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General Brock
and Niagara
Falls
By Samuel Hopkins Adams
192 pages, 1957
Random House
Library of Congress Catalog Card
Number: 57-7512
Reviewed by Todd Humber
This book, published in 1957, is one of
the first books I read about General
Brock. It's interesting and noteworthy
for a number of reasons.
First of all, it was written by an
American, which makes it relatively
unique among books about the War of
1812 and even more unique in books
specifically about Brock.
It can be a tough find, but it's worth
rooting around at old bookstores or on
eBay to find a copy. It's also part of the
legendary Landmark Books series, a
complete line of books from Random
House that walk the reader through a
variety of historical periods.
From the book
Below is the preface from the book, as
written by Adams:
This has been a difficult book to write.
A loyal American must wish for his
country that it should be always
victorious, always in the right. An
honest historian must forget patriotic
prejudices and hold to fact. The
essential fact of the War of 1812, in
which Isaac Brock played so heroic a
part, is that in it the United States was
not victorious and the issues were
mixed.
True, we had grievances. The British
had seized our ships and our sailors.
But so had the French. And the French
had done it first. Then France
pretended that she was not going to
do it anymore. It was a sly trick of
Napoleon's. President Madison let
himself be fooled by it. He declared for
France — and France went right on
grabbing our ships. So shrewd a
statesman as John Quincy Adams
warned Madison that Napoleon was
leading us into war by the nose.
and Niagara
Falls
By Samuel Hopkins Adams
192 pages, 1957
Random House
Library of Congress Catalog Card
Number: 57-7512
Reviewed by Todd Humber
This book, published in 1957, is one of
the first books I read about General
Brock. It's interesting and noteworthy
for a number of reasons.
First of all, it was written by an
American, which makes it relatively
unique among books about the War of
1812 and even more unique in books
specifically about Brock.
It can be a tough find, but it's worth
rooting around at old bookstores or on
eBay to find a copy. It's also part of the
legendary Landmark Books series, a
complete line of books from Random
House that walk the reader through a
variety of historical periods.
From the book
Below is the preface from the book, as
written by Adams:
This has been a difficult book to write.
A loyal American must wish for his
country that it should be always
victorious, always in the right. An
honest historian must forget patriotic
prejudices and hold to fact. The
essential fact of the War of 1812, in
which Isaac Brock played so heroic a
part, is that in it the United States was
not victorious and the issues were
mixed.
True, we had grievances. The British
had seized our ships and our sailors.
But so had the French. And the French
had done it first. Then France
pretended that she was not going to
do it anymore. It was a sly trick of
Napoleon's. President Madison let
himself be fooled by it. He declared for
France — and France went right on
grabbing our ships. So shrewd a
statesman as John Quincy Adams
warned Madison that Napoleon was
leading us into war by the nose.
The President could not see it. He let the "War Hawks" in Congress force
him into declaring war against England.
Another strong influence in the direction of war was the land hunger of
the western-pushing pioneers. They seized the territory of the Indians
and slaughtered them when they resisted. The red man's hunting
grounds were not enough. The invaders looked toward Canada. It was a
rich country. Why should they not take that, too?
"Easy enough," cried the War Hawks in Washington. "We can win it in six
weeks." They organized armies to do it.
For Canada it was a matter of life or death. The rights and wrongs of the
British versus the American position can be argued. There can be no
question as to Canada. She was 100 per cent right. She stood with ber
back to the wall, facing terrible odds.
In that fight, Isaac Brock emerged as Canada's great hero. He was a truly
great soldier; brave, devoted, unselfish, far-sighted; had he lived, he
might well have become one of the military geniuses of history. That he
beat the armies of the United States in fair and honourable fight is no
reason why any honest American cannot and should not honour his
memory. — Samuel Hopkins Adams
How Adams described Brock's death
Below is a brief excerpt from Chapter 21, "A Hero's Death":
By the light of the clouded sun, Brock looked up from behind the stone
wall on the outskirts of Queenston where he had sheltered and saw the
Stars and Stripes whipping in the morning breeze. A foreign flag above
Canadian soil! It stirred him to a cold fury.
Hastening back to the village, he formed an attacking force from two
companies of his old command, the 49th and some militia — less than
100 in all.
"We shall retake that gun," he said to Williams, who awaited him at the
stone fence.
It was an uphill charge in the face of a superior force. That attackers
were beaten back. Brock reformed his men, and attacked again on the
right flank. Other troops had rallied to him. Fighting was now on even
terms. Brock's men recaptured the 18-pounder and drove the Americans
back to the brink of the cliff.
