Capital in flames
Subtitle: the American attack on York, 1813
By: Robert Malcomson.
Publisher: Robin Brass Studio; Naval Institute Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Montreal; Annapolis, Md
Language: eng
Number of pages: 489
ISBN-13: 9781896941530
Subjects: York, Battle of, Toronto, Ont., 1813; Ontario -- History -- War of 1812; United States -- History -- War of 1812 -- Naval operations
Description: As Canada's central depot and naval dockyard on the Great Lakes early in the War of 1812, the capital frontier town of York (present-day Toronto) was a prime target for American forces. In April 1813 a squadron of warships under U.S. Commodore Isaac Chauncey sailed up Lake Ontario and landed about 1,800 soldiers there as the renowned explorer Gen. Zebulon Pike led his men into battle. Though the Americans took the town, their victory proved disappointing. The author challenges conventional ideas about the battle as he brings to life the politicians, soldiers, and citizens whose destinies clashed at York.