U.S. Brig Niagara to visit Canalside

BUFFALO RISING

SARAH MAURER

U.S. Brig Niagara to visit Canalside

Navy week is upon us here in Buffalo, and the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation and Buffalo Place, Inc. will be welcoming the U.S. Brig Niagara to Canalside as part of the naval celebration and to also commemorate the bicentennial of the War of 1812. 

The Brig Niagara is a reproduction of the relief flagship of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry that was part of a fleet of nine small ships that defeated a British squadron of six in the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept. 10, 1813. This 198-foot long vessel was launched in 1988 and finished in 1990. The ship still has original timbers that were recovered from the 1913 and 1933 reconstructions and also carries four 32-pounder carronades that are fired during day sails and in demonstrations. Eighteen professional merchant mariners and as many as 30 crewmembers and trainees sail on this vessel. 

The ship will arrive at Canalside at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12 and will host public tours and sails during its visit. Tickets for public tours can be purchased dockside at $6 per adult and $4 per child under age 12. Admission for children age four and under is free. There will also be two opportunities to take a public day sail on Sept. 17, where participants can get a feel for what life was like aboard a historical two-masted, square-rigged ship. Tickets for the educational day sails are $85 per person and can be purchased on the Brig Niagara website.

"We are thrilled to welcome the U.S. Brig Niagara, her captain and crew to Canalside," said ECHDC Interim Chairman Sam Hoyt. "Having the Niagara tied to our Central Wharf, in conjunction with Buffalo's celebration of Navy Week and as a continuation of the War of 1812 bicentennial events, builds upon Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation's emphasis on public accessibility to the waterfront and exciting things to do."

The schedule for tours and public day sails is as follows:

Thursday, Sept. 13: Public Tours from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 14: Public Tours from 2:30 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 15: Public Tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 16: Public Tours from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday, Sept. 17: Public day sails from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 7:30 p.m.

2nd Lincoln Gun Crews in the news

Re-enactors stage the War of 1812, one battle at a time

James Careless, Postmedia News Jul 23, 2012 – 11:33 AM ET

John Sek

A re-enactment at Chrysler Farm in 2011.

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When he’s not working as a road and bridge inspection engineer, John Sek of Fort Erie, Ont., is a proud gunner in the 2nd Lincoln Artillery Unit.
Sek is one of the enthusiastic “re-enactors” playing his part in the War of 1812 bicentennial in staged recreations of the war’s battles. The unit’s volunteer members dress in uniforms much like those worn by the actual 2nd Lincoln Artillery during the war, and carry historically accurate weapons and full military kit.
Parks Canada and local authorities are staging these re-enactments through 2013 as part of the bicentennial celebrations. Sek has taken part in three to date — the Battles of Ogdensburg, Longwood and Frenchman’s Creek — and plans to take part in another eight battles over the next year. He would be doing still more, he says, but he has other responsibilities as a member of the Fort Erie 1812 bicentennial committee.
Sek says his passion for these recreations is fuelled by his love for Canadian history and a desire to make other Canadians aware of it.
“People don’t realize that the War of 1812 made us,” Sek says. “We successfully resisted an invasion meant to make us part of the United States. We won.” He’s keen to make the average person more aware of his or her heritage. The re-enactments “make the past real. They bring history – our history – to life.”
According to Peter MacLeod, curator of the Canadian War Museum’s 1812 exhibition in Ottawa, the War of 1812 was one of three wars in the period that shaped Canada’s destiny. “The first was the Seven Years War, which brought Canada into the British Empire. The second was the American Revolution, which divided British America between the colonies that formed the United States and those that would later form the Dominion of Canada. The third was the War of 1812, which confirmed Canada’s survival as a separate entity.”
Hundreds of re-enactors from both sides of the border have been bringing the War of 1812 to life in recent weeks. Still to come are the siege of Fort Erie on Aug. 11-12, the storming of Fort Niagara on Sept. 1-2, and the Battle of Queenston Heights on Oct. 13.
The battle for the American Fort Erie was one of the longest and bloodiest of the conflict: more than 500 were killed and more than 1,000 wounded. The Americans held the fort, but later abandoned it due to a lack of supplies. The battle for Fort Niagara began after American troops burned Niagara-on-the-Lake and nearby Fort George in 1813. British troops retaliated by storming Fort Niagara and subsequently burning Buffalo, N.Y.
Queenston Heights, Ont., was the site of the first major battle between American invaders and British troops, their native allies and Canadian militiamen. The battle was won by the British but witnessed the death of their able commander, Sir Isaac Brock.
Major re-enactments will continue in 2013: the first will commemorate the Battle of Fort George on May 25-27, “featuring hundreds of re-enactors and several tall ships,” says Ron Dale, Parks Canada’s War of 1812 bicentennial manager. “This will be followed the next weekend by the large scale re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek.” Fort George was a British fort overrun by the Americans in 1813. Stoney Creek was where the British and their allies held back the Americans who subsequently advanced into Upper Canadian territory. The pivotal Battle of Crysler’s Farm, which resulted in American troops heading for Montreal being driven back across the border, will be re-created on June 13-14, 2013.
Dale says the re-enactors massing to play their part in these events are a real asset.
“These are people who go to a great deal of effort to present historically accurate costumes, muskets and cannon,” Dale says. “As a result, re-enactors help us translate the past for the public.” And, he points out, they do it at minimal risk: they are firing blanks from those accurate weapons. But the staged battles still present a powerful image of an era when war was personal and brutal, medical help primitive, and the odds of dying in battle or later of wounds or disease were very high.
MacLeod is pleased to see so many people signing up to play battlefield roles for the bicentennial. “Ask any historian if Canadians should know more about their history, and the answer you’ll get is an unqualified yes,” he says. “Re-enactors contribute to raising awareness of Canada’s military past and generating interest in our history, including the War of 1812.”

