all, Canada hadn’t even come into official existence as a country) was a result of England’s heavy-handed, unreasonable restriction on maritime trade between the USA and Europe. The USA’s extension of that war into Upper Canada only happened after Britain had relaxed those restrictions but early 19th century communication being less than high speed or eminently reliable, the military of both countries were unaware that their cause for war had vanished.
Such nationalism as this Canadian reader has always bubbles to the surface in the face of the much more typical flag-waving and jingoistic version of patriotism exhibited by typical Americans. So it’s hard not to be a little smug when one is reading about the shellacking that general Isaac Brock, the Canadian regular military, the militia and their aboriginal allies under Tecumseh and Joseph Brant gave to the apparently overwhelming numbers and the much-vaunted military might of the USA. The American certainty that this war would be a short-lived pro forma affair was certainly crushed under the losses, nay disgracing losses, incurred at Michilimackinac, Detroit, Amherstburg, Queenston Heights, and Frenchtown. BUT It would also be shameful for any rational reader to not be embarrassed and deeply sorrowed by the historical (and continuing current) treatment accorded by the Roman Catholic Church and the Canadian government to those aboriginal First Nations when it is equally obvious that, without their assistance, that USA walkover of a nascent Canada would have been a drop dead certainty.
It is worth reproducing Berton’s closing observation in its entirety:
The “attitude – that the British way is preferable to the American; that certain sensitive positions are better filled by appointment than by election; that order imposed from above has advantages over grassroots democracy (for which read “licence” or “anarchy”); that a ruling elite often knows better than the body politic – flourished as a result of an invasion repelled. Out of it, shaped by an emerging nationalism and tempered by rebellion, grew that special form of state paternalism that makes the Canadian way of life significantly different from the more individualistic American way. Thus, in a psychological as well as in a political sense, we are Canadians and not Americans because of a foolish war that scarcely anyone wanted or need, but which, once launched, none knew how to stop.”
The final two years of this travesty and the “conclusion” of the war are described in Berton’s FLAMES ACROSS THE BORDER. Definitely recommended to those who enjoyed well-written history that is anything but the oft-encountered turgid litany of dates, places and events.
Paul Weiss
“The key words in Upper Canada were “loyalty” and “patriotism” – loyalty to the British way of life as opposed to American “radical” democracy and republicanism.”
Pierre Berton’s THE INVASION OF CANADA is a colourful, in depth and very much grass roots telling of the story of the first two years of the War of 1812, a war that nobody really wanted, a war that didn’t really have a reason for happening, and a war that nobody really won. The USA’s declaration of war, (on England, mind you, not on Canada directly – at that time, after all, Canada hadn’t even come into official existence as a country) was a result of England’s heavy-handed, unreasonable restriction on maritime trade between the USA and Europe. The USA’s extension of that war into Upper Canada only happened after Britain had relaxed those restrictions but early 19th century communication being less than high speed or eminently reliable, the military of both countries were unaware that their cause for war had vanished.
Such nationalism as this Canadian reader has always bubbles to the surface in the face of the much more typical flag-waving and jingoistic version of patriotism exhibited by typical Americans. So it’s hard not to be a little smug when one is reading about the shellacking that general Isaac Brock, the Canadian regular military, the militia and their aboriginal allies under Tecumseh and Joseph Brant gave to the apparently overwhelming numbers and the much-vaunted military might of the USA. The American certainty that this war would be a short-lived pro forma affair was certainly crushed under the losses, nay disgracing losses, incurred at Michilimackinac, Detroit, Amherstburg, Queenston Heights, and Frenchtown. BUT It would also be shameful for any rational reader to not be embarrassed and deeply sorrowed by the historical (and continuing current) treatment accorded by the Roman Catholic Church and the Canadian government to those aboriginal First Nations when it is equally obvious that, without their assistance, that USA walkover of a nascent Canada would have been a drop dead certainty.
It is worth reproducing Berton’s closing observation in its entirety:
The “attitude – that the British way is preferable to the American; that certain sensitive positions are better filled by appointment than by election; that order imposed from above has advantages over grassroots democracy (for which read “licence” or “anarchy”); that a ruling elite often knows better than the body politic – flourished as a result of an invasion repelled. Out of it, shaped by an emerging nationalism and tempered by rebellion, grew that special form of state paternalism that makes the Canadian way of life significantly different from the more individualistic American way. Thus, in a psychological as well as in a political sense, we are Canadians and not Americans because of a foolish war that scarcely anyone wanted or need, but which, once launched, none knew how to stop.”
