Brave Soldiers Proud Regiments

Designed for the general reader as well as the student of Canadian history, this book recounts the colourful story of our military's past through the personalities and accomplishments of its soldiers. The twenty-six chapters commence with the 1759 Battle of the Plains of Abraham and the stirring story of Loyalist soldiers during the American Revolution. Great War sketches include the moving story of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and an account of Sir Julian Byng, who led the Canadian Corps to victory at Vimy Ridge. World War Two stories include portraits of senior commanders Andy McNaughton and Harry Crerar as the 'D-Day Dodgers' -- Canadians who fought in Italy.

In this groundbreaking narrative, historian, investigative journalist and filmmaker Peter Vronsky uncovers the hidden history of the Battle of Ridgeway and explores its significance to Canada’s nation-building myths and traditions. On June 1, 1866, more than 1,000 Fenian insurgents invaded Canada across the Niagara River from Buffalo, N.Y. The Fenians were mostly battle-hardened Civil War veterans; the Canadian troops sent to fight them came from a generation that had not seen combat at home for more than 30 years. Led by inexperienced upper-class officers, the volunteer soldiers were mostly young, some as young as 15 years old. They were farm boys, shopkeepers, apprentices, schoolteachers, store clerks and two rifle companies of University of Toronto students hastily called out from their final exams. Many had not fired live rounds from their rifles even once. When they fought the Fenians near the village of Ridgeway the next day, a single rifle company of 28 students took the brunt of a counter-attack by 800 insurgents and suffered the most killed and wounded. The events of June 2, 1866, were covered up by the Macdonald government. The story was falsified so thoroughly that most Canadians today have not heard of the first modern battle in which Canadians died.

Georges and Pauline Vanier follows their lives and travels across the world - from Canadian military life to the League of Nations, from the inner circles of British government to their harrowing escape from Nazi-occupied France - detailing their disappointments and triumphs during social and political turbulence. With insight and sympathy, Mary Frances Coady tells their dramatic personal story. Revealing their remarkably vibrant personalities, she details the couple's support of the French resistance as well as Georges Vanier's pleas for the Canadian government to accept refugees fleeing Hitler's horrors and his effort to broaden immigration policy. She also recounts the importance of their religious convictions, their controversial standing among Quebecers, and their early advocacy of official bilingualism. An invigorating and well-told tale of their lasting legacies, Georges and Pauline Vanier is the definitive account of the enduring contributions the Vaniers made to the world and to their country.

Though officially one of the Confederate States, much of Upper East Tennessee remained loyal to the Union. This loyalty was so fierce that it became necessary for the Confederacy to occupy the area. Driven from their homes, many men slipped through Confederate lines and joined the Union Army. The Thirteenth Regiment is one unit whose roster consisted of these Loyal Lincolnites, primarily made up of men from Johnson and Carter Counties.

For someone who did not actually fight in the American Civil War, Stephen Crane was extraordinarily accurate in his description of the psychological tension experienced by a youthful soldier grappling with his desire to act heroically, his fears, and redemption. Stephen Crane's novel The Red Badge of Courage provides an extraordinary take on the battlefield experiences of a young soldier coming of age under extreme circumstances. His writing took place a generation after the war's conclusion, at a time when the entire nation was coming to grips with the meaning of the Civil War. It was during this time in the late 19th century that the battle over the memory of the war was taking place. This new, annotated edition of the novel is designed to guide readers through references made through Crane's characters and how they reflect Civil War military experiences—specifically how "the youth's" experiences reflect the reality of the multi-day battle of Chancellorsville, which took place in Virginia beginning on May 1, 1863, and concluded on May 4 of the same year. The annotated text is preceded by introductory essays on Crane and on the Civil War. Crane's short story "The Veteran" is also included to allow readers to better understand the post-war lives of Civil War soldiers.

Born in a traditional Indian middle-class family in 1921, Tapishwar Narain ("Tappy") Raina rose to the pinnacle of the Indian Army in 1975. A decorated and battle-hardened soldier, Tappy Raina proved also to be a visionary Army Chief. He pushed through ground-breaking initiatives both for making the Indian Army future-ready and for the welfare of its officers and men. Equally, his quiet but firm stand against the Indian Army being drawn into the maelstrom of Indian politics during the period of Emergency was a truly signal service to India’s democracy. Tappy Raina was pitched into the 2nd World War at the very outset of his army career and saw action in the Middle East, Burma and the Far East. During this period he was wounded and lost his right eye but never let this early setback affect him professionally. His finest hour as a soldier came during India’s war with China in 1962. Amidst the ruins elsewhere along the borders, Brigadier Raina won laurels as a battlefield commander in Ladakh, where Indian Army blunted the Chinese PLA in the battle of Chushul. For this exemplary military leadership, Tappy Raina was conferred the country’s second highest gallantry award, the Maha Vir Chakra (MVC). Later, for his contribution in the war against Pakistan in 1971, then Lt General Raina was conferred the award of Padma Bhushan. Not even sixty yet, General Raina passed away in 1980 with his boots on while serving in India’s High Commissioner in Canada. Interspersed in the book are notes by Tappy Raina’s wife, Ninette, which etch out some personal facets of his life and reveal his innate decency, modesty and compassion. General T. N. Raina’s was an inspiring life of outstanding service to the nation, embodying vision, professional excellence and courage.