Tecumseh & Brock selected works by james laxer Inventing Europe: The Rise of a New World Power False God: How the Globalization Myth Has Impoverished Canada In Search of a New Left: Canadian Politics after the Neo-Conservative Assault The Undeclared War: Class Conflict in the Age of Cyber Capitalism Stalking the Elephant: My Discovery of America (U.S. Edition: Discovering America: Travels in the Land of Guns, God and Corporate Gurus) The Border: Canada, the U.S., and Dispatches from the 49th Parallel Red Diaper Baby: A Boyhood in the Age of McCarthyism The Acadians: In Search of a Homeland Mission of Folly: Canada and Afghanistan The Perils of Empire Beyond the Bubble: Imagining a New Canadian Economy for young readers Empire: A Groundwood Guide Oil: A Groundwood Guide Democracy: A Groundwood Guide Tecumseh Tecumseh & Brock The War of 1812 } James Laxer Copyright © 2012 James Laxer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any infor- mation storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. This edition published in 2012 by House of Anansi Press Inc. 110 Spadina Avenue, Suite 801 Toronto, ON, M5V 2K4 Tel. 416-363-4343 Fax 416-363-1017 www.houseofanansi.com Distributed in Canada by Distributed in the United States by HarperCollins Canada Ltd. Publishers Group Wes 1995 Markham Road 1700 Fourth Street Scarborough, ON, M1B 5M8 Berkeley, CA 94710 Toll free tel. 1-800-387-0117 Toll free tel. 1-800-788-3123 Every reasonable effort has been made to trace ownership of copyright materials. The publisher will gladly rectify any inadvertent errors or omissions in credits in future editions. House of Anansi Press is committed to protecting our natural environment. As part of our efforts, the interior of this book is printed on paper that contains 100% post-consumer recycled fibres, is acid-free, and is processed chlorine-free. 16 15 14 13 12 1 2 3 4 5 Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Laxer, James Tecumseh and Brock / James Laxer. Includes bibliographical references. Issued also in electronic format. ISBN 978-0-88784-261-0 1. Tecumseh, 1768?–1813. 2. Brock, Isaac, Sir, 1769–1812. 3. Canada—History—War of 1812. 4. United States—History— War of 1812. 5. Canada—History—War of 1812—Participation, Indian. I. Title. FC442.L394 2012 971.03’4 C2011-908635-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2011945361 Jacket and text design: Alysia Shewchuk Typesetting: Sari Naworynski Map adaptation: Alysia Shewchuk We acknowledge for their financial support of our publishing program the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund. Printed and bound in Canada To Sandy, Michael, Kate, Emily, and Jonathan contents Author’s Note .............................................. ix Introduction: Two Wars in One ............................... 1 Chapter 1: Tecumseh, the Shooting Star ........................7 Chapter 2: A Warrior’s Odyssey ..............................29 Chapter 3: A New Power .................................... 45 Chapter 4: Isaac Brock and the Defence of the Canadas ......... 61 Chapter 5: Showdown ......................................77 Chapter 6: The Prophet ..................................... 95 Chapter 7: Brock on the Eve of War ......................... 109 Chapter 8: The United States Declares War on Great Britain .... 123 Chapter 9: Two Warriors ................................... 143 Chapter 10: The Capture of Fort Detroit ...................... 149 Chapter 11: Death of the General ............................ 163 Chapter 12: York in Flames ................................. 179 Chapter 13: Tecumseh’s Last Days ........................... 195 Chapter 14: The Creek War ..................................211 Chapter 15: Out of the Furnace of War, an Upper Canadian Identity ............................229 Chapter 16: Bloody Niagara ................................247 Chapter 17: Rockets’ Red Glare ............................. 257 Chapter 18: American Victories at Lake Champlain and New Orleans ......................................279 Chapter 19: The Treaty of Ghent ............................. 293 Epilogue: Two Mysteries ...................................297 Notes .................................................... 303 Select Bibliography ........................................ 329 Acknowledgements ........................................ 341 Index .................................................... 343 author’s note In this book, I have chosen to use the words “natives” and “native peoples” when discussing indigenous peoples in both the United States and British North America. The terms “First Nations” and “aboriginal peoples,” while commonly used in Canada, are not regu- larly used in the United States. The usual reference today in the United States is either to “Native Americans” or to the specific group to which the author is referring, such as “Shawnees.” The word “Indian” is used when it appears in a quote from the writings of the period.