The final two years of this travesty and the “conclusion” of the war are described in Berton’s FLAMES ACROSS THE BORDER. Definitely recommended to those who enjoyed well-written history that is anything but the oft-encountered turgid litany of dates, places and events.
Paul Weiss
April 25, 2018
When I was a college intern in Washington, D.C., I got into an argument with a student from Canada over who won the War of 1812. I, as a good and patriotic American, was perfectly aware that we had won the War of 1812. She, as a good and patriotic Canadian, was equally adamant that that they had won. It wasn't until later that I learned we had both been right. The U.S. claimed victory over Britain in the War of 1812, but Canada claimed victory over the U.S. because it successfully repulsed multiple American attempts to invade and annex it.
The Invasion of Canada by Pierre Berton is a masterful narrative history of why that effort failed – and why Americans have all but forgotten it. He documents thoroughly the utter bumbling incompetence exhibited by both sides in the war, but especially by an American military force that was skeptical of non-democratic concepts such as chain of command and following orders and relied heavily for leadership on aging Revolutionary War heroes unwilling to take the risks necessary to successfully invade another nation.
As a result, the battles of 1812-13 along the Canadian border ranged from the farcical, as in Canada's bloodless capture of Mackinac Island and Detroit, to the needlessly horrific, as in the abominable atrocities committed by Americans against Native tribes followed by the natives' in-kind response in the Battle of Frenchtown. And all of it caused by a handful of "War Hawks" in the American Congress who blithely assumed war against Canada could be won in mere weeks and worked their will despite widespread opposition among the people and soldiers asked to fight it.
In many ways, Berton's account is an indictment of war in general. The War of 1812, as he shows, is a particularly egregious example of those things that make war so evil – the Americans declared war after Britain had capitulated to their demands (but hadn't heard the news yet, a situation that would reverse itself when the Battle of New Orleans was needlessly fought after the war's official end); rushed into battle without enough troops, supplies or popular support; and managed to permanently alienate both native tribes and the previously friendly Canadian provinces through their arrogance and brutality. Breton in fact argues that if not for the American invasion, Canada would likely have drifted closer to the United States and eventually allowed itself to be annexed willingly. Instead, American hostility not only repelled Canada but actually hastened the creation of a founding national myth and sense of common purpose so important to nationhood.
Berton's account only covers the first year of fighting; the American-Canadian frontier was a focus of the war until its end, but the tone was set by its first year, when even minimally competent American military leadership could have indeed conquered Canada with a minimum of blood shed. That did not happen, and Breton is unsparing in recounting the tragedy that was a needless front in a needless war.
[EDIT to add: This is indeed a work of narrative history; Berton does his duty in describing troop movements and the strategy (or lack of it) conceived by the Great Men of the War, but he also delves deep into diaries and newspaper accounts to provide common touches of individual soldiers thrust into a conflict they barely understood.]
As a Canadian himself, Berton clearly brings a perspective to his writing, as we all do, but I never got the sense that he was interested in anything other than laying out the causes and effects of the battles over the border as clearly and fairly as possible. He succeeded with flying colors. This is an excellent book!
The Invasion of Canada by Pierre Berton is a masterful narrative history of why that effort failed – and why Americans have all but forgotten it. He documents thoroughly the utter bumbling incompetence exhibited by both sides in the war, but especially by an American military force that was skeptical of non-democratic concepts such as chain of command and following orders and relied heavily for leadership on aging Revolutionary War heroes unwilling to take the risks necessary to successfully invade another nation.
As a result, the battles of 1812-13 along the Canadian border ranged from the farcical, as in Canada's bloodless capture of Mackinac Island and Detroit, to the needlessly horrific, as in the abominable atrocities committed by Americans against Native tribes followed by the natives' in-kind response in the Battle of Frenchtown. And all of it caused by a handful of "War Hawks" in the American Congress who blithely assumed war against Canada could be won in mere weeks and worked their will despite widespread opposition among the people and soldiers asked to fight it.
In many ways, Berton's account is an indictment of war in general. The War of 1812, as he shows, is a particularly egregious example of those things that make war so evil – the Americans declared war after Britain had capitulated to their demands (but hadn't heard the news yet, a situation that would reverse itself when the Battle of New Orleans was needlessly fought after the war's official end); rushed into battle without enough troops, supplies or popular support; and managed to permanently alienate both native tribes and the previously friendly Canadian provinces through their arrogance and brutality. Breton in fact argues that if not for the American invasion, Canada would likely have drifted closer to the United States and eventually allowed itself to be annexed willingly. Instead, American hostility not only repelled Canada but actually hastened the creation of a founding national myth and sense of common purpose so important to nationhood.
