Crucible of Flames

When the fledgling United States declared war, former president Thomas Jefferson famously boasted that “the conquest of Canada” would be “a mere matter of marching.” It became instead a bitter, nasty affair pitting brother against brother, cousin against cousin, as British regulars joined with Canadian militia and Indians to fight off successive American invasions. Over the course of three years, roughly 35,000 people would perish in a struggle that ultimately gives both Canada and the United States their sense of national identity. In this riveting account of the war's first year, feature writers Kenneth Kidd and Jim Coyle re-create North American life 200 years ago and the battles that would turn Maj.-Gen. Isaac Brock into an icon of Canadian independence.