Today in history 10-13

[remrogers]

1812
October 13
Sir Isaac Brock saves Canada from US invasion

During the War of 1812, British and Indian forces under Sir Isaac Brock defeat Americans under General Stephen Van Rensselaer at the Battle of Queenstown Heights, on the Niagara frontier in Ontario, Canada. The British victory, in which more than 1,000 U.S. troops were killed, wounded, or captured, effectively ended any further U.S. invasion of Canada. Sir Isaac Brock, Britain’s most talented general in the war, was killed during the battle.

[pitw]

Do ya think they coulda made a smaller blurb.   Wonder how many years have to pass before this bit of history is changed too.

[remrogers]

Is this better?

When it comes to commemorating the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, you can’t get very far before running into Sir Isaac Brock.

In terms of iconography, name recognition and even basic street geography, the major-general from the Isle of Guernsey always seems to be top of mind.

Brock’s name is on everything from Brock University to Brockville, Ontario. There’s a Brock Street in Kitchener and a Brock Road in Cambridge. His statue lords over the heights at Queenston, near Niagara Falls, where he fell in battle in 1812. He’s in the federal government’s new citizenship guide and on a new postage stamp.

With this week marking the official start of the war’s bicentennial, it seems relevant to ask if Brock really deserves all the hype?

The short answer: yes. Brock is famous because he was great. But the saviour of Upper Canada was better at thinking than fighting.

When war broke out in 1812, Brock had about 1,000 British troops to defend all of Upper Canada against an American army 10 times the size. The smart money was on a quick victory by the invaders.

However, Brock had the advantage of being both military commander and civil administrator of Upper Canada. This allowed him to have a direct impact on public morale and provincial preparedness.

“He was an extremely skilled politician,” observes historian Wesley Turner, author of the recent biography The Astonishing General: The Life and Legacy of Sir Isaac Brock.

“Whether he was dealing with natives or the public or even the rank and file soldiers, he had this ability to step outside his class that was very rare for British generals. Everyone really seemed to enjoy his company.”

Brock used his personal magnetism, active leadership and deft political touch to bring the entire population around to believing a successful defence of Upper Canada was possible. “Most of the people have lost all confidence â€" I however speak loud and act big,” Brock wrote early in the war.

Sir Isaac Brock was the commander of the British forces at the time of the American  invasion. Born in 1769 to a military family in Guernsey (an island in the English Channel, then known as Sarnia), he joined the army at the age of 16. He was sent to Canada with the 49th Regiment in 1802 where he rose in rank to become in 1811 a major-general and Commander-in-Chief of the forces of Upper Canada. In truth, he was not entirely happy with his assignment and would have preferred the battlefields of Europe. Nevertheless, he planned the territory's defence brilliantly and became a legendary hero when he was felled by a sharpshooter at the Battle of Queenston Heights on 13 October 1812.

[pitw]

Well [stuff in a pile behind animals] we need a thumbs up smiley.