James FitzGibbon, Defender of Upper Canada, is the often poignant story of a poor man's rise to authority in the Upper Canada of the 1800s. Born the son of a tenant farmer in Ireland, FitzGibbon's valour as a soldier brought him to the attention of those destined for power in the Canadas. Hero of the Battle of Beaver Dams in 1813, one o the decisive battles in the War of 1812, FitzGibbon's brilliance as tactician and negotiator was needed time and again – whether to settle Irish...