CATCHING UP
The last few weeks have been crazy here but there is a lull at the moment and it gives me a chance to tell a few stories.
Declaration of War
On June 18, 1812, US President James Madison signed a declaration of war against the United Kingdom and its dependencies (e.g. Upper Canada). Many historical documents are lengthy and boring but the declaration of war is neither. I think it is useful to read it and realize just how threatened Upper and Lower Canada were in June of 1812. (Click to enlarge.)
For several years, legions of Niagara-on-the-Lake volunteers have been preparing to commemorate that event. They’ve been attending lectures on the history of the war, and on matters such as the dress and menus of the time, and, above all, they’ve been planning and organizing.
And now, all that preparation is being put to the test.
And the community is more than passing the test!
There were many activities in the days around June 18th, but I will focus on only a few of them.
The Brock Ball
History (or legend) has it that word of the declaration of war reached Niagara-on-the-Lake several days after Madison signed it. A breathless messenger burst into a dinner being hosted by General Brock at the Officers Mess at Fort George, and announced to the General and his guests (British and Canadian officers, along with American officers from Fort Niagara) that war had been declared.
General Brock thanked the messenger and then told his guests that he was not prepared to have a declaration of war interfere with a fine dinner. Fighting could start the next day. He led his British and Canadian guests in a singing of God Save the King, while the Americans toasted President Madison.
The guests resumed their eating and drinking.
At the end of the meal, General Brock escorted the Americans to their boats for the short trip across the Niagara River to Fort Niagara. He shook hands with them and is supposed to have said that although they were parting as friends, the next time they met it would be as enemies.
Our Museum, the Niagara Historical Society Museum, decided to organize a re-enactment of that dinner on June 16, 2012 (a few days before anniversary of the signing of the declaration of war, but who is counting). There were 200 tickets sold, mostly to people from the Niagara area but there were guests from around Ontario and a few from the US, for example there were guests from Tennessee and Pennsylvania. The Ontario Lieutenant Governor and various federal, provincial and local officials also attended.
Pat and I travelled to Fort George in a horse and carriage, which we shared with a couple from Toronto, Don and Kathy.
Here is how we looked as we prepared to enter the tent for the dinner.
_edited-1.jpg) |
| This picture is courtesy of Ruth Bolton. |
Pat is wearing an outfit, which she made herself working from an1812 pattern. The russet-coloured linen dress is Empire Style trimmed with satin ribbons on the sleeves and under the bodice, and has many deep pleats in the back of the skirt. It is ankle length at the front and dips to floor-length at the back. Note the bell-shaped finish at the elbow. Because this was a formal occasion, Pat also wore an ‘over-dress’ with a taffeta bodice and chiffon skirt.
In 1812, women in Upper Canada attending a formal dance or dinner would wear a small tiara in their hair or a band to which they attached a feather arrangement. Pat chose the feather arrangement. Her jewellery was typical of the period: long, dangling earrings, an amber necklace and an amethyst broach. She carried a black-beaded feticule (a small purse) and an antique fan with a russet tassel.
My dress is formal Scottish from the period. I had originally planned to wear a kilt but found that the wool scratched me something awful. Instead, I opted for what the Scots call ‘trews’, trousers made from the family tartan, which some experts believe predate the kilt. A Toronto firm imported Hunter tartan material from Britain and tailored the trews, lining the legs so the wool didn’t make me feel itchy. My top half consists of a dress shirt, with studs, black tie, a waistcoat and a Prince Charlie jacket (the 17th century Prince Charlie!).