There the retreating force made a stand. They had to or topple over the
bristling height into the river. A faint-hearted soldier tried to raise a
white flag. The intrepid Captain Wool, crippled by wounds in both legs,
staggered up to the man, snatched the cloth from his hands, and tossed
it over the cliff. His men steadied.
The fight went on with increased hardihood on both sides. It was brave
Britisher against equally brave Yankee; determined leader against
equally determined opponent.
Up to this point it was anybody's fight. Then came disaster. Isaac Brock,
as always, was fighting in the forefront of the line. An enemy rifleman,
sheltered behind a bush, stepped out, took careful aim, and fired. The
bullet tore through Brock's body just below the heart. He toppled, fell
and died without speaking.
Colonel Macdonell, trying to reach his commander, was shot down.
Captain Williams was hit shortly after. The little British force, exhausted
by five hours of savage struggle, dazed by the loss of their leaders, fell
back slowly, carrying their general's body with them. Fighting doggedly,
they were forced from the heights. Loss of this position meant probable
loss of the town. The day was as good as won for the Americans.
At least, so it seemed to both sides. General Van Rensselaer's reserve
volunteers were massed and waiting in Lewiston, across the river. The
capture of the heights by their fellow Americans should have been the
signal for them to take boat for the Canadian shore and fall upon
Queenston for an easy victory.
The boats were ready to ferry them across. It would not be a dangerous
passage. The fire from the British batteries had died away to almost
nothing. The town was in no condition to put up much of a defense
against the much larger Yankee force. It would be caught between the
victorious army on the heights and General Van Rensselaer's reserves,
swarming across the river.
The prospect was black for the British.
General Van Rensselaer gave the order to embark. Nothing happened.
The Yankee volunteers stood as if rooted in the earth. Their officers tried
argument; they tried persuasion; they tried force. All was useless. Those
reserves were not leaving American soil and that was all there was to it.
There was no such loyalty in them as there was in the Canadians under
Brock. If there had been, the history of Canada might be different.
"Not a regiment, not a company, scarcely a man would go," the American
military observer reported.
It was mutiny.
Later, General Van Rensselaer recorded sadly his belief that "one-third
of the idle men might have saved all."
Then and there, the American victory was thrown away. The British
rallied. General Sheaffe's force arrived on the scene. Brock's Mohawks
drove in the American flank. The invaders faltered and broke.
Nearly 1,000 of them were killed or captured. The British loss was small.
It was a stunning victory. But it was dearly bought.
Isaac Brock lay dead.
About author
From the dustjacket: This book was written by Samuel Hopkins Adams.
Adams graduated from New York's Hamilton College. His career there
was more notable as an athlete than as a student, since it was he who
introduced football in the campus, played tackle on Hamilton's first team
and won the inter-collegiate tennis championship.
In recognition of these contributions to scholarship, his college conferred
upon him the degree of L.H.D. in 1926. In the 60 years following that
time, Adams left the college groves and held front-rank among American
writers.
He has authored more than 40 books and 17 of his stories have
appeared, more or less mangled, in the movies. Adams lived on his
quarter-mile of lakside, "Wide Waters," near Auburn, N.Y.
About the illustrator
From the dustjacket: The green illustrations shown on the right were
done by Edward Shenton, a native of Pottstown, Penn. He illustrated
more than 100 books and many magazine articles. He is also the author
of two novels, five books for boys, and short stories in the Saturday
Evening Post, Collier's, Cosmopolitan and other leading magazines.
Shenton and his wife lived in a 1760 stone house near West Chester,
Penn.
him into declaring war against England.
Another strong influence in the direction of war was the land hunger of
the western-pushing pioneers. They seized the territory of the Indians
and slaughtered them when they resisted. The red man's hunting
grounds were not enough. The invaders looked toward Canada. It was a
rich country. Why should they not take that, too?
"Easy enough," cried the War Hawks in Washington. "We can win it in six
weeks." They organized armies to do it.
For Canada it was a matter of life or death. The rights and wrongs of the
British versus the American position can be argued. There can be no
question as to Canada. She was 100 per cent right. She stood with ber
back to the wall, facing terrible odds.
