On June 18, 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain–the most powerful nation in the world. Britain was in the midst of a long and perilous struggle with Napoleon’s France, convincing President Thomas Jefferson that taking Canada would be a mere matter of marching.

Jefferson was terribly wrong. In this book Ron Dale traces the course of this gruelling two-year conflict, bringing to life people and engagements that have become legendary in Canada: General Brock’s stand at Queenston Heights, Tecumseh’s death at Moraviantown, Laura Secord’s epic trek through the woods. He also recovers some equally important, but more obscure results of the conflict, including how the Bank of Nova Scotia was created with privateering prizes from the war.

Illustrated throughout with full-colour paintings and modern photography, The Invasion of Canada is a readable, appealing guide to a war that both sides won.