Here is my non-formal 1812 costume, if you are interested. (I should point out that we1812 volunteers are encouraged to select a persona. My persona is that of a retired surveyor, while Rick is playing a Methodist minister, Tom a sheriff and so on.) Here is my concept of what a retired surveyor would wear when he came to town in the summer.
 |
| Notice the 'drop-front' cotton trousers. There were no 'flies' in 1812, just lots of buttons. One doesn't leave bathroom calls to the last minute. Pat found the cane in a local antique shop. I have a green wool frock coat, with tails, for cooler weather. |
Getting back to the Brock Ball, two hundred of us assembled in a huge tent inside Fort George. The weather was perfect and the sides of the 100 foot long tent were rolled up.
 |
| Volunteers from the Niagara Horticultural Society prepared elaborate flower arrangements for each of the tables. Some old friends from Grimsby were among the volunteers. Pat kept the spirits of the volunteers up with coffee, tea and treats. In the background one can see Fort George's palisades. |
And we began to eat and drink--- and eat and drink, and eat and drink, etc. etc.
 |
| Chefs from the Queen's Landing Hotel prepared this menu from 1812 recipes. Every item on the menu was brought to the tables, platter after platter. Sorry about the wine stains---I think it was the Port at the end of the meal. (Click to enlarge.) |
After each course, we stood up, walked around, listened to a quartet from Music Niagara and talked.
Part way through the meal, a breathless messenger broke in and shouted to ‘our’ General Brock that war had been declared. The good General told us to continue dining. We sang God Save the King and it is possible that some of the (few) Americans present toasted President Madison but I didn’t see them.
In 1812, dinners began with three or four tablecloths placed on top of each other. There were no dinner napkins, so the guests wiped their hands and mouths on the table cloth. After each course the servers removed the top, soiled, tablecloth.
In our case, we were provided with napkins for the first two courses. Then the napkins and the top table cloth were removed. For the last courses, we did what the 1812ers did---wiped our hands and mouths on the table cloth. It was an odd experience.
Dinner began at 6 PM and we finally struggled (waddled?) off home between 11 and 12.
A wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime, experience!
Fort George
On June 18th we went with some visiting relatives to Fort George for the official commemoration of the Declaration of War. Parks Canada and the Friends of Fort George put on a fine show with a fife and drum concert, Native American drumming, hoop dancing and singing, followed by musket and cannon firing. The evening ended with the world premiere of a spectacular sound and light production about the War of 1812. The sound and light show will be shown at the Fort on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays from mid-July to October.
My cousins said they enjoyed the show mightily but the one from Saskatchewan couldn’t get used to the fact that as we walked around the Fort it wasn’t necessary to watch for gopher holes.
The Tall Ships Are Coming
Since moving to Virgil, we have learned that if we have to get to an appointment in St. Catharines or Grimsby during the Welland Canal season it is better to cross the canal via the Skyway Bridge. If we aren’t in a rush it is more fun to cross the canal at one of the locks, in hopes that a bridge will be up and we will have a chance to watch as one of the ocean-going vessels or an enormous ‘laker’ threads its way carefully into a lock.
The other evening we were coming home via the Carleton Lock and struck gold. Coming toward the lock was a tall ship with young men and women standing on the deck and hanging from the riggings.
 |
| Tall ship just entering the Carleton Lock on its way from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. |
Yet another 1812 event!
For a full list of upcoming events, please check out NOTL's Bicentennial website.
The Tragically Hip
The popular Kingston Ontario band, The Tragically Hip, held two concerts in Niagara-on-the-Lake--- on Friday, June 29th and Saturday, June 30th. Not being great rock fans, we decided to give the concerts a pass.
On Saturday night our curiosity got the better of us. How were the organizers (and the town!) going to cope with the 20,000-30,000 fans who were expected?
Along with hundreds of ‘eavesdroppers’ we found a spot near the VIP entrance and settled in to watch (through gaps in the fence) and listen.
It is not our taste in music but the fans obviously loved it.
Staid old Niagara-on-the-Lake will never be the same.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Note:
I hope that the next Letter from Virgil will appear in a couple of weeks, but things are still hectic so I can’t promise that.
There is a new Posting (#9) in the companion Icewine Guru Blog, in which the Guru offers his comments on the US Supreme Court decision on the health care mandate. He is feeling a little smug since he predicted the Court would find the health care legislation constitutional. The Guru also makes some startling comments about the possible outcome of the US presidential election.
No comments:
Post a Comment