FORT YORK PUTS CANADIAN SPIN ON AMERICAN AGGRESSION
FORT YORK, Toronto - A display at the renovated Fort York in Toronto, Canada, is titled "Smoking Gun: Evidence of the U.S. Invasion." The information in the display and on the tours is presented from the Canadian point of view that we were the bad guys and they were simply defending themselves.
From our point of view, one of the reasons we attacked was that Britain had been supplying the Indians in the northern part of the country with arms that were being used against settlers.
But let us stay with the point of view given at the fort. Fearing an American invasion, the British moved the Canadian capitol from Niagara-on-the-Lake, where it was easy prey to the Americans, to a bay where the legislature could be protected. Fort York was built to guard the bay and to also control access to Lake Ontario.
In 1812, the United States declared war and invaded Canada. In April 1813, with 14 ships and 2,700 men, the Americans attacked Fort York. In the six-hour battle, the Americans lost 320 men and the British 157, but the British retreated and the fort fell.
The report at the fort indicates that "the Americans occupied York for six days. They looted homes, took or destroyed supplies and burned the Parliament Buildings and Government House." In July, the Americans returned and burned what buildings they had missed in April.
The report says that when the British took Washington in 1814, they burned the Capitol, the White House and other public buildings in retaliation for what had been done in Canada.
The Americans came back to York in 1814, but this time the British had reinforced the fort and the invasion was unsuccessful. In 1834, the city of York was renamed Toronto.
Fort York is now a National Historic Site operated by the City of Toronto Culture Division, Museum and Heritage Services. I was impressed with the attention to detail in both the renovation of the buildings and the uniforms of the hired re-enactors and guides who staff the site. Even on a hot summer day the staff was wearing either the standard wool red coat of battle or the white wool coat of an off-duty uniform.
On the half-hour, demonstrations are given of drilling, musketry and cannon fire. Besides the demonstration of musketry, which filled the air with gun smoke, we watched the formal raising of the flag.
The most unusual display was the one that allowed us to explore examples of military music. On one screen would be the explanation of what the music meant, on the other screen the actual score and on the speaker, the music itself. Among our choices were battlefield calls for fife and drum, marches for fife and drum and music for bagpipe and drum. There were so many different tunes giving orders that it was difficult to see how an ordinary soldier could keep them straight in the heat of battle.
The fort used to be on Lake Ontario, but landfill operations have moved the shoreline hundreds of meters south.
FORT YORK, Toronto - A display at the renovated Fort York in Toronto, Canada, is titled "Smoking Gun: Evidence of the U.S. Invasion." The information in the display and on the tours is presented from the Canadian point of view that we were the bad guys and they were simply defending themselves.
From our point of view, one of the reasons we attacked was that Britain had been supplying the Indians in the northern part of the country with arms that were being used against settlers.
But let us stay with the point of view given at the fort. Fearing an American invasion, the British moved the Canadian capitol from Niagara-on-the-Lake, where it was easy prey to the Americans, to a bay where the legislature could be protected. Fort York was built to guard the bay and to also control access to Lake Ontario.
In 1812, the United States declared war and invaded Canada. In April 1813, with 14 ships and 2,700 men, the Americans attacked Fort York. In the six-hour battle, the Americans lost 320 men and the British 157, but the British retreated and the fort fell.
The report at the fort indicates that "the Americans occupied York for six days. They looted homes, took or destroyed supplies and burned the Parliament Buildings and Government House." In July, the Americans returned and burned what buildings they had missed in April.
The report says that when the British took Washington in 1814, they burned the Capitol, the White House and other public buildings in retaliation for what had been done in Canada.
The Americans came back to York in 1814, but this time the British had reinforced the fort and the invasion was unsuccessful. In 1834, the city of York was renamed Toronto.
Fort York is now a National Historic Site operated by the City of Toronto Culture Division, Museum and Heritage Services. I was impressed with the attention to detail in both the renovation of the buildings and the uniforms of the hired re-enactors and guides who staff the site. Even on a hot summer day the staff was wearing either the standard wool red coat of battle or the white wool coat of an off-duty uniform.
A guide at Fort York in Toronto explains the battles between the British and Americans that took place in the War of 1812.
Every hour, tours are given by knowledgeable, uniformed guides. Our group’s guide had been leading tours for18 years and fielded even difficult questions well. I chatted with one guide who had a group of 10 children, ages 3 to 11, in his care. It was charming to see him training them to march; even the 3-year-olds were doing right face and about face correctly. I feel if he had worked with them a bit longer, he would have had them doing dances. On the half-hour, demonstrations are given of drilling, musketry and cannon fire. Besides the demonstration of musketry, which filled the air with gun smoke, we watched the formal raising of the flag.
The most unusual display was the one that allowed us to explore examples of military music. On one screen would be the explanation of what the music meant, on the other screen the actual score and on the speaker, the music itself. Among our choices were battlefield calls for fife and drum, marches for fife and drum and music for bagpipe and drum. There were so many different tunes giving orders that it was difficult to see how an ordinary soldier could keep them straight in the heat of battle.
The demonstration of musket fire filled the air with smoke.
On display are a fine collection of uniforms of the different units that served at the fort and examples of the different firearms used over the years. The fort has an extensive range of educational programs for pre-booked groups. The fort used to be on Lake Ontario, but landfill operations have moved the shoreline hundreds of meters south.
A soldier gives a group of children marching lessons.
