[Frontispiece: General Brock] [Illustration: Title page] _THE MAKERS OF CANADA_ GENERAL BROCK BY LADY (Matilda Ridout) EDGAR _EDITION DE LUXE_ TORONTO MORANG & CO., LIMITED 1904 _Entered according to Act of the Parliament of Canada in the year 1904, by Morang & Co., Limited, in the Department of Agriculture_ PREFACE Among the men of action who are entitled to be called makers of Canada, Sir Isaac Brock may well take a prominent place. He came to Canada in 1802, and gave ten years of his life to the country in which he was called to serve. Both in a civil and a military capacity he filled a post requiring unique qualities of head and heart. That the distinction he won was not ephemeral is proved by the honour in which his name is still held, although nearly a century has passed since he laid down his life on Queenston Heights. England has been served well by her soldiers in many lands, and is not ungrateful to those who have built up her empire. At critical times in her history the right man has appeared on the scene possessing the force of character needed for special work. Such a man was Isaac Brock. He entered the English army at the close of the eighteenth century, when the service was at its lowest ebb. Fortune placed him under the command of such enlightened men as Sir Ralph Abercromby and General Stewart, and the lessons he learned from them he afterwards put to good use. When, in 1812, the long-smouldering enmity between the United States and England burst into the flame of war, and Canada was the battleground, he entered upon the defence of the country entrusted to his charge with an indomitable spirit. With very inefficient means at his disposal, he used effectively what came to his hand. He took the untrained militia of Upper Canada and made of them a disciplined soldiery. He taught the youth of the country a lesson in courage and patriotism, and with infinite patience, tact, and judgment, he led them through their first days of trial. By his contemporaries Sir Isaac Brock was looked upon as the saviour of Canada, and time has not tarnished the lustre of his fame. CONTENTS _CHAPTER I_ HIS BIRTHPLACE _CHAPTER II_ SERVICE ABROAD--HOLLAND _CHAPTER III_ SERVICE ABROAD--THE BALTIC _CHAPTER IV_ IN CANADA _CHAPTER V_ UPPER AND LOWER CANADA--1802 _CHAPTER VI_ MILITARY POSTS _CHAPTER VII_ PREPARATIONS FOR WAR _CHAPTER VIII_ OLD QUEBEC _CHAPTER IX_ AFFAIRS IN EUROPE, 1808 _CHAPTER X_ POLITICS IN QUEBEC _CHAPTER XI_ QUEBEC AND NIAGARA _CHAPTER XII_ 1811 IN CANADA AND EUROPE _CHAPTER XIII_ THE NEW GOVERNOR _CHAPTER XIV_ GATHERING CLOUDS _CHAPTER XV_ CANADA'S DEFENCE _CHAPTER XVI_ ON THE FRONTIER CHAPTER XVII A VIGOROUS COMMANDER CHAPTER XVIII BROWNSTOWN AND MAGUAGA CHAPTER XIX DETROIT CHAPTER XX THE ARMISTICE CHAPTER XXI CONSEQUENCES OF ARMISTICE CHAPTER XXII QUEENSTON HEIGHTS INDEX