THE MAKERS OF CANADA
GENERAL
BROCK
BY
LADY (Matilda Ridout) EDGAR
EDITION DE LUXE
TORONTO
MORANG & CO., LIMITED
1904
Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada
in the year 1904, by Morang & Co., Limited, in the
Department of Agriculture
PREFACE
Among the men of action who are entitled tobe called makers of Canada, Sir Isaac Brockmay well take a prominent place. He came toCanada in 1802, and gave ten years of his life tothe country in which he was called to serve. Bothin a civil and a military capacity he filled a postrequiring unique qualities of head and heart. Thatthe distinction he won was not ephemeral is provedby the honour in which his name is still held,although nearly a century has passed since he laiddown his life on Queenston Heights.
England has been served well by her soldiers inmany lands, and is not ungrateful to those whohave built up her empire. At critical times in herhistory the right man has appeared on the scenepossessing the force of character needed for specialwork. Such a man was Isaac Brock. He enteredthe English army at the close of the eighteenthcentury, when the service was at its lowest ebb.Fortune placed him under the command of suchenlightened men as Sir Ralph Abercromby andGeneral Stewart, and the lessons he learned fromthem he afterwards put to good use. When, in1812, the long-smouldering enmity between theUnited States and England burst into the flame ofwar, and Canada was the battleground, he enteredupon the defence of the country entrusted to hischarge with an indomitable spirit. With veryinefficient means at his disposal, he used effectively whatcame to his hand. He took the untrained militia ofUpper Canada and made of them a disciplinedsoldiery. He taught the youth of the country alesson in courage and patriotism, and with infinitepatience, tact, and judgment, he led them throughtheir first days of trial. By his contemporaries SirIsaac Brock was looked upon as the saviour ofCanada, and time has not tarnished the lustre ofhis fame.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII