Review by Win Wiacek
The USA’s been involved in lots of wars and has, in fact, started a goodly proportion of those for less than noble reasons. To be fair, Britain’s much longer record is no better, but most people here have never even heard of the brutal and frankly stupid conflict now known as The War of 1812.
Two centuries after the fact The Loxleys and the War of 1812 commemorates the forgotten clash of political intransigents and empire-building politicians, featuring a multi-generational family caught up in the conflict. Author Alan Grant rewrote his comics saga as a prose novel and Oscar-nominated screen writer Tab Murphy remade the original story into both a screenplay and school play performed by students across Canada. There is even an 1812timeline.com you can follow whilst reading the version of your choice.
Matriarch Aurora Loxley is justifiably proud of her extended family, three generations living and working together to build a farm and a life in a welcoming land. Originally from Pennsylvania she and her departed husband Abraham migrated to Canada after the War of Independence to the far side of the Niagara River where their burgeoning clan prospered near the Canadian town of York.
Claude St Aubin draws extracts from her journal beginning with the 1811 harvest where celebrations are only slightly marred by talk amongst the men of war with America. Britain is currently battling Napoleon all over the world and the Royal Navy raids American ships and ports, co-opting men they claim are British deserters to serve in their embattled vessels. The practice outrages their southern neighbours the other side of the river, but many leaders in Washington DC act just as badly as the former regal masters they despise. The congressional “War Hawks” are rapacious expansionists wanting to wipe out Indian peoples and believing their destiny is to rule the entire continent.
Everything changes on the night of November 11th when the Loxleys invite a frantic messenger into their home. He brings news that the main settlement of visionary Chief Tecumseh’s nation within a nation has been destroyed by a force of Americans in a night of massacre. Tecumseh and his brother The Prophet have worked long to create a federation of disparate tribes as a bulwark against American westward expansion. Now the Yankees have taken the opportunity to move north as well and intend to drive the British out of Canada.
And so begins a deeply moving, informative, even-handed and intensely exciting tale of ordinary people moved to defend themselves against greed and aggression set against the backdrop of possibly the most ineptly handled, poorly executed war in history.
Despite being born of common greed and ruthless ambition by a few, and ignorance and intolerance by a multitude, the haphazard conflict brought misery and death to thousands of serving soldiers, sailors and militia volunteers on both sides. And domestic atrocity to an uncounted number of innocent civilians over the following two years and eight months.
As the Loxley family splinters, the story powerfully covers the role of militias on both sides – as well as the valiant French-speaking citizens, and examines the crucial part played by and eventual betrayal of the native peoples.
The War of 1812 is expressively rendered by St Aubin in cheerful colours and a steadfast, straightforward, impressively informative realistic manner. It proves comics as the perfect means to marry learning with fun and a well-made graphic treatise is an unbeatable mode with which to elucidate, educate and enjoy. St Aubin also drew the following historical events in The Loxleys and Confederation.