Berton's account only covers the first year of fighting; the American-Canadian frontier was a focus of the war until its end, but the tone was set by its first year, when even minimally competent American military leadership could have indeed conquered Canada with a minimum of blood shed. That did not happen, and Breton is unsparing in recounting the tragedy that was a needless front in a needless war.
[EDIT to add: This is indeed a work of narrative history; Berton does his duty in describing troop movements and the strategy (or lack of it) conceived by the Great Men of the War, but he also delves deep into diaries and newspaper accounts to provide common touches of individual soldiers thrust into a conflict they barely understood.]
As a Canadian himself, Berton clearly brings a perspective to his writing, as we all do, but I never got the sense that he was interested in anything other than laying out the causes and effects of the battles over the border as clearly and fairly as possible. He succeeded with flying colors. This is an excellent book!
August 10, 2014
I think that without question this is the finest history book I've ever read.
Allow me to qualify:
The narrative thrill of McCullough or Shelby Foote, the insight of Ellis or Remini, Pierre Berton manages to tell you everything you need to know in half a page, dripping with excitement and insight, yet somehow leaving nothing out.
So what is this book about? The book covers the first amazing and turbulent year of the War of 1812, focusing on the engagements in the "Northwest", really meaning today's upper-Midwest: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York, and adjacent portions of Southern Canada, called Upper Canada at the time. Readers will meet an amazing pantheon of figures, such as Tecumseh, Issac Brock, Winfield Scott, William Henry Harrison, and many others.
Honestly the book is wonderful enough that I'm unable to tell you much more than that if you consider yourself a fan of history at ALL, then you should consider this a book that you need to read as soon as possible. I mean it when I say I think this is the best history book I've ever read, and this comes from a very serious amateur historian. Outstanding!
Allow me to qualify:
The narrative thrill of McCullough or Shelby Foote, the insight of Ellis or Remini, Pierre Berton manages to tell you everything you need to know in half a page, dripping with excitement and insight, yet somehow leaving nothing out.
So what is this book about? The book covers the first amazing and turbulent year of the War of 1812, focusing on the engagements in the "Northwest", really meaning today's upper-Midwest: Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, New York, and adjacent portions of Southern Canada, called Upper Canada at the time. Readers will meet an amazing pantheon of figures, such as Tecumseh, Issac Brock, Winfield Scott, William Henry Harrison, and many others.
Honestly the book is wonderful enough that I'm unable to tell you much more than that if you consider yourself a fan of history at ALL, then you should consider this a book that you need to read as soon as possible. I mean it when I say I think this is the best history book I've ever read, and this comes from a very serious amateur historian. Outstanding!
September 15, 2017
I picked this one up hoping to learn a bit more about the War of 1812, and this came highly recommended.
I can see why- it's very people focused, and the style is fairly engaging considering the subject matter. I also enjoyed reading a book from the Canadian perspective on the war.
However, it just didn't wind up sucking me in, and while I went in knowing this was the first of a two volume series, it still felt really unfinished at the end. The whole book felt a bit like the intro to a longer work, rather than something complete in itself.
I can see why- it's very people focused, and the style is fairly engaging considering the subject matter. I also enjoyed reading a book from the Canadian perspective on the war.
However, it just didn't wind up sucking me in, and while I went in knowing this was the first of a two volume series, it still felt really unfinished at the end. The whole book felt a bit like the intro to a longer work, rather than something complete in itself.
December 28, 2024
I have always wondered about the War of 1812. I've known virtually nothing about it, learning nothing about it in Michigan (where I grew up, near where much of the war occurred) except that, "Oh yeah. We [the U.S.] won that war," and then learning little more in Canada (once I got here as a teenager) except that, "Oh yeah. We [Canada] won that war." Well, I've picked up enough information over the years since then to know that Canada did, in fact, successfully repel America's attempt to invade Canada, so it could be said that Canada didn't lose that war, though whether or not anyone won it seems dubious. But I still lacked details. Then I discovered Pierre Berton's two-volume explanation of the War of 1812 and having immensely enjoyed the previous Pierre Berton book I read (Vimy), I bought it! I haven't been disappointed, as Berton writes in a way that draws you into the lives of the characters as much as into the historical events they're involved in, creating real empathy and suspense in his historical accounts.
