Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from A Canadian's View of the Battle of Plattsburgh; A Canadian's View of the Battle of New Orleans; The Century of Peace and Its Significance: Addresses
I do not pretend to give the Canadian view of the battle. I fancy the views taken by Canadians of this battle are as varied as those taken by Americans or Englishmen; and I do no more than give you the view of one Canadian, proud of the name.
It is a remarkable circumstance that from the very beginning of the war the American Government was sincerely desirous of peace. A great wrong was done to President Madison by a whole political party in charg ing him with a desire for war in order to better his political fortunes; but this charge still makes itself heard from time to time. It is most true that from the South and West came an insistent cry for war, which it was found impossible to resist; and from the same quarters the cry continued, during the whole period of the war, for its continuance.
New England and New York opposed the war as long as they could, but their in?uence was not sufficient. While it was wholly unjust to label the war as Madi son's War, as was done at the time and has since continued in some quarters, it would not be very far from the truth to call it Henry Clay's War. The opposition of Clay and his friends, the Administration had to face and to meet; and notwithstanding that Opposition, Madison from the very beginning did all humanly possible to bring about a cessation of hostilities - except one thing. The abrogation of the Orders in Council before knowledge by Britain of the Declaration of War left only impressment as a substantial grievance; for we may safely disregard the charges of incitement of the Indians against Americans and the more or less indefinite complaints in respect of violation of the rights of neutrals. These were a makeweight, they helped to turn a period and to point an invective; but they were illusory and without solid foundation.
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