Donald Graves
Donald E. Graves (born 1949) is a Canadian historian specializing in modern military history, especially the War of 1812.
On his mother's side Graves comes from an old Loyalist family (Springer) in Hamilton, Ontario. His father was an executive and his mother a poet and artist.[1] He was educated at the University of Saskatchewan and at Carleton University, where he took an MA in history. He has worked as a historian for Parks Canada, Canada's National Historic Sites Service, the National Archives of Canada and the National Defence Directorate of History, where he authored several studies on Canada in the Second World War. After taking early retirement he became a full time author of history books.[2] He is currently the managing director of the Ensign Heritage Group. He served briefly in the Canadian Army reserve. He has been a historical consultant for American and Canadian filmmakers on the War of 1812.[3] Graves lives with his author wife, Dianne, in eastern Ontario.
His work has been widely praised. A review by Jon Latimer in Times Literary Supplement (13 April 2007) declared: "Donald E. Graves is probably Canada's foremost military historian." American John Elting says that Redcoats and Grey Jackets: The Battle of Chippawa, 1814 (1996) is, "the definitive analysis of the battle of Chippawa. Donald Graves establishes its historical background, describes the opposing armies, brings them into battle, and assesses the results, without wasting a word — yet his account of the battle combines high colour and exact detail. You find yourself alternately in the generals' boots and the privates' brogans, in all the smoke, shock and uproar of a short-range, stand-up fire fight."[4]
Selected bibliography
- Dragon Rampant: The Royal Welch Fusiliers at War, 1793-1815
- Fix Bayonets: The Life and Times of General Sir Thomas Pearson, 1779-1847
- Century of Service: The History of the South Alberta Light Horse
- Another Place, Another Time: A U-boat Officer's Wartime Album (with Werner Hirschmann)
- In Peril on the Sea: The Royal Canadian Navy and the Battle of the Atlantic
- Guns Across the River: The Battle of the Windmill, 1838
- Field of Glory: The Battle of Crysler's Farm, 1813
- South Albertas: A Canadian Regiment at War
- Where Right and Glory Lead! The Battle of Lundy's Lane, 1814 (1999) excerpt and text search
- Redcoats and Grey Jackets: The Battle of Chippawa, 1814 (1996) excerpt and text search
- Normandy 1944: The Canadian Summer (1996) (coauthor Michael Whitby)
- Fighting for Canada: Seven Battles, 1758–1945 (Toronto: Robin Bass Studio, 2000), editor
Further reading
- James Elliott, "Historian Tells true Stories," The Hamilton Spectator, Sep 7, 2000; online
References
- ↑ James Elliott, "Historian Tells true Stories," The Hamilton Spectator, Sept. 7, 2000
- ↑ James Elliott, "Historian Tells true Stories," The Hamilton Spectator, Sept. 7, 2000
- ↑ see PBS, "The War of 1812"
- ↑ see Elting quote