August 31, 2007
It's interesting to read Berton's account of the start of the War of 1812. As he sees it, it was a reluctant war from both the British and American perspective and only fought to a stalemate because of the involvement on both sides, of native North Americans. The most significant thing to emerge from the war, according to Berton, was Canadian nationalism, aligned with British governmental values - the values that to this day make Canada at it's core a very different place from the US.
May 5, 2010
Berton conjures an array of diaries, letters, and official documents into a riveting novel-like narrative. This is historical writing at its best, in my opinion.
February 8, 2016
Harkening to the days when the hilarious fiction imagined by South Park and Canadian Bacon was actually reality: war between the U.S. and Canada. Fascinating, really, not as a sweeping military epic, but as a case study of how history is often made by the blunders of the incompetent. In the three primary military engagements described in these pages (Detroit, Queenston Heights, Frenchtown), the American forces should have easily prevailed owing to an overwhelming advantage in men and supplies, and the fact that the best of Britain's military was engaged in Europe fighting Napoleon. Unfortunately for the Americans, however, they were also blighted with incompetent leaders whose indecision, cowardice, lack of adequate planning, political infighting and poor internal communication doomed their troops to losses in all three battles and, in the case of Frenchtown, hundreds of dead.
Of course, in a grand, geopolitical sense, this war was pretty insignificant, and it is fairly obscure as far as American history is concerned. Yet, there is a symbolic element that has sustained in the odd landscape that is Canadian identity. To be Canadian, in large part, is defined negatively: what we are not. And what are we not? In a word: Americans. The whole premise is to convince ourselves and the world that we are a unique people on the North American continent, and not the mere mini-me of the American gargantuan. For many Canadians, the idea of becoming assimilated, culturally and/or politically, by the United States is a horrifying thought, one that we must diligently fight to prevent. In support of this "war" for Canadian uniqueness, we have the convenient history of an actually military engagement in which our brave boys repelled the invading American hordes. Of course, we usually neglect to mention that the outcome was a function more of military buffoonery by the enemy, and not glorious might on our side. Whatever. We'll take what we can get.
Of course, in a grand, geopolitical sense, this war was pretty insignificant, and it is fairly obscure as far as American history is concerned. Yet, there is a symbolic element that has sustained in the odd landscape that is Canadian identity. To be Canadian, in large part, is defined negatively: what we are not. And what are we not? In a word: Americans. The whole premise is to convince ourselves and the world that we are a unique people on the North American continent, and not the mere mini-me of the American gargantuan. For many Canadians, the idea of becoming assimilated, culturally and/or politically, by the United States is a horrifying thought, one that we must diligently fight to prevent. In support of this "war" for Canadian uniqueness, we have the convenient history of an actually military engagement in which our brave boys repelled the invading American hordes. Of course, we usually neglect to mention that the outcome was a function more of military buffoonery by the enemy, and not glorious might on our side. Whatever. We'll take what we can get.
January 4, 2009
Volume one of Pierre Bertons two volume series about the War of 1812. This book is historically correct but focuses not on telling us every detail of the war, but rather tells us about the soldiers, political people, and ordinary people caught up in war. Pierre Berton, now sadly deceased, was Canda's most prolific writer of popular History. Both this book, and volume two "Flames Across the Border," are wonderful reads.
March 1, 2019
This book is a fresh look at the War of 1812 and Canada's role in that conflict. In addition to the political and military history, the author includes some insight into a handful of the people involved. This was an interesting read.
August 11, 2011
Great book along with it's sequel Flames across the Border which cronicle the War of 1812. Sounds boring but in Berton's capable hands is anything but.
March 18, 2025
“President-elect Trump said Tuesday he was not considering using military force to make Canada part of the United States after repeatedly musing about the idea of the country becoming the 51st state.” Brett Samuels, “Trump Threatens Economic, Not Military, Force to Annex Canada”, The Hill, 07-Jan-25
Canadians are often surprised by Trumpisms but they don’t take them seriously. Historically, the U.S. has tried to invade and annex Canada, and obviously failed. My vague recollection of my high school years is that we mainly thought the whole effort was a cartoonish waste of time and, sadly, people.
The War of 1812, sparked by Britain’s HMS Leopard firing at the USS Chesapeake, saw Canadians burn down the White House and Capitol Building, and the customs duties imposed on the State of Maine by Canada went to fund our Dalhousie University.
