(11 works of Isaac Brock
British Army officer and administ...)
11 works of Isaac Brock
British Army officer and administrator (1769-1812)
This ebook presents a collection of 11 works of Isaac Brock. A dynamic table of contents allows you to jump directly to the work selected.
Table of Contents:
- First Letter to his Brothers
- Fourth Letter to his Brothers
- Letter in Response to the Declaration of War
- Letter to Colonel Proctor
- Letter to General George Prevost
- Letter to his Brother Irving
- Letter to his Brother William
- Letter to his Sister-in-Law
- Second Letter to his Brothers
- Second Letter to his Sister-in-Law
- Third Letter to his Brothers
The Life and Correspondence of Sir Isaac Brock, K.B. Interspersed with notices of the celebrated Indian chief, Tecumseh, and comprising brief memoirs of ... Tupper, R.N., and Colonel W. De Vic Tupper
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey.
Background
Brock was born on on October 6, 1769 at St Peter Port on the Channel Island of Guernsey, the eighth son of John Brock (1729–1777), a midshipman in the Royal Navy, and Elizabeth de Lisle, daughter of Daniel de Lisle, then Lieutenant-Bailiff of Guernsey. The Brocks were an English family who had been established in Guernsey since the sixteenth century.
Education
Brock earned a reputation during his early education on Guernsey as an assiduous student, as well as an exceptional swimmer and boxer. At age ten, he was sent to school in Southampton. He also studied for one year in Rotterdam, learning French.
Despite his lack of an extensive formal education, Brock appreciated its importance. As an adult, he spent much time reading in an attempt to improve his education. He read many works on military tactics and science, but he also read ancient history and other less immediately practical topics. At the time of his death, he owned a modest library of books, including classic works by Shakespeare, Voltaire, and Samuel Johnson.
Career
Isaac Brock entered the army as an ensign in 1785. Rising by purchase according to the custom of the time, he became a lieutenant colonel in 1797, commanded his regiment in the North Holland expedition in 1799, and later fought in the naval battle of Copenhagen. Sent to Canada with his regiment in 1802, he was promoted to colonel in 1805 and commanded the garrison at Quebec until 1810. He then was placed in charge of all British troops in Upper Canada and was promoted to major general in 1811; after October of that year he was also in charge of the civil government.
Brock brought to his job military skill, magnetic personal character, and expert knowledge of the land and people. Many of the Canadian settlers were former Americans, and one of Brock's problems was keeping the loyalty of the volunteer militia. The local tribes posed another problem. Brock had to influence them against raiding the American frontier, at the same time keeping them loyal to Britain. As for the regular army, Brock wrote that although his own regiment had been in Canada for 10 years, "drinking rum without bounds, it is still respectable, and apparently ardent for an opportunity to acquire distinction. "
When the United States declared war on Great Britain in 1812, Brock organized the defense of Upper Canada. He called a special session of the legislature at York (present Toronto), and although it refused to suspend habeas corpus, it did vote supplies. After an American invasion was repelled by the newly formed militia, Brock launched a counterattack. Commanding an army of 1, 330 men, including 600 natives led by Chief Tecumseh, Brock sailed down Lake Erie to Detroit, where Gen. William Hull had an American army of 2, 500 men. Although Brock was outmanned, he did not hold his ground or retreat but in a daring move advanced on Ft. Detroit, and Hull surrendered without firing a shot.
From Detroit, Brock hurried to the Niagara frontier to repel another American invasion of Canada, but on Oct. 13, 1812, he was killed at the battle of Queenston Heights. As he fell, his last words were, "Never mind me—push on the York Volunteers. " The war continued for over 2 more years, but Upper Canada was saved for Britain because of Brock's victories at Detroit and Queenston Heights.
Although many Canadians have come to view Brock as one of their own, Brock never really felt at home in Canada. On the whole, he viewed the country as a backwater, and earnestly wished to return to Europe to fight against Napoleon. Brock mistrusted the Canadian colonists, many of whom he suspected of being American sympathizers, and he was reluctant to arm them indiscriminately to help defend the colonies. He favoured expansion of volunteer forces which could be trained and supervised, as well as the use of British regulars and Tecumseh's warriors.
Personality
He kept a reputation as an "unusually tall, robust" man throughout his life, with an adult height of about 6 ft 2 in (188 cm). Measurements taken from his uniform show that at his death he had a waist size of 47 inches (120 cm) and the inside brim of his hat measured 24 inches (61 cm) in circumference. Brock was noted as a handsome man who enjoyed the company of women.