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This entry I’m writing specifically for my dear friend Erin, who like me, has a love for the War of 1812. In one of her recent blog posts, she mentioned her new job at an independent children’s book publisher, Pajama Press. The book, Acts of Courage, covers the story of Laura Secord. My entry today is not on Mrs. Secord, but rather the British officer she interacted with, James FitzGibbon. FitzGibbon, not one of the first heroes of the war that one would think about, his contributions overshadowed by Laura Secord and Issac Brock. Fitzgibbon’s story blends with them both. An Irishman raised from theRead More →

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While there are many different actions of the Anglo-American War of 1812, some big, others rather small. These smaller ones are often overshadowed by the actions they were in between of. You don’t just happen to come across the site of Butler’s Farm. It’s not exactly in the main tourist district of Niagara-On-The-Lake; you have to want to find it. It took me a second attempt to actually find the place. Located at the end of a shady residential street, aptly named Butler Street is a chain link fence and gate, behind the gate stands several grave markers embedded in concrete, with new granite markersRead More →

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The Battle of Chippawa is unique among the engagements during the Anglo-American War of 1812 as it was the only one to feature a full proper European style engagement on both sides of the field. Line infantry tactics did not lend themselves well to the rough terrain of North America, so most engagements were a mixture of both skirmishing and line tactics dictated by the terrain. But Chippawa would go down as the only full-scale European-style battle of the entire war. The memorial to the Battle of Chippawa as in stands on the maintained section of the Battlefield. Canon EOS A2 – Canon EF 35-105mmRead More →

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When you think of Niagara Falls, especially the tourist areas like Cliffton Hill and Lundy’s Lane one of the last things you think is a historic battleground. Today there’s an arch over Lundy’s Lane announcing what it is, but for the most part, it’s places like Fort George, Fort Erie, and Queenston Heights that get all the glory. But in 1814 a bloody battle at the cemetery on Lundy’s Lane changed the course of the American 1814 summer offensive. It was the turning point of the whole matter, and it didn’t go too well for the Americans after that. A memorial arch across Lundy’s LaneRead More →

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Queenston Heights, one of the famous locations connected to the Anglo-American War of 1812, the southern terminus of the Niagara Escarpment and surprisingly overlooked for its importance in all the stages of the war except for the famous battle that took place at the site in 1812. Queenston Heights takes it name from the village of Queenston located east of the heights. The village had its beginnings in 1780 founded by Robert Hamilton and marked one of the terminuses of the Niagara Portage that allowed traders to bypass Niagara Falls. A memorial carin in the village erroniously marks the spot of Brock’s death. In realtyRead More →

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Major-General Sir Isaac Brock is a rather impressive figure in the mythos of Canada. The unwilling lieutenant governor of the armpit of the British Empire, a man who longed for battle against the French and general thorn in the side of the Governor General. Brock would find himself elevated to the level of Folk Hero after he lied his way to victory against a demoralized and drunk American General. And despite nearly losing Upper Canada at Queenston still to this day wears the mantle of the Saviour of Upper Canada. A bust of Sir Isaac Brock in downtown Brockville, Ontario. The town changed its nameRead More →

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A watershed event for the Canadians during the Anglo-American War of 1812. The tiny town of York, today’s Toronto, Ontario, was the colonial capital of Upper Canada, established in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe for the sole purpose of being further away from the American frontier. Despite the town’s status as the capital it was poorly regarded called Muddy York, a far cry from the seat of British power in North America, Quebec City. And while the town itself was far from a tactical target, it wasn’t a tactical target that US Army commander, Henry Dearborn, wanted following a series of American defeats in 1812.Read More →

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Fort York, Toronto’s taste of the 19th-Century. Against all the odds this little haven of Toronto’s colonial history has survived multiple attempts to sweep it away with the Gardner Expressway and even a Streetcar line. And while it seems a little odd to find a fort this far back from the lakeshore, you have to remember that over 200 years ago the lakeshore and the area we know as Toronto was a far different place. When Sir John Graves Simcoe received his appointment as the colonial governor of Upper Canada one of his early actions saw the colonial capital, the capital at the time, Newark,Read More →

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When the United States of America declared war on the British Empire, they knew they could not go toe to toe with the might of the British Navy. Instead, they invaded the closest British held territory, Upper, and Lower Canada. Not all the citizens in the British-controlled colony were on the side of the Empire, many in fact supported the American invasion and wanted to see the British influences in North America removed. Some left Upper Canada for the USA, and some others chose to help the Americans on the Canadian side of the border. Most citizens of Upper Canada supported the British Forces, manyRead More →