Burton was a well-known and admired Canadian historian, journalist and broadcaster. He reminded me that this was a significant military effort, with numerous deaths, though it was limited in duration and geographic scope. In addition, Burton emphasized the vital role played by indigenous peoples, particularly the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh. At some point I’d like to read John Sugden’s Tecumseh: A Life.
It would be interesting to read an American account. They probably think they won.
Canadians are often surprised by Trumpisms but they don’t take them seriously. Historically, the U.S. has tried to invade and annex Canada, and obviously failed. My vague recollection of my high school years is that we mainly thought the whole effort was a cartoonish waste of time and, sadly, people.
The War of 1812, sparked by Britain’s HMS Leopard firing at the USS Chesapeake, saw Canadians burn down the White House and Capitol Building, and the customs duties imposed on the State of Maine by Canada went to fund our Dalhousie University.
Burton was a well-known and admired Canadian historian, journalist and broadcaster. He reminded me that this was a significant military effort, with numerous deaths, though it was limited in duration and geographic scope. In addition, Burton emphasized the vital role played by indigenous peoples, particularly the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh. At some point I’d like to read John Sugden’s Tecumseh: A Life.
It would be interesting to read an American account. They probably think they won.
April 5, 2021
Canadian history, although unpopular and often forgotten, is actually very fascinating. Pierre Berton's books are worthwhile if you want to dive into specific topics of Canadian history, such as this book does for the first year of the War of 1812. This War is often missunderstood and the author does a great job telling the stories of the men who fought to keep Canada from becoming part of the United States as well as explaining how the presence of the "Indians" at crucial turning points in the conflict prevented the British from losing the war.
May 31, 2024
DNF. I don’t usually rate books I haven’t finished and don’t plan to, but the first 120 pages of this book are exciting and I learned so much. Being an Ohioan, I loved learning about local history I knew next to nothing about. The War of 1812 is so little discussed, and since it was often a frontier war, much of it happened in the Ohio area or surrounding states.
I read the first quarter of this book to go along with American history for my 8/9th graders and it is perfect for that. I highly recommend it and we all learned so much; well worth fitting in even the first few chapters. (But a 450 page book on a couple years of American history is a bit much to fit in with All the American history we want to cover 😅). Again, i do recommend even fitting some of it in, especially if, like me, it is local history to you. This author brought the history to life.
I read the first quarter of this book to go along with American history for my 8/9th graders and it is perfect for that. I highly recommend it and we all learned so much; well worth fitting in even the first few chapters. (But a 450 page book on a couple years of American history is a bit much to fit in with All the American history we want to cover 😅). Again, i do recommend even fitting some of it in, especially if, like me, it is local history to you. This author brought the history to life.
January 14, 2025
Compelling account of the American invasion of Canada in 1812, 'A foolish war that scarcely anyone wanted or needed, but which, once launched, none knew how to stop'. The rivetting narratives Isaac Brock and the great Shawnee politician warrior Tecumseh are countered by appalling stories of American hubris and incompetence and disorganization, fostered by a belief in their righteousness that was constantly undermined by petty politics, lack of planning, and hubris. Appalling stories of violence against natives, including women and children; and a detailed reckoning of how the Indian fighters were the true winners of the battles, but losers of the geopolitical war. Pierre Berton is an icon of Canadian history, and this book supports that reputation considerably..
April 17, 2023
This is an excellent narrative history of the first year of the war of 1812 from the Canadian viewpoint. Berton writes engagingly and his use of primary sources (diaries, etc.) is impressive. He covers the Indian contribution to the British/Canadian cause at length. I was so impressed I bought the sequel: Flames Across the Border.
April 6, 2020
Told from a Canadian view point-a lot different from your U.S. high school history books.
February 6, 2025
An interesting book about something I knew nothing of. This should be taught in all American schools especially now with all the US talk about economic war on Canada.
October 24, 2025
This one is good.
A little laborious at times but still enjoyable.
Happy Reading, everybody!
A little laborious at times but still enjoyable.
Happy Reading, everybody!
