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Bold, Brave
and Born
to Lead
By Mary Beacock Fryer
Paperback - 200 pages (February 24,
2004)
Language: English
Dundurn Press ; ISBN: 1550025015
MARY BEACOCK Fryer's book on Isaac
Brock, released in early 2004, is a great
read for any age. I just finished reading
it and, not to be too cliched, had a hard
time putting it down.
Fryer tells the story of Brock's life from
his boyhood days on the island of
Guernsey in the English Channel to his
final charge up the heights of
Queenston. Her writing style is
engaging, her research appears to be
impeccable and the end product is a
must-have in any historian's library.
And it's low price ($12.99 Can; $9.99
U.S.) leaves no excuse not to pick up a
copy.
Peppered with photos, maps and
letters from Brock. Here's a look at how
Fryer described the death of Brock at
Queenston on Oct. 13, 1812:
and Born
to Lead
By Mary Beacock Fryer
Paperback - 200 pages (February 24,
2004)
Language: English
Dundurn Press ; ISBN: 1550025015
MARY BEACOCK Fryer's book on Isaac
Brock, released in early 2004, is a great
read for any age. I just finished reading
it and, not to be too cliched, had a hard
time putting it down.
Fryer tells the story of Brock's life from
his boyhood days on the island of
Guernsey in the English Channel to his
final charge up the heights of
Queenston. Her writing style is
engaging, her research appears to be
impeccable and the end product is a
must-have in any historian's library.
And it's low price ($12.99 Can; $9.99
U.S.) leaves no excuse not to pick up a
copy.
Peppered with photos, maps and
letters from Brock. Here's a look at how
Fryer described the death of Brock at
Queenston on Oct. 13, 1812:
Excerpt (pages 203-204)
Calling for men to rally round him, Brock waited until he had one hundred
of the 49th and the same number of Lincoln militia. He had to recapture
the redan before the enemy coming down from the heights could occupy
it and unspike the 18-pounder. He gave the order to march: "Follow me
boys!"
He dismounted and tethered Alfred behind a stone wall.
"Take a breath, boys. You will need it in a few moments."
He had to act fast, and boldly. He knew he had scarcely enough men
with him, but he had to try. Captain Dennis and his grenadiers, assisted
by some of the light company, were attempting to cope with the steadily
arriving Americans. He saw no sign of Captain Williams. Brock could not
wait for any senior officer to lead the troops. And, after all, he would not
expect his men to go where he did not lead them! The thought of
Yankee woodsmen with their long, accurate rifles did not cross his mind.
Like Montcalm at Quebec in 1759, Brock could not allow the enemy to
consolidate on the heights - nor in how own case let them control the
redan.
A bullet from a rifle passed through his wrist, but he hardly noticed. A
second bullet, from a sharpshooter skulking in the bushes partway down
the heights, struck Brock almost straight into his heart.
Fifteen-year old George Jarvis, a gentleman volunteer with the 49th,
remembered the incident years later:
Our gallant General fell on his left side,
within a few feet of where I stood.
Running up to him I enquired, "Are you much hurt, sir?"
He placed his hand on his left breast and made no reply,
and slowly sunk down.
From the back cover
Celebrated as the saviour of Upper Canada, Major General Sir Isaac
Brock was a charismatic leader who won the respect, not only of his own
troops, but also of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh and even men among
his enemy. His motto could well have been "speak loud and look big."
Although this attitude earned him a reputation for brashness, it also
enabled his success and propelled him into the significant role he would
play in the War of 1812.
About the author
Mary Beacock Fryer is a well-known expert on Upper Canadian history.
She has written a trilogy on the Simcoe family: Elizabeth Posthuma
Simcoe: A Biography; Our Young Soldiers: Lieutenant Francis Simcoe, 6
June 1791-6 April 1812; and John Graves Simcoe: 1752-1806, A
Biography. Among Fryer's other books are Escape, Beginning Again and
Bucksin Pimpernel.
Calling for men to rally round him, Brock waited until he had one hundred
of the 49th and the same number of Lincoln militia. He had to recapture
the redan before the enemy coming down from the heights could occupy
it and unspike the 18-pounder. He gave the order to march: "Follow me
boys!"
He dismounted and tethered Alfred behind a stone wall.
"Take a breath, boys. You will need it in a few moments."
He had to act fast, and boldly. He knew he had scarcely enough men
with him, but he had to try. Captain Dennis and his grenadiers, assisted
by some of the light company, were attempting to cope with the steadily
arriving Americans. He saw no sign of Captain Williams. Brock could not
wait for any senior officer to lead the troops. And, after all, he would not
expect his men to go where he did not lead them! The thought of
Yankee woodsmen with their long, accurate rifles did not cross his mind.
Like Montcalm at Quebec in 1759, Brock could not allow the enemy to
consolidate on the heights - nor in how own case let them control the
redan.
A bullet from a rifle passed through his wrist, but he hardly noticed. A
second bullet, from a sharpshooter skulking in the bushes partway down
the heights, struck Brock almost straight into his heart.
Fifteen-year old George Jarvis, a gentleman volunteer with the 49th,
remembered the incident years later:
Our gallant General fell on his left side,
within a few feet of where I stood.
Running up to him I enquired, "Are you much hurt, sir?"
He placed his hand on his left breast and made no reply,
and slowly sunk down.
From the back cover
Celebrated as the saviour of Upper Canada, Major General Sir Isaac
Brock was a charismatic leader who won the respect, not only of his own
troops, but also of the Shawnee chief Tecumseh and even men among
his enemy. His motto could well have been "speak loud and look big."
Although this attitude earned him a reputation for brashness, it also
enabled his success and propelled him into the significant role he would
play in the War of 1812.
About the author
Mary Beacock Fryer is a well-known expert on Upper Canadian history.
She has written a trilogy on the Simcoe family: Elizabeth Posthuma
Simcoe: A Biography; Our Young Soldiers: Lieutenant Francis Simcoe, 6
June 1791-6 April 1812; and John Graves Simcoe: 1752-1806, A
Biography. Among Fryer's other books are Escape, Beginning Again and
Bucksin Pimpernel.
| Other books by Mary Beacock Fryer |