Edward William Thomson is usually remembered as the author of a few short stories about life in the French-Canadian, Irish, and Scottish settlements along the Ottawa River in the closing years of the nineteenth century. He was, in fact, one of the pioneers of the modern short story in Canada, and he might well have become one of the best writers of his generation had he devoted as much attention to his stories and verse as he did to his journalism.

Born on 12 February 1849 to William and Margaret Hamilton Foley Thomson, on the family farm in Peel County, Ontario, near Toronto, Thomson came from a sturdy line of Upper Canadian patriots. From an early age he wanted to emulate the soldierly exploits of his ancestors. A casual meeting with Abraham Lincoln while visiting an uncle in Philadelphia proved decisive. Even though a British subject and underage--he had just...