Jacob Brown
Title page from Gen. George McClure's book,
Causes of the Destruction of the American
Towns on the Niagara Frontier.

(photo courtesy of the Cincinnati Public Library)
» Download Research Report:
"Playing the Blame Game" (PDF 300KB)

GEN. GEORGE McCLURE'S CAUSES OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE AMERICAN TOWNS ON THE NIAGARA FRONTIER

Submitted by: Department of History, Xavier University

In 1813, Gen. George McClure ordered the burning of the Upper Canadian town of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake). In retaliation, the British captured Fort Niagara and burned down Buffalo. McClure was widely reviled on both sides of the border. In 1817, seeking to recover his reputation, he published this book. In it, he assigns blame to Secretary of War James Armstrong and criticizes the manner in which the United States raised and trained its soldiers during the war.

For a detailed description of the work, see the accompanying report, “Playing the Blame Game in 1817,” by Xavier history majors Matthew Kwiatkowski and Caleb Childers.

» Download Research Report:
"Playing the Blame Game in 1817" (PDF 300KB)

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