Tecumseh and Brock: The War of 1812/A Wampum Denied: Procter's War of 1812, 2nd Edn

James Laxer, Tecumseh and Brock: The War of 1812 (Toronto: House of Anansi, 2012), 360 pp. Cased. $29.95. ISBN 978-0-88784-261-0.Sandy Antal, A Wampum Denied: Procter's War of 1812, 2nd edn (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2011), 478 pp. Paper. $29.95. ISBN 978-7735-3937-2.The Guardian Weekly of 27 July 2012 presented an interesting commentary about a national culture of modesty inspired by the low-key way in which Canadians dealt with current economic success. Over the last five years the average Canadian's net worth surpassed that of their US counterparts and yet few were aware of this differential. The Guardian then went on to ponder the significance of the ongoing efforts of the Harper Government to commemorate the War of 1812, a conflagration in which the American invaders were resisted by the combined efforts of aboriginals, colonists and British troops. Between CAD$25 and $30 million had been allocated by the Canadian government to remind and educate Canadians about the War and its historic importance. Those seeking to supplement the fruits of this marketing campaign might well peruse these two fine books. They may not address the seeming humility or reticence noted by the Guardian but they will give a sense of the scope of the conflict, its political dimensions, military strategy, the role played by aboriginals and the ever-present human cost of war.In his legendary Dominion of the North (1957), Donald Creighton declared that the conclusion of the War of 1812 marked an end of the 'confusion and uncertainty' dating back to British defeat of the French in North America in 1763. The northern half of the continent would remain separate and distinct from the US, but the world of the aboriginals and the fur traders would be forever transformed. Despite this apparent significance the War has received limited official observance or remembrance. There is a striking statue of the hero of Queenston Heights, Sir Isaac Brock, and various national historic sites, but no official holidays, limited public knowledge, and most troublesomely, little visible commemoration of Tecumseh, the legendary aboriginal leader, and his valiant participation. In fact, as Laxer points out in his epilogue, there persists doubt about just where Tecumseh's final remains actually reside.Of these two works it is likely best to start with Laxer's account, for it situates the War amid the global political conflicts of the time and surveys the vast sweep of the engagement over the entire geography of conflict. Laxer organises his account around Tecumseh and Brock, emphasising the native alliance which was such a benefit to the British forces in repelling the US invaders. Antal's work, meanwhile, is focused on the campaign in south-western Ontario and the nearby portions of the USA. His aim is largely to rehabilitate the reputation of Henry Procter who commanded the British forces in this area through much of the war while plagued by limited resources and uncertain attention from his military superiors in Lower Canada.James Laxer reminds contemporary readers that the War of 1812 was a cauldron within which many disputes interacted. Europe was engaged with Napoleon. British-US relations were still awkward given the recent American Revolution and American miscalculation of the mindset of Canadian colonists. The anticipated welcome the Americans expected proved elusive and instead the invasion is credited with helping to give birth to an early Canadian nationalism. Meanwhile, the aboriginals who had long attempted to protect their traditional land and hunting grounds from being invaded by the onrush of American settlers were engaged in a passionate struggle to preserve their autonomy and way of life. …

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