Biography & Autobiography Historical
Laura Secord
Heroine of the War of 1812
- Publisher
- Dundurn Press
- Initial publish date
- May 2012
- Category
- Historical, Women, Military
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781459703667
- Publish Date
- May 2012
- List Price
- $19.99
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459703681
- Publish Date
- May 2012
- List Price
- $7.99
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Description
2013 Speaker’s Book Award — Shortlisted
Laura Secord is now famous for her singular feat of bravery during the War of 1812, but did she warn the British and help defeat the American invaders as her legend says?
After dragging her injured husband off the battlefield during the War of 1812, Laura Secord (1775-1868) was forced to house American soldiers for financial support while she nursed him back to health. It was during this time that she overheard the American plan to ambush British troops at Beaver Dams.
Through an outstanding act of perseverance and courage in 1813, Laura walked an astonishing 30 kilometers from her home to a British outpost to warn Lieutenant James FitzGibbon. Despite facing rough terrain, the ever-present danger of being caught by American troops, and rather delicate encounters with Native forces, Laura reached FitzGibbon just in time for the British to prepare and execute an ambush on American military nearby, forcing the U.S. general to surrender.
Laura lived a very long time, dying at the age of 93. In her lifetime the government never formally recognized her singular feat of bravery, and much controversy still envelopes her legacy.
About the author
Peggy Dymond Leavey was born in Toronto, the second in a family of five children. Her father was in the RCAF, and while Peggy was growing up in the 40s and 50s, the family was often on the move. Peggy began writing as a child and has since published poems, articles and plays for both adults and children. She has collaborated on three books of local history and has done freelance writing. Her book The Movie Years, published in 1989, details the years 1917-1934 when Trenton, Ontario was Canada’s filmmaking capital. Her first novel for children, Help Wanted: Wednesdays Only, published in 1994 by Napoleon, has been published in French as Un Petit Boulot du Mercredi. A Circle in Time was published in 1994, also by Napoleon. Her third book, Sky Lake Summer, published in 1999, was nominated for a Silver Birch Award and a Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award. It has also been chosen for the Accelerated Reading Program in the U.S. Peggy’s first teen novel, Finding My Own Way, was published by Napoleon in the fall of 2001. It was followed by another junior novel, The Deep End Gang, in 2003, which was an honour finalist for the Silver Birch Award. The Path Through the Trees (2005) was also a Silver Birch finalist. Her latest novel is Treasure at Turtle Lake (2007). The sequel, Trouble at Turtle Narrows, will be released in the fall of 2008. Today, Peggy lives near Trenton, Ontario. She and her husband have three grown children and eight grandchildren. She works part-time as a librarian, keeping her mornings free to write.
Awards
- Short-listed, Speaker's Book Award
Editorial Reviews
“Dymond Leavey provides a vivid picture of life for settlers in Upper Canada in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.”
Country Roads magazine
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