Blood and daring : how Canada fought the American Civil War and forged a nation

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Title:

Blood and daring : how Canada fought the American Civil War and forged a nation

Author:

Boyko, John, 1957-

ISBN:

9780307361448

Publication Information:

Toronto : Knopf Canada, c2013.

Physical Description:

355 p. : ill., map ; 24 cm.

Geographic Term:

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Participation, Canadian.

United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Influence.

Canada -- History -- 1841-1867.

Canada -- History -- Confederation, 1867.

Canada -- Politics and government -- 1841-1867.

Canada -- Relations -- United States -- History.

United States -- Relations -- Canada -- History.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	973.70971 BOY	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Stillwater Public Library	973.70971 BOY	Searching... Unknown

Blood and Daring will change our views not just of Canada's relationship with the United States, but of the Civil War, Confederation and Canada itself.

In Blood and Daring , lauded historian John Boyko makes a compelling argument that Confederation occurred when and as it did largely because of the pressures of the Civil War. Many readers will be shocked by Canada's deep connection to the war--Canadians fought in every major battle, supplied arms to the South, and many key Confederate meetings took place on Canadian soil. Boyko gives Americans a new understanding of the North American context of the war, and also shows how the political climate of the time created a more unified Canada, one that was able to successfully oppose American expansion.

Filled with engaging stories and astonishing facts from previously unaccessed primary sources, Boyko's fascinating new interpretation of the war will appeal to all readers of history. Blood and Daring will change our views not just of Canada's relationship with the United States, but of Confederation itself.

Author Notes

John Boyko is the author of 4 previous books, including the critically acclaimed Bennett: The Rebel Who Challenged and Changed a Nation and Last Steps to Freedom: The Evolution of Canadian Racism . He is a teacher and administrator at Lakefield College School, and an op-ed contributor to newspapers across Canada.

Reviews (1)

Publisher's Weekly Review

The American Civil War not only pitted Northerner against Southerner, but also threatened to drag Canada, and by extension, Britain, into its conflagration. Boyko (Bennett: The Rebel Who Challenged and Changed a Nation) weaves together disparate yet connected plot lines, fueled by a succession of multi-faceted characters in a thrilling, near-theatrical look at the years leading up to Confederation. Boyko presents his facts through the prism of six historical players, beginning with former slave John Anderson and ending with Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister. The other protagonists are likewise cleverly selected to round out the account: turncoat statesman Jacob Thompson, aggressive expansionist William Seward, farm girl-turned-war nurse Sarah Emma Edmonds and editor-politician George Brown. Quotes gleaned from letters, newspapers and speeches give readers a boots-on-the-ground understanding of the events of the 1860s. The authoritative narration is clear, precise, and entirely enjoyable for non-scholars. The book presents a startlingly unfamiliar and ominously dangerous period in Canadian-American relations; the world's longest undefended border was in danger of bursting into flames, unless a unified country could emerge from the tangle of British colonies. It's the birth of Canada in all its glory and muck. Distribution: Random House. Helen Heller Agency (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Introduction: Bad Neighbours in a Dangerous Neighbourhood	p. 1
1 John Anderson and the Railroad to Freedom and War	p. 15
2 William Seward and the Power of Divided Loyalties	p. 61
3 Sarah Emma Edmonds: Donning the Blue and Grey	p. 107
4 Jacob Thompson and the Confederates in the Attic	p. 147
5 George Brown and the Improbable Nation	p. 197
6 John A. Macdonald: The Indispensable Man	p. 237
Epilogue: Danger in the War's Shadow	p. 283
Notes	p. 307
Bibliography	p. 331
Acknowledgements	p. 342
Photo credits	p. 344
Index	p. 345

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