October 24, 2008
An interesting account of the War of 1812 only as it took place along the borders of the US Midwest/the Niagara River and Upper Canada (Ontario). Pierre Burton was a celebrated Canadian novelist who used mostly primary sources from soldiers, politicians, etc. in putting together this account of what he characterizes a pointless war. Canadians typically think that "Canada" won the war (though the Dominion of Canada was formed only in 1867) whereas Americans typically think that they won the war. This book pretty much makes losers of both sides, noting that those with the biggest stake in the war were the Indians, and we all know how things turned out for them. I enjoyed the beginning most, where he talks of the causes of the war, Tippecanoe, and the roots of the legendary Native American Tecumse.
July 24, 2016
Certainly a 'product of its time' - that being said, I do appreciate Berton's expression of regret at the lack extant [written] indigenous records or material; however, that doesn't mean that these narratives can then be fabricated or otherwise illustrated with clearly biased or racist colonial accounts. While Berton does try to give the indigenous their due credit - it is unlikely British/Canadian forces would have 'won' without them - this is undermined by his penchant to paint as 'civilized' (European) leaders like Tecumseh. If you're looking for a factual account of these events, look elsewhere.
January 7, 2019
My first book from Berton. I think it’s very fast paced, in fact too fast paced. No proper back story or lead up. A constant barrage of movements, dates, and names. No eloquence from authors like Chernow or Goodwin. But still a pretty good read. As a Canadian, I sided with the American side. Britain was fighting their real wars in Europe and disrespected and goaded the “weak” Americans to supplement the war cause. Americans had enough of this bullying, however their invasion was a disaster. Issac Brock was particularly impressive.
September 10, 2016
Great book about the first half of the war of 1812. An especially great read if you live in Southern Ontario, because you'll recognize a lot of the places where battles and other important events happened.
May 5, 2017
History writ as a smooth butter from the fictionalized perspectives of participants. Quite possibly the greatest work of Canadian history I've ever read
June 28, 2018
Brilliant history, well told. Should be required reading for all Americans that pretend to know their own history.
January 23, 2010
like a Jerry Bruckheimer flick!
December 5, 2025
6.4/10 I will say that this rating is purely based off e enjoyment I had, not the entertainment value.
The Invasion of Canada feels like an overdramatized, redundant, but very informative account of The War of 1812. Also, I review non-ficiton differently than I do with fiction.
What I wanted
I came into this book with some foundational knowledge. I am Canadian and school had already taught me about this War, but I forgot most of the details. I listened to some podcasts about the war, but those mostly focused on debating the outcome of the war. So, I decided to use this book as my foundational reading for The War of 1812, and it will likely be the last thing I read about it because I already know the societal, economic, political, and war aspects of the war.
I came into the book looking for a few things. First, why we betrayed the Indigenous in this battle. Second, the real major reasons on why the war started, and, lastly, how did this war affect the story of 'Canada.' I also did want an enjoying read about the war.
Spoilers Below (kind of, non-fiction here doesn't really have spoilers, but I do explain what the book talks about)
What I got (stuff I liked)
Of the goals that I wanted, I got a decent amount. This book goes heavily into the reasons why this war started, and that is definitely the most informative and fun part to read for the book. Orders of Council, Napoleon, Britian basically kidnapping Americans, the sinking of Chesapeake, feeling encircled, battle of Tippecanoe, etc. These were all insanely interesting and informative. It was dealt in a non-overdramatized way. I liked the way he also established 'characters' in the book. He introduced every person in an interesting way no matter what. He also explained throughly the context of battles and things like that. He also well established motivations of Americans and Canadians. Britain wanted to protect 'their' land, Indigenous wanted to not only protect their land but also wanted revenge on USA, and the USA fought not only for reputation but also because they felt encircled. I loved the way he explained the fact that this was a war of useless bloodshed and explained how this war is forgotten, but still very impactful for Canada especially.
What I got (didn't like)
It's hard to go deep into what I didn't like, but three main things annoyed me. First, the bias. This book was written from a Canadian perspective of a guy who wanted to prove Canada won this war, or at least had a draw. This IMO for this war is not the right mentality. Literally everyone agrees Canada at least had a draw, decent amount say Canada won, most say that USA either drew or lost. What it should've focused on was HOW IMPORATNT THIS FORGOTTEN WAR WAS FOR CANADA. Instead, it threw some passive aggressive insults at American leaders (especially Hull) while glazing the living hell out of Issac Brock and Tecumsuh. The second problem is the over dramatisation. I get History is overdramatized, but this book acted like every act was either heroic or devilish. But this one wasn't that that bad. The last one was the amount he focused on people that didn't matter. Some of it I get, he wanted to show these lives of good men and women and harmless children dying for no real purpose, but a lot of time he went into the life story of a guy we won't see until 200 pages later.
