Flames Across the Border: The Canadian-American tragedy, 1813-1814 [Hardcover]

Pierre Berton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1981

The Canada–U.S. border was in flames as the War of 1812 continued. York's parliament buildings were on fire, Niagara-on-the-Lake burned to the ground and Buffalo lay in ashes. Even the American capital of Washington, far to the south, was put to the torch. The War of 1812 had become one of the nineteenth century's bloodiest struggles.

Flames Across the Border is a compelling evocation of war at its most primeval level — the muddy fields, the frozen forests and the ominous waters where men fought and died. Pierre Berton skilfully captures the courage, determination and terror of the universal soldier, giving new dimension and fresh perspective to this early conflict between the two emerging nations of North America.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If history could be taught in the schools the way Berton writes about it, there wouldn't be a more popular subject on the curriculum."
—The Globe and Mail

"Berton has the storyteller's gift, the novelist's insight, the journalist's easy style and the historian's sense of time…He writes history as it should be written."
—Kingston Whig-Standard

"With the vividness of eyewitness reporting, Berton brings us the heroes and heroines of this 'bloody and senseless' conflict, as well as the cowards, the incompetents, and the eccentrics."
—Publishers Weekly

"Berton's style is bold, alive and engrossing. We smell the powder, look with horror on ravaged bodies and share the tragedy of those victimized by the conflict."
—Hamilton Spectator --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

The Canada ? U.S. border was in flames as the War of 1812 continued. York's parliament buildings were on fire, Niagara-on-the-Lake burned to the ground and Buffalo lay in ashes. Even the American capital of Washington, far to the south, was put to the torch. The War of 1812 had become one of the nineteenth century's bloodiest struggles.

Flames Across the Border is a compelling evocation of war at its most primeval level ? the muddy fields, the frozen forests and the ominous waters where men fought and died. Pierre Berton skilfully captures the courage, determination and terror of the universal soldier, giving new dimension and fresh perspective to this early conflict between the two emerging nations of North America. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 492 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown; 1st US Edition edition (1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316092177
• ISBN-13: 978-0316092173
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #661,269 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The second part of a two volume history of the War of 1812., January 23, 2004

By 

Kevin C. B. "Opportunistic reader" (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flames Across the Border: The Canadian-American tragedy, 1813-1814 (Hardcover)

Pierre Berton's second volume of the history of the War of 1812 is as polished, accurate, and gripping as his first volume. In fact, he even goes into detail over the hardhships and difficulties endured by the US diplomatic delegation seeking an end to the war, and the internal turmoil the war causes in the New England states of the new republic. He details the rise of a younger and more competent officer corps, in both the US Navy and the US Army, which greatly improves US performance in period battles compared to the earlier military disasters of the war. He further details the improved performance of Canadian militia in upper Canada, and goes into some detail of the burning of Washington DC (and documents the reasons leading up to it in suitable depth). In summation, an excellent companion to the first volume, concentrating on relevant occurrences and facts, and using excellent narrative prose to hold the reader's interest throughout. Highly recommended.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite simply....., May 8, 2004

By 

Melvin Scott "MJS" (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flames Across the Border: The Canadian-American tragedy, 1813-1814 (Hardcover)

If you want to learn about the war of 1812, the books you should read are the two Pierre Berton offerings, Flames Across the Border and The Invasion of Canada, and two from Donald E. Graves on the battles of Lundy's Lane and Crysler farm. They are quite simply the best work out there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The War of 1812 Comes Alive!, July 5, 2011

By 

Timothy J. Mccarthy "Mongo" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Flames Across the Border: 1813-1814 (Paperback)

Few people know the details of the War of 1812; heck, most Americans have no idea that we were ever in a shooting war with Canada! "Flames" is the second of two books by Berton that cover this war, and picks up in the spring of 1813, with the war in full swing. But don't think of this as some dusty dry old history tome. Berton uses hundreds of primary and secondary sources to put you right there on the battlefield. The result is a story told more in the fashion of an war novel than a simple chronology of events. It's one of the very rare history books that's harder to put down than to pick up!

The book covers all of the major battles on both sides of the border, as well as the naval warfare on the Great Lakes. It also covers the British marching on, and then burning, Washington. But there are much more than military details, there is a fascinating look at the pressure on both sides to end the war, and the work of mediators to achieve a peace settlement.

Although the author is Canadian, the coverage is extremely even-handed. Major players on both sides made some incredible mistakes, and no one's reputation is spared. In the Author's Note, he says: "This is . . . a social history of the war ... I have tried to tell not only what happened but also what it was like . . . " I would say he succeeded brilliantly. I highly recommend this book to everyone, on both sides of the 49th parallel!