Post #21: The War is Over

December 28, 1814

Dear Journal,

Finally, the war has officially ended.  It has ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.  In this treaty, the impressment and the blockade were not mentioned even though these were some of the major factors that caused the Americans to declare war on us.  Boundaries between the United States and us, the British, went back to the way they were before the war.  I believe that in a couple of years, the two countries will have to agree that a parallel of latitude will be the guideline for the international boundary between us.  I was talking to a government official and he was considering to drop the goal of a First Nations Territory. 

After the war, some of our colonies had to decide how to punish those in our colonies who helped the Americans.  Back in the beginning of March, Upper Canada’s Legislative Assembly passed the Alien Act.  This act applied to people with strong connections to the United States.  This act made it illegal to have gone to the United Stated after the war began back in 1812.  Fifteen people were convicted of high treason.  People who are found guilty are having their property taken away and are sentenced to death.

Members of the military and their families want to be recognized for their loyalty to Britain.  The troopers who survived and their families are eligible for land grants.  This land will come from the people found guilty of treason who had their land taken away.  Widows of the military or wives of those injured are going to receive a small pension.  The amount received will depend on the rank of the husband and the length of their service.  To the First Nations however, our promise for a territory of their own was removed by the Treat of Ghent and will not happen.

Post #20: Battles and More Battles

September 10, 1813

Dear Journal,

Sorry I have not written lately, but not much had happened until today.  Since the beginning of winter, the British at Amherstburg were facing supply problems.  They were having these problems because the Americans had an advantage on the Great Lakes because the British Navy was busy on the coast and there were not enough British ships to send to the Great Lakes to help them.  So now, just this morning, six of our British ships fought nine of the American ships and in the battle that continued from morning until late afternoon, sadly the American captured our British ships and took control of Lake Erie.

October 25, 1813

Dear Journal,

The Battle of Chateauguay was fought today.  Our British force included soldiers from Lower Canada and the First Nations.  They were commanded by a French Canadian Colonel De Salaberry.  This battle began with an American plan to invade Montreal.  The Americans wanted to cut off the supply line between Montreal and Kingston.  However, the Americans had poor leadership and at one point they had even killed some of their own guards.  Also, the American consistently overestimated the size of our force.  The American force outnumbered our troops by around eight times, however, the Americans thought they were outnumbered and retreated.  This battle, in terms of casualties, was not a major battle.

March 11, 1814

Dear Journal,

Another battle, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, was just fought over a period of five hours.  Most of the battle was fought in the darkness of night and it caused confusion on the battle field.  Each side accidentally fought some of their own men.  The Americans retreated the next day and built up a defense at Fort Erie.  They planned a second attack, but they have not attacked us yet.

Post #19: People to Meet and the Battle of Queenston Heights

October 31, 1812

Dear Journal,

I just met a couple of interesting people this week. Richard Pierpiont, Laura Secord, and John Strachan. I’ll tell you about them.

First off, Richard Pierpoint. He was born in 1746 in Bondu, Africa he was enslaved when he was only a teenager. During the American Revolution, he joined the Butlers Rangers. He became an expert in first nation’s style warfare. After the revolution, the Americans sometimes raided Canada to bring former slaves back to the United States. Richard petitioned the government to allow all the black people to settle together. When this war began he organized a black military company called the Coloured Corps. They fought the battles of Queenston Heights and Fort George.

Laura Secord was born in 1775 in Massachusetts. She moved to Queenston in 1795. Just last month her family as forced to house American soldiers. She overheard their plan to attack one of our forts. So to protect her country she set off to warn the fort that the Americans were planning to attack. That’s how I met her. I was sheltering her for the night. I think that if the American attack fails she will get a reward. 

John Strachan was born in 1778 in Scotland and he came to Upper Canada in 1799.  He was a teacher and now is an Anglican priest.  When the war started, he became the chaplain for our troops. 

November 10, 1812

Dear Journal,

On October 13, 1812, early in the morning, Major General Isaac Brock left Fort George because he woke up to the sounds of guns about 11 km away from Fort George.  He organized his small force and left for Queenston Heights.  As they were walking up a hill, Major General Isaac Brock was shot in the chest and died.  His troops retreated to wait for reinforcements.  By the afternoon, Major General Roger Sheaffe led our troops into the second part of the battle.  A number of Haudenosaunee lead by Ahyouwaigs (John Brant) joined them in battle too.  Together their forces made the invading Americans retreat. 

Many American citizens in the militia from the Buffalo area did not support the war and did not want to fight on the Canadian side of the border.  This battle is an important victory for our British allies.