In that fight, Isaac Brock emerged as Canada's great hero. He was a truly
great soldier; brave, devoted, unselfish, far-sighted; had he lived, he
might well have become one of the military geniuses of history. That he
beat the armies of the United States in fair and honourable fight is no
reason why any honest American cannot and should not honour his
memory. — Samuel Hopkins Adams
How Adams described Brock's death
Below is a brief excerpt from Chapter 21, "A Hero's Death":
By the light of the clouded sun, Brock looked up from behind the stone
wall on the outskirts of Queenston where he had sheltered and saw the
Stars and Stripes whipping in the morning breeze. A foreign flag above
Canadian soil! It stirred him to a cold fury.
Hastening back to the village, he formed an attacking force from two
companies of his old command, the 49th and some militia — less than
100 in all.
"We shall retake that gun," he said to Williams, who awaited him at the
stone fence.
It was an uphill charge in the face of a superior force. That attackers
were beaten back. Brock reformed his men, and attacked again on the
right flank. Other troops had rallied to him. Fighting was now on even
terms. Brock's men recaptured the 18-pounder and drove the Americans
back to the brink of the cliff.
There the retreating force made a stand. They had to or topple over the
bristling height into the river. A faint-hearted soldier tried to raise a
white flag. The intrepid Captain Wool, crippled by wounds in both legs,
staggered up to the man, snatched the cloth from his hands, and tossed
it over the cliff. His men steadied.
The fight went on with increased hardihood on both sides. It was brave
Britisher against equally brave Yankee; determined leader against
equally determined opponent.
Up to this point it was anybody's fight. Then came disaster. Isaac Brock,
as always, was fighting in the forefront of the line. An enemy rifleman,
sheltered behind a bush, stepped out, took careful aim, and fired. The
bullet tore through Brock's body just below the heart. He toppled, fell
and died without speaking.
Colonel Macdonell, trying to reach his commander, was shot down.
Captain Williams was hit shortly after. The little British force, exhausted
by five hours of savage struggle, dazed by the loss of their leaders, fell
back slowly, carrying their general's body with them. Fighting doggedly,
they were forced from the heights. Loss of this position meant probable
loss of the town. The day was as good as won for the Americans.
At least, so it seemed to both sides. General Van Rensselaer's reserve
volunteers were massed and waiting in Lewiston, across the river. The
capture of the heights by their fellow Americans should have been the
signal for them to take boat for the Canadian shore and fall upon
Queenston for an easy victory.
The boats were ready to ferry them across. It would not be a dangerous
passage. The fire from the British batteries had died away to almost
nothing. The town was in no condition to put up much of a defense
against the much larger Yankee force. It would be caught between the
victorious army on the heights and General Van Rensselaer's reserves,
swarming across the river.
The prospect was black for the British.
General Van Rensselaer gave the order to embark. Nothing happened.
The Yankee volunteers stood as if rooted in the earth. Their officers tried
argument; they tried persuasion; they tried force. All was useless. Those
reserves were not leaving American soil and that was all there was to it.
There was no such loyalty in them as there was in the Canadians under
Brock. If there had been, the history of Canada might be different.
"Not a regiment, not a company, scarcely a man would go," the American
military observer reported.
It was mutiny.
Later, General Van Rensselaer recorded sadly his belief that "one-third
of the idle men might have saved all."
Then and there, the American victory was thrown away. The British
rallied. General Sheaffe's force arrived on the scene. Brock's Mohawks
drove in the American flank. The invaders faltered and broke.
Nearly 1,000 of them were killed or captured. The British loss was small.
It was a stunning victory. But it was dearly bought.
Isaac Brock lay dead.
About author
From the dustjacket: This book was written by Samuel Hopkins Adams.
Adams graduated from New York's Hamilton College. His career there
was more notable as an athlete than as a student, since it was he who
introduced football in the campus, played tackle on Hamilton's first team
and won the inter-collegiate tennis championship.
In recognition of these contributions to scholarship, his college conferred
upon him the degree of L.H.D. in 1926. In the 60 years following that
time, Adams left the college groves and held front-rank among American
writers.
He has authored more than 40 books and 17 of his stories have
appeared, more or less mangled, in the movies. Adams lived on his
quarter-mile of lakside, "Wide Waters," near Auburn, N.Y.
About the illustrator
From the dustjacket: The green illustrations shown on the right were
done by Edward Shenton, a native of Pottstown, Penn. He illustrated
more than 100 books and many magazine articles. He is also the author
of two novels, five books for boys, and short stories in the Saturday
Evening Post, Collier's, Cosmopolitan and other leading magazines.
Shenton and his wife lived in a 1760 stone house near West Chester,
Penn.