TL;DR
It's okay, if you want to learn about The War of 1812, watch a documentary, most books are too deep into it or over dramatized.
Enjoyment Rating - 6.4/10
Info rating - 7.1/10
The Invasion of Canada feels like an overdramatized, redundant, but very informative account of The War of 1812. Also, I review non-ficiton differently than I do with fiction.
What I wanted
I came into this book with some foundational knowledge. I am Canadian and school had already taught me about this War, but I forgot most of the details. I listened to some podcasts about the war, but those mostly focused on debating the outcome of the war. So, I decided to use this book as my foundational reading for The War of 1812, and it will likely be the last thing I read about it because I already know the societal, economic, political, and war aspects of the war.
I came into the book looking for a few things. First, why we betrayed the Indigenous in this battle. Second, the real major reasons on why the war started, and, lastly, how did this war affect the story of 'Canada.' I also did want an enjoying read about the war.
Spoilers Below (kind of, non-fiction here doesn't really have spoilers, but I do explain what the book talks about)
What I got (stuff I liked)
Of the goals that I wanted, I got a decent amount. This book goes heavily into the reasons why this war started, and that is definitely the most informative and fun part to read for the book. Orders of Council, Napoleon, Britian basically kidnapping Americans, the sinking of Chesapeake, feeling encircled, battle of Tippecanoe, etc. These were all insanely interesting and informative. It was dealt in a non-overdramatized way. I liked the way he also established 'characters' in the book. He introduced every person in an interesting way no matter what. He also explained throughly the context of battles and things like that. He also well established motivations of Americans and Canadians. Britain wanted to protect 'their' land, Indigenous wanted to not only protect their land but also wanted revenge on USA, and the USA fought not only for reputation but also because they felt encircled. I loved the way he explained the fact that this was a war of useless bloodshed and explained how this war is forgotten, but still very impactful for Canada especially.
What I got (didn't like)
It's hard to go deep into what I didn't like, but three main things annoyed me. First, the bias. This book was written from a Canadian perspective of a guy who wanted to prove Canada won this war, or at least had a draw. This IMO for this war is not the right mentality. Literally everyone agrees Canada at least had a draw, decent amount say Canada won, most say that USA either drew or lost. What it should've focused on was HOW IMPORATNT THIS FORGOTTEN WAR WAS FOR CANADA. Instead, it threw some passive aggressive insults at American leaders (especially Hull) while glazing the living hell out of Issac Brock and Tecumsuh. The second problem is the over dramatisation. I get History is overdramatized, but this book acted like every act was either heroic or devilish. But this one wasn't that that bad. The last one was the amount he focused on people that didn't matter. Some of it I get, he wanted to show these lives of good men and women and harmless children dying for no real purpose, but a lot of time he went into the life story of a guy we won't see until 200 pages later.
TL;DR
It's okay, if you want to learn about The War of 1812, watch a documentary, most books are too deep into it or over dramatized.
Enjoyment Rating - 6.4/10
Info rating - 7.1/10
December 31, 2017
Entertaining short history of the land campaigns in Upper Canada in 1812. The book's key contribution for American audiences is its elucidation of how the the war forged Canada into a separate nation founded on principles that were different from and even in opposition to those of the United States.
Before the war, Canada's white population was sparse and in danger of being overwhelmed by cross-border migration of US citizens searching for cheap land. Thus, Canada was already in danger of being absorbed into the United States not by conquest but by osmosis. But the war [which was highly unpopular on both sides of the border, as it was pushed by Southern war hawks (not the borderers themselves) and fought for over issues that had nothing to do with Upper Canada] stopped that migration and forced Canadians to defend themselves against invasion. The ensuing battles gave Canada its first great war hero (General Isaac Brock) and birthed the myth that the Americans were repelled not by British Redcoats and their Native American allies but by Canadian citizen-soldier militias led by officers drawn from the British aristocracy. This forged feelings of solidarity and a sense of Canadian national identity and culture that had not existed before -- in particular, a culture founded on ideals of order and stability held by the British aristocracy, not the ideal of liberty cherished by the US. As the author puts it:
"Thus the key words in Upper Canada were 'loyalty' and 'patriotism': loyalty to the British way of life as opposed to American 'radical' democracy and republicanism. Brock -- the man who wanted to establish martial law and abandon habeas corpus -- represented these virtues... He came to represent Canadian order as opposed to American anarchy: "Peace, Order, and Good Government" rather than the more hedonistic "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Had not Upper Canada been saved from the invader by appointed leaders who ruled autocratically? In America, the politicians became generals; in British North America, the opposite held true.
