The American Invasion of Canada: The War of 1812's First Year

Pierre Berton

Jan 2012 · Skyhorse

About this ebook

How could a nation of eight million fail to subdue a struggling British colony of 300,000? In this remarkable account of the war’s first year, Pierre Burton transforms history into an engrossing narrative that reads like a fast-paced novel. Drawing on memoirs, diaries, and official dispatches, the author gets inside the characters who fought the war—the common soldiers, the generals, the bureaucrats and the profiteers, the traitors, and the loyalists. This is a gripping account of a fascinatingly complex war that shaped the boundaries of America as we know them today.

Ratings and reviews

I couldn't finish this book. It's a history of an event that occurred nearly 200 years ago and the writer uses the present tense. I suppose the idea is to create a sense of immediacy, but the prose is rather stilted. Put another way, this is a writer who has long written historical works in the traditional manner and who very much seems out of his depth with the present tense fad.

About the author

Pierre Burton is the internationally renowned bestselling author of fifty books and the recipient of over thirty literary awards including the Governor-General’s Award for Creative Non-Fiction (three times). He was raised in the Yukon, served almost four years in the army, was an editor at the Toronto Star, and a writer and host of a series of CBC programs. He is a member of the Newsman’s Hall of Fame. Pierre Berton passed away in 2004.