High Upon His Pedestal: Sir Isaac Brock’s Enduring Popularity

High Upon His Pedestal blends military, political, and social history to explore Sir Isaac Brock’s enduring popularity in Canada.

Major General Isaac Brock won a stunning victory at Detroit at the outset of the War of 1812 and was recognized as the Hero of Upper Canada. With his untimely death leading a heroic, ill-fated charge during the Battle of Queenston Heights, Brock’s fame became firmly entrenched in the Canadian psyche.

In High Upon His Pedestal Guy St-Denis examines the reality of Bock’s military efforts and the origins and evolutions of his heroic legacy. St-Denis provides a detailed analysis of the mythmaking process, from the outpouring of grief that followed Brock’s death to the efforts of Stephen Harper’s government to commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812. He shows how Brock was used to support the militia myth of a society defended by civilian soldiery at the expense of British regulars and their Indigenous allies, as a tool of Anglo-Canadian nationalism, and as a contested historical figure in a modern nation.

Thoroughly researched and engaging, High Upon His Pedestal is a fascinating exploration of the ways myth shapes history.

Guy St-Denis holds a doctorate in history from the University of Western Ontario, where he devoted his dissertation to Sir Isaac Brock. Having previously written at length on the subject, he is now engaged in further investigations to better understand Brock’s life, military career, and battlefield behaviour.