| Redcoated Ploughboys: The volunteer battalion of incorporated militia of Upper Canada 1813-15 Written by Richard Feltoe |
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Redcoated By Alex Davis Redcoated Ploughboys: the volunteer battalion of incorporated militia of Upper Canada is about the formation, fighting history and dissolution of the
Though the focus of Redcoated Ploughboys is mainly on this small, fairly unremarkable militia unit in the midst of a huge conflict, the author Richard Feltoe manages to hold the readers attention with a clear and concise way of writing. This war re-enactor and museum curator is the first author who has made me understand in plain language, the intricacies of Napoleonic warfare without laying on thick the military jargon and half-understood tactics, not an easy task. The book goes through the battles of each division of the Canadian militia, looking at the battles they individually fought and documenting it well. A lot of the important battles of 1812 are examined, from the battle of Lundy’s Lane 1814, the siege of
A lot of the books that have to do with Canada’s side of the war of 1812 like to make a lot of connections from modern day Canadians to the brave colonists who fought in that war. They like to flaunt their miniscule connection to these ancestors, almost take credit for their achievements; but Redcoated Ploughboys doesn’t do that. In fact, for a book about a small group of roughshod militiamen, this book remains very objective and unbiased. As far as I could tell, neither the Canadians, British nor Americans were portrayed in a better light then anyone else. Not the most significant achievement, but one that I thought was noteworthy.
Though it’s nothing special and the subject of the book is a bit small, Redcoated Ploughboys is actually worth a read. With its clear and easy reading style, and its method of visibly explaining the battles and the war itself, Redcoated Ploughboys is a good book for 1812 historians.
Redcoated Ploughboys: The Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia of
         
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