"This attitude -- that the British way of life is preferable to the American; that certain sensitive positions are better filled by appointment than by election; that order imposed from above has advantages over grassroots democracy (for which, read 'license' or 'anarchy'); that a ruling elite often knows better than the body politic -- flourished as a result of an invasion repelled. Out of it, shaped by an emerging nationalism and tempered by rebellion, grew that special form of state paternalism that makes the Canadian way of life significantly different from the more individualistic American way."
Before the war, Canada's white population was sparse and in danger of being overwhelmed by cross-border migration of US citizens searching for cheap land. Thus, Canada was already in danger of being absorbed into the United States not by conquest but by osmosis. But the war [which was highly unpopular on both sides of the border, as it was pushed by Southern war hawks (not the borderers themselves) and fought for over issues that had nothing to do with Upper Canada] stopped that migration and forced Canadians to defend themselves against invasion. The ensuing battles gave Canada its first great war hero (General Isaac Brock) and birthed the myth that the Americans were repelled not by British Redcoats and their Native American allies but by Canadian citizen-soldier militias led by officers drawn from the British aristocracy. This forged feelings of solidarity and a sense of Canadian national identity and culture that had not existed before -- in particular, a culture founded on ideals of order and stability held by the British aristocracy, not the ideal of liberty cherished by the US. As the author puts it:
"Thus the key words in Upper Canada were 'loyalty' and 'patriotism': loyalty to the British way of life as opposed to American 'radical' democracy and republicanism. Brock -- the man who wanted to establish martial law and abandon habeas corpus -- represented these virtues... He came to represent Canadian order as opposed to American anarchy: "Peace, Order, and Good Government" rather than the more hedonistic "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." Had not Upper Canada been saved from the invader by appointed leaders who ruled autocratically? In America, the politicians became generals; in British North America, the opposite held true.
"This attitude -- that the British way of life is preferable to the American; that certain sensitive positions are better filled by appointment than by election; that order imposed from above has advantages over grassroots democracy (for which, read 'license' or 'anarchy'); that a ruling elite often knows better than the body politic -- flourished as a result of an invasion repelled. Out of it, shaped by an emerging nationalism and tempered by rebellion, grew that special form of state paternalism that makes the Canadian way of life significantly different from the more individualistic American way."
May 22, 2022
It's always interesting to learn a little history that you didn't even know existed for your own country. I never knew that the US tried to invade Canada during the War of 1812, which was not Canada as we know it now, but British territories, including an area known as Upper Canada. So it makes sense that this would happen in a war against the British, but until I saw this book I'd never heard of these battles. Unfortunately the book highlights one stupid mistake after another and misplaced braggadocio, especially on the US side, so it actually becomes tedious. I like that the author uses multiple historical sources to give you the perspective of all sides and levels of standing, from commanders to common volunteers. He also does a good job in highlighting the major roles the Native Americans played in these battles, mostly siding with the British after the US massacre of women and children at the "battle" of Tippecanoe. Even so, they are clearly looking out for their own interests during the whole engagement and the British/ Canadians are mostly aware of this. The history of Tecumsah and the Prophet is fascinating, as he worked tirelessly to unite the men of various tribes to fight for their interests when facing the land-hungry Americans. Definitely worth reading and better understanding some of the earliest American history.
July 12, 2020
I did enjoy this book, even though it is now something like 40 years old. I also found myself reluctant to trust Burton completely and I find myself, a Canadian citizen living in the United States interested in the different stories of who “won” the War of 1812. I also find my perspective changed by learning more of the history of the United States and less solid in my certainties instilled by Canadian curricula and “common knowledge” about history.
Burton’s account was quite readable, though definitely for a lay audience: in the body, he tells what he believes happened and doesn’t muddy it up much with the where, how, and whys of particular sources and how he chose between conflicting accounts. It made the reading easier at the expense (to my mind) of its credibility, especially since I know this war is seem very differently in the two countries.
Burton’s account was quite readable, though definitely for a lay audience: in the body, he tells what he believes happened and doesn’t muddy it up much with the where, how, and whys of particular sources and how he chose between conflicting accounts. It made the reading easier at the expense (to my mind) of its credibility, especially since I know this war is seem very differently in the two countries.
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