Book Review

The War of 1812 continues to attract historical attention. In the last decade alone, nearly two hundred works appeared relating to the war, over sixty of them books. These two books show that the interest continues and the quality is reaching new levels. The war has always fascinated Canadians, and in recent years several works have been turned out by Canadian historians. Donald E. Graves may be the most competent of the modern Canadian military historians. His preference, as shown in his earlier works, has been to bore into a single battle and relate it in great detail. Having completed a study of the battle of Lundy's Lane, Graves now turns to a more obscure battle at Crysler's Farm in November 1813. Because it is obscure, Graves spends a lot of time setting the stage for the battle (he does not get to the actual battle until the second half of the book). For the background, Graves utilizes secondary American sources heavily, but he also brings in many Canadian sources that enliven and enrich his narrative. Graves also pays great attention to details, both in his narrative and in appendices, relating to organization, ammunition and weapons, order of battle, and strength of each side. While the average reader might find some of these details tedious, military buffs will be delighted.

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