Sir Isaac Brock: A Hero Or Hero?

During the beginning of the nineteenth century much of Europe was at conflict due to the Napoleonic wars. The United States president James Madison saw this as an opportunity to start a conflict with the British forces of Canada. He thought the war was easily winnable and that it was only ‘a mere matter of marching’. After Canada managed to fend off the United States forces, the treaty of Ghent was signed. The treaty was signed on Christmas Eve of 1814 and did not declare a victor, rather it was an agreement to peace and the agreement to suspend hostilities. However, this was a win for Canada in its own right as it was not devoured by the United States and remained mostly unscathed. As a result of this successful defense of Canada many ‘heroes’ emerged that played a crucial part in the conflict against the American …show more content…
One of the more prominent figures during the war was Sir Isaac Brock who is known for his military contributions relating to the defence of Upper Canada. He is often described by Canadians as one of the greatest military heroes of all. However, the term hero is difficult to define and can be associated with many different people such as revolutionaries and even scientific heroes. In this paper I will argue that it is necessary to identify Sir Isaac Brock not as a hero, but rather as a profound military leader that excelled in the many facets of war to successfully defend Canada form the American forces. Sir Isaac Brock accomplished the defence of Canada in three main ways. Firstly, Brock contributed impressive military actions such as fortifications in anticipation of war, and when war commenced he avoided conflict by the use of unique military strategies. Secondly, Brock forged relationships with the Aboriginals who were instrumental in the defence of