A huge; ambitious re-creation of the eighteenth-century Battle of the Plains of Abraham; the pivotal battle in the Seven Years’ War (1754–1763) to win control of the trans-Appalachian region of North America; a battle consisting of the British and American colonists on one side and the French and the Iroquois Confederacy on the other; and leading directly to the colonial War of Independence and the creation of Canada. It took five years of warfare fought on three continents—Europe; Asia; and North America—to bring the forces arrayed against one another—Britain; Prussia; and Hanover against France; Austria; Sweden; Saxony; Russia; and Spain (Churchill called it “the first world warâ€)—to the plateau outside Quebec City; on September 13; 1759; on fields owned a century before by a fisherman named Abraham Martin . . . It was the final battle of a three-month siege by the British Army and Navy of Quebec; the walled city that controlled access to the St. Lawrence River and the continent’s entire network of waterways; a battle with the British utilizing 15;000 soldiers; employing 186 ships; with hundreds of colonists aboard British warships and transports from Boston; New York; and Philadelphia; with France sending in a mere 400 reinforcements in addition to its 3;500 soldiers. The battle on the Plains of Abraham lasted twenty minutes; and at its finish the course of a continent was changed forever . . . New military tactics were used for the first time against standard European formations . . . Generals Wolfe and Montcalm each died of gunshot wounds . . . France surrendered Quebec to the British; setting the course for the future of Canada; paving the way for the signing of the Treaty of Paris that gave the British control of North America east of the Mississippi; and forcing France to relinquish its claims on New Orleans and to give the lands west of the Mississippi to Spain for surrendering Florida to the British. After the decisive battle; Britain’s maritime and colonial supremacy was assured; its hold on the thirteen American colonies tightened. The American participation in ousting the French as a North American power spurred the confidence of the people of New York; Pennsylvania; and Massachusetts; who began to agitate for independence from Great Britain. Sixteen years later; France; still bitter over the loss of most of its colonial empire; intervened on behalf of the patriots in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). In Northern Armageddon; Peter MacLeod; using original research—diaries; journals; letters; and firsthand accounts—and bringing to bear all of his extensive knowledge and grasp of warfare and colonial North American history; tells the epic story on a human scale. He writes of the British at Quebec through the eyes of a master’s mate on one of the ships embroiled in the battle. And from the French perspective; as the British bombarded Quebec; of four residents of the city—a priest; a clerk; a nun; and a notary—caught in the crossfire. MacLeod gives us as well the large-scale ramifications of this clash of armies; not only on the shape of North America; but on the history of Europe itself.A stunning work of military history.
#123992 in Books 2011-11-01 2011-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .75 x 6.00l; .86 #File Name: 0306820439336 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A True HeroBy Bev ThompsonWhat a man! What a story! I was blown away. We couldn't put the book down. This one is a keeper; we won't be donating it; as we have so many other books. I have nothing but praise for the hero in this book; he truly was one of a kind.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Amazing story of courage in the face of evilBy E. E. ValerianoI knew a little about Raoul Wallenberg and Adolf Eichmann before I read this book. I was aware that Wallenberg saved thousands of Jews during the war and I knew enough to name my son Raoul in his honor.What I didn't know was how much he risked his life doing so; his struggles with the SS and Hungarian Arrow Cross; and his mysterious disappearance after the Soviets arrested him.This book tells the story of the Jews in Hungary during the war; their struggle to survive; first under an anti-semitic regime; then under the Nazis themselves; and finally under the local Nazis in the form of the Arrow Cross party; the evil that is Eichmann; and the desperate efforts of a few to save the Jews. Although anti-semitism was rampant in Hungary before the war; the Jews were somewhat spared the fate their brethren suffered in Poland; Ukraine; Netherlands; and other German-occupied countries during the war. Until 1944 when the Nazis; in particular Adolf Eichmann; decided that all Jews in Hungary; at all costs; should all be deported to the death camps.In came the Swede Wallenberg; who together with other diplomats in Budapest; tried to save as many Jews as they can by issuing (sometimes) fake documents to make it appear that the jews were under the protection of Sweden or Switzerland. In a continuous tug of war with Eichmann and the notorious Arrow Cross thugs; Wallenberg would eventually succeed in saving around 100;000 Jews from deportation to the death camps. Sometimes he would save the victims in the nick of time; just before they board the train to Auschwitz; or just before they were to be shot.The last few months before the Russians came were especially horrifying with the Hungarian Nazis murdering and terrorizing the Jews in a reign of terror.The final third of the book tells what happened to the main protagonists Eichmann and Wallenberg; and some of the survivors; after the war. Everyone knows what happened to Eichmann; but unfortunately the end of Wallenberg's story remains a mystery; partly due to the Russian's stubborn refusal to cooperate; and partly due to the Swedish government's spineless abandonment of one of it's most heroic and remarkable citizens.This is a well-written and inspiring book and I highly recommend it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. One Of The BravestBy LeatherneckKershaw has done it! There are acts of bravery in wartime;they are usually accounts of the battlefield or a resistance group. Rarely has there ever been such prolonged exposure to danger on behalf of the persecuted as Raoul Wallenberg's rescue of thousands of Hungarian Jews. For months this Swedish diplomat repeatedly 'stuck his head in the mouth of the lion' to save those headed for the Nazi death camps. Battling the Nazis and the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross; this determined envoy pressed ahead where fainter men refused to venture. This gripping account is in a class of its own.This brave Swede remains a sterling example of self-giving without thought of personal risks. Read it and be inspired!