U.S. Brig Niagara

The U.S. Brig Niagara is one of several ships that will sail into Toledo for Navy Week ASSOCIATED PRESSE

An upcoming Navy Week event next month in Toledo will have dual purposes: to celebrate the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and to inform Toledoans about the Navy and what it does, a top naval officer said during a news conference today.
“This is special this year, because it is a commemoration of an event that is special in our heritage,” Rear Adm. Gregory Nosal, commander of Carrier Strike Group Two based in Norfolk, Va., said in Promenade Park before touring docks and facilities to be used when a flotilla of vessels calls on Toledo from Aug. 23 through Aug. 26.
The War of 1812 is generally under-taught in American history classes, the admiral said, and was a key point in history when the United States established itself as a strong and prosperous nation. The Battle of Lake Erie was pivotal to its outcome and represented “a rebirth of the United States Navy,” he said.
Toledo is one of six Great Lakes cities that will host a Navy Week this year. Visiting Toledo will be the U.S.S. DeWert, the U.S.S. Hurricane, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mobile Bay, the historic U.S. Brig Niagara, and the Royal Canadian Navy HMCS Ville de Quebec.
Events will be held throughout Toledo to mark the occasion, starting Aug. 20, three days before the ships’ ceremonial procession into Toledo Harbor on the 23rd.






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1812 Symposium Remembers Fashion and Highlights Service | Oswego County Today

1812 Symposium Remembers Fashion and Highlights Service | Oswego County Today: 1812 Symposium Remembers Fashion and Highlights Service

The village of Bath invites you to party like it's 1812 - in period costume

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Hollie Pratt-Campbell, Kingston EMC

Diane Nolting (Left) and Gail Heywood show off some 1812-era fashions.

EMC News - So, you're giddy with anticipation for this summer's War of 1812 bicentennial celebrations and are looking forward to getting right into the spirit of things. Still, the question remains: whatever will you wear to the big event?

Thankfully, help has arrived. A special 1812 period dress workshop, put on by experts from the St. Lawrence 1812 Bicentennial Alliance, will be held in Bath Saturday from 2 - 4 p.m. at the village's fire hall.

Reenactors and dressmakers Mardi MacFarlane, Sharon Miller and Alicia Wanless will educate those in attendance on how both men and women can accurately recreate the fashions of the Regency era in Upper Canada. They will focus not only on how to create costumes from scratch, but also on how to piece together outfits from consignment finds and find appropriate costumes to rent. Topics such as historic fabrics, clothing components and patterns will be covered.

"We're hoping many people in the village and area will get dressed up, just to get into the fun of things and the spirit of (the celebration)," says Gail Heywood, co-chair of Bath's Canada Day Committee, the organization which is sponsoring the workshop.

