A Mere Matter of Marching

Man, political cartoons today aren't nearly as badass.

Nothing says "Happy Valentine's Day" quite like warfare, but if you've ever looked up the history of Saint Valentine, it's really not much of a stretch.

By now, you might be wondering just how the heck this whole thing started. The sad fact of the matter is I don't have nearly enough space to get into every nitty gritty detail; however, I can give the "Certified J-Rod Shorthand Version" (patent pending).

The War of 1812 doesn't feature one specific trigger-event like an assassination or an evil dictator running around (well, not a German one anyway), making it difficult for people to remember exactly what happened.

200 years ago, Great Britain and the brand-new United States weren't exactly BFFs. Despite the fact the Revolutionary War ended almost 30 years earlier, tensions remained (the United States wouldn't return Great Britain's CDs or that really nice sweater) and Europe's problems with France only served to complicate things further.

Everyone's favourite Corsican dictator was causing all kinds of havoc in Europe and forcing Britain to spend the majority of its attention and resources into stopping him. One of the major ways of doing so was blockading the French ports with the maaaaasive Royal Navy (bane of Captain Jack Sparrow) and seizing any ships trying to slip past. This really affected the U.S., who had in essence just lost their biggest trading partner. Not only that, but the British were stopping hundreds of neutral U.S. merchant ships and "impressing" (not in the 'oooh, shiny!' kind of way) American sailors. Their excuse was rock-solid: these sailors were all "deserters" from that Revolutionary Incident a few years ago and were British subjects anyway.

Yeah, the States didn't exactly agree.

At the same time, in 1811, the Americans expanding westward as far as Michigan were having trouble with the Native Americans. Conflict was inevitable; the Americans accused Great Britain of supplying arms and goods to incite the Natives into open rebellion. Britain denied this as well, but by now a group in American Congress known as the "War Hawks" managed to convince President James Madison that war was the only way to prove this young and fledgling nation wasn't to be pushed around. Kind of like picking a fight on your first day of school. Or prison.

He was reluctant, but convinced that by attacking Britain's colonies (that's us), Britain could be convinced to stand down.

He was wrong.

On June 18, 1812, after the closest vote on the subject in U.S. history, America declared war on Great Britain.

It was on, as they say, like Donkey Kong.

-J-

And All Their Glory Past

Ask anybody what they know about the War of 1812 and you're likely to get as many confused faces as you are diverse answers. It really depends on who you ask.

For example, Canadians (especially in the Niagara region) have the best passive knowledge, because of how close the war hit to home; however, even that number is staggeringly low. We might think of Laura Secord and her "300-kilometer journey barefoot, dodging American patrols and leading her trusty cow to warn the British." (Actually, her contribution to the war has been grossly over-exaggerated, but more on her later). Perhaps they'd think of Brock's Monument up at Queenston Heights, or "wasn't there some kind of fight near Lundy's Lane?" (Yup, the bloodiest battle of the war.) Canadians also tend to believe the British won the war, as we're an independent country and not the 51st state today.

Americans, on the other hand, tend to take a slightly different view. Those that know of the war, felt it didn't have any significance, which is their way of narrowly admitting defeat. While the Revolutionary and Civil wars get chapter upon chapter in American history textbook, 1812 is lucky to receive more than a paragraph. If it does, it mentions one of three events: the American victory on Lake Erie, the Siege of Fort McHenry in Baltimore (which gave them their national anthem), or the Battle of New Orleans, tragically remembered best in Johnny Horton's wildly exaggerated song. Oh and many of them think they won (when logic and explanation of historical fact fail to persuade an American visitor to the fort about this, I flash this beauty: "Why hasn't Hollywood made a movie about it?").

Ask the British about the War of 1812 and the most common response you'll get: "The war of what?" Dealing with Napoleon at the time, what happened in the Canadian colonies was merely an unnecessary pain the the backside that Britain could ill-afford to commit resources to.

As I've mentioned previously, when I started at Fort George I knew almost nothing about this conflict. I'm grateful that ignorance is gone.

Quiz time! What do you know about the War of 1812? Let me know in the comments.

Next week: How this whole conflict started, including why Thomas Jefferson thought the acquisition of Canada would be "a mere matter of marching."

-J-

Where Right and Glory Lead

Story time, kids! Grab a seat.

I started at Fort George in 2009. I got an email from the government that I honestly thought was spam at first; turns out, it would be the one to quite definitively change my life. It wondered if I was interested in joining Fort George's "Military Animation Squad", which meant dressing up in two-ply wool, performing firepower demonstrations for the public and engaging in "authentic and period military behaviour."

To quote the great Wayne Campbell: "Schwing!"

I landed an interview and as I entered the fort, I realized I'd only been there at night on a ghost tour (more on those later). Seeing it in the day was quite a treat. I'd done a bit of homework and research, but I'll admit: my knowledge on the War of 1812 on that spring morning was equivalent to the next person -- which is to say, next to nothing.

I entered the blockhouse and sat down; halfway through my interview, one interviewer (and my future boss) Peter pulled a Brown Bess musket out from under the table the three interviewers were sitting at.

Now normally, if someone pulls a gun out during an interview, chances are it's not going that well.  In this case, my strength and endurance were tested as I needed to be able to hold and point the thing (it weighs 11 lbs). Luckily, my experience as a part-time bodybuilder* gave me the upper-body strength needed to succeed. A few weeks later, I got the phone call that began this epic insanity.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

The 2009 41st Reg't of Foot Grenadier Company

Who's that handsome devil? No, the other one. No, not him, HIM. Ugh, never mind.

(*Author may not have been a bodybuilder)

-J-

Over the Hills and Far Away

Welcome!

"Ptchew!"

Why hello there!

Welcome to A Redcoat Read, a blog dedicated to shamelessly and hilariously detailing, exploiting and educating folks about the War of 1812 and my time spent as a British redcoat!

But who am I? Why a red coat? And what the heck is the War of 1812? The answers to these and many more questions may (or may not) lie ahead...

First thing's first: I'm Jarrod and I'm an 1812-aholic (that suffix doesn't really translate well). Through this blog, I'll be sharing a wide variety of crazy stories, daring exploits and fun facts whilst simultaneously busting myths and raising awareness of the war that really did help shape Canada into the awesome country it is today.

Ever been to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.? If not, you should go. It's pretty nice.

If yes, have you been to Fort George? If not, you should go. It's pretty nice.

If yes, did you see the super-awesome folks dressed in period clothing? If not, you reeeeally weren't paying attention, were you?

If yes, welcome to my world!

First myth busted: I am NOT a reenactor. I do get paid to do what I do and it's a blast (pun shamelessly intended). I've been working at Fort George since 2009 and is, without a doubt, the greatest job I've had in my near-25 years. And boy, do I have some stories for you.

So if you've ever wondered what goes on in the world of historical interpretation (and be honest, who hasn't), then keep checking back for the aforementioned stories, exploits and facts.

Who knows; even here on the internet, you might just learn something...

-J-