For Honour's Sake

“A vibrant picture of the war's major battles on land and at sea …. Highly recommended,
For Honour's Sake
is a must-read.”

—
Esprit de Corps

“Zuehlke presents a clear, thorough account of both the conflict and the peace negotiations that influenced and warped its outcome, and does so without bias. You couldn't ask for a clearer account of events.”

—
The Vancouver Sun

“An authoritative, convincing work.”

—
The Globe and Mail

“For Honour's Sake
does more than fill in a gap in our collective memory; it uncomfortably foreshadows the wars of the twenty-first century …. We're often chided for not knowing our own history, and it's too true. This book is a good place to start learning it.”

—
Tyee Books

“Zuehlke deftly wades through the complexity of early nineteenth-century politics, identifying key moments in history without excessive or convoluted details…. [His] extensive research will not only appeal to academics, but his readable style and the well-paced flow will also intrigue lay historians with an interest in early nineteenth-century Canada.”

—
Winnipeg Free Press

Scoundrels, Dreamers & Second Sons: British Remittance Men in the Canadian West

The Gallant Cause: Canadians in the Spanish Civil War, 1936–1939

Ortona: Canada's Epic World War II Battle

The Liri Valley: Canada's World War II Breakthrough to Rome

The Gothic Line: Canada's Month of Hell in World War II Italy

Juno Beach: Canada's D-Day Victory, June 6, 1944

Holding Juno: Canada's Heroic Defence of the D-Day Beaches, June 7–12, 1944

The Canadian Military Atlas: Four Centuries of Conflict from New France to Kosovo
*

Acknowledgments

Maps

INTRODUCTION:
To Meet with Frankness and Conciliation

Part One:
CLAY'S WAR

ONE:
A Republican of the First Fire

TWO:
Insult to the Flag

THREE:
The Search for Satisfaction

FOUR:
Imperious Necessities

FIVE:
British Intrigue

SIX
:
War Hawks

Part Two:
RELUCTANTLY TO WAR

SEVEN:
While Disunion Prevails

EIGHT:
Failures of Communication

NINE:
The Demons of War Unchained

TEN:
The Valiant Have Bled

ELEVEN:
Opportunities for Usefulness

TWELVE:
Failures of Command

Part Three:
THE FORTUNES OF WAR

THIRTEEN:
Peace Sincerely Desired

FOURTEEN:
An Expanded War

FIFTEEN:
A Succession of Defeats

SIXTEEN:
Have Met the Enemy

SEVENTEEN:
Fields of Victory, Fields of Shame

EIGHTEEN:
Under Great Danger

Part Four:
QUEST FOR A JUST PEACE

NINETEEN:
Destitute of Military Fire

TWENTY:
Great Obstacles to Accommodation

TWENTY-ONE:
Summer of Stalemate

TWENTY-TWO:
A
Sine Qua Non

TWENTY-THREE:
A Capital Burned, a Campaign Lost

TWENTY-FOUR:
Breaking Points

TWENTY-FIVE:
Shifting Stances

TWENTY-SIX:
A Game of Brag

TWENTY-SEVEN:
The Blessing of Peace

EPILOGUE:
Honour Preserved

Photo Insert

APPENDIX:
The Text of the Treaty of Ghent

Notes

Bibliography

Knopf Canada's Michael Schellenberg originally approached me with the idea of a book about the War of 1812, spotlighting the negotiations in Ghent. From the moment he proposed the idea, I started seeing the possibilities for a contemporary examination of a war that all sides claimed to not want and, when it ended, all declared to have emerged from triumphant. There were so many parallels with events unfolding today on the international scene. Consider this: a superpower grossly underestimating an adversary whose motivations for fighting it seems impossible to comprehend and whose ability to fight is dangerously underestimated. A rising power that claims to be motivated in going to war to pursue one just cause, but is bent simultaneously on prosecuting the war out of territorial ambitions. Caught between are two peoples—the Canadians, who are only just beginning to define themselves in any way as a nation, and North America's Indians, who are desperately trying to hang on to their traditional homelands and preserve themselves from genocide.

I am distinctly grateful to Michael for asking me to write this book. And working with him on it has been an enjoyable experience. In fact, everyone at Knopf Canada has been excellent to work with. Among these are managing editor Deirdre Molina and copyeditor Shaun Oakey. The latter saved me from many sins of commission and omission in the text. Executive publisher Louise Dennys was also an enthusiastic supporter of this book, as was evidenced by her many questions and reflections during a lovely lunch here in Victoria.

Much of the research for this book was conducted at Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa and the staff there as always did their best to smooth the way for the search through endless documents. I was
fortunate, too, that the University of Victoria's McPherson Library proved a treasure trove of historical documents, books, and articles on the War of 1812 and the American and British negotiators at Ghent.

I am fortunate to have Carolyn Swayze for my literary agent. Her tireless work enables me to concentrate on writing. C. Stuart Daniel, as always, did a fine job with the maps. Finally, and most important, I am blessed to have the companionship and support of Frances Backhouse, who has come to know more about the art and practice of war over the ages than she probably ever could have imagined possible.