Bath's 1812 bicentennial celebration will take place June 29 - July 1, and include everything from historical displays to an elaborate reenactment of the naval battle "the Flight of the Royal George." Reenactor camps will be set up in the park behind the local school and on the grounds of the historic Fairfield-Gutzeit House, giving visitors the opportunity to tour tents highlighting various trades from the era.

"You have to close your eyes and imagine what it's going to be like in Bath," says committee member Diane Nolting, explaining that with all the historical displays and reenactors in town, the village is going to look like it's literally been transported back in time.

"There will be 600-800 reenactors here, and they will all be dressed in either uniforms or period costume. And we're expecting 20-30 thousand people will come for that weekend, so there's going to be a whole sea of people here."

Heywood and Nolting point out that even on a regular day, Bath is an ideal destination for history buffs, as it features, among other things, the famous Fairfield-Gutzeit House, which dates back to 1796, as well as Hawley House, the oldest surviving wooden structure in Ontario.

"And there are quite a number of heritage homes in this area that date back to that period," says Nolting. "These are all part of Bath's legacy. People who enjoy history and who are perhaps descendants of United Empire Loyalists (who founded the village after the American Revolution) will come here and take part in the (bicentennial) celebrations."

"This is really the reviving and the reliving of the history of this area," Heywood notes.

Thus the ladies encourage everyone to come take part in this weekend's workshop, so that they too can feel a part of these unprecedented historical festivities. The cost is $5 per person. To register, please contact Heywood at 613-352-5071.

Genesee Country Village announces 2012 events | Democrat and Chronicle | democratandchronicle.com

Genesee Country Village announces 2012 events Democrat and Chronicle democratandchronicle.com

Guelph symposium

Time is now to honour 1812 heroes, Guelph symposium hears

GUELPH – The federal government refuses to properly acknowledge the service of soldiers who played a critical role in the formation of Canada as we know it, attendees at a Guelph symposium heard Saturday.
“There are Canadians who fought to protect this country and they have not been recognized,” said retired lieutenant-colonel Jeff Cairns, who chairs the Honour Our 1812 Heroes committee.
Cairns spoke on the issue of Canada’s failure to bestow battle honours on modern military units which “perpetuate” units that fought in the War 0f 1812.
The War of 1812 Bicentennial Symposium was held this weekend at the University of Guelph.
A byproduct of the Napoleonic Wars raging in Europe at the beginning of the 19th Century, war was declared against the British by US President James Madison in June, 1812.
The Americans planned to take over the British colonies of Upper and Lower Canada – largely encompassing current-day Ontario and Quebec, respectively – in a single mass attack.
However Canadian, British and Aboriginal troops fighting together managed to repel the invasion and remain independent of the United States.
“That’s like motherhood, maple syrup, six-team NHL and Don Cherry in one,” historian and author Donald Graves said of the united effort. “It doesn’t get much more Canadian than that.”
Graves, who has spent nearly 40 years researching the War of 1812, said Britain and the United States both have battle honours recognizing the war, but Canada has always refused to award them.
“It is sad that Canada refuses to honour the service of these brave men,” Graves said.
A press release earlier this month from the Department of National Defence noted a number of initiatives to mark the bicentennial, but was silent on the issue of bestowing battle honours.
“The War of 1812 represents a key milestone in our nation’s history, and I am proud of our government’s efforts to raise awareness and to create an enhanced understanding of Canadian military history,” Defence Minister Peter MacKay said in the release.
Robert Henderson, creator of the website Warof1812.ca, said while the government has talked about other official types of recognition – including commemorative pins to be worn by all Forces members – only battle honours can be included on regiments’ official colours.
“We’re talking about a vehicle to permanently embed the War of 1812 … and the only suitable vehicle to do that is with battle honours,” Henderson said.
Graves said the decision by the Department of National Defence not to formally recognize the War of 1812 seems to relate to a decision made decades ago that the Canadian Armed Forces began with the Militia Act of 1855.
“I honestly believe they forget why they made that decision,” he said in an interview after the presentation, “but bureaucracy is always willing to fight to defend a bad decision.”
Cairns said with the official bicentennial of the start of the war just a few months away, this is the best opportunity yet to try to win official recognition.
“What other opportunity has there been or will there ever be to try to achieve what we’re doing?” he posed. “The War of 1812 is the foundation stone that leads to Confederation that leads to the country we are today.”
stracey@guelphmercury.com