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A Call to the Colours. Kenneth Cox
Читать онлайн.Название A Call to the Colours
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781770707672
Автор произведения Kenneth Cox
Жанр Справочная литература: прочее
Серия Genealogist's Reference Shelf
Издательство Ingram
Often, when the new governor arrived from England he selected individuals for his executive council whom he saw as the leading educated and loyal members of the colonial society he was going to govern. Soon these select few not only had direct access to the governor but also could recommend political appointments for individuals they saw as worthy, especially to the appointed legislative council. In Upper Canada this group became referred to in the local newspapers as the Family Compact and in Lower Canada, the Château Clique. Those terms were used because the more radical newspapers often made headlines by pointing out the family connections among government appointees. The lower house, or legislative assembly, was elected by the voters of the colony and, therefore, seemed more democratic.
It’s not difficult for anyone to see that this system had built-in flaws that would ultimately lead to conflict. The extract from Susanna Moodie’s book does an excellent job outlining the resulting frustration. The elected assembly saw many of the laws it wished to enact disallowed by the legislative council and governor. In turn the assembly refused to vote the monies the governor needed for his own initiatives. William Lyon Mackenzie in Upper Canada, Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, and Louis-Joseph Papineau in Lower Canada presented lists of grievances directly to the Home Office in England with no satisfaction. The stage was set.
When you construct your family narrative, include some of the following key events from the Rebellions:
In Upper Canada:
• Mackenzie is defeated in the election of 1836, mostly because of the direct interference of Governor Bond Head during the campaigning.
• Vigilance Committees are formed following Mackenzie’s call for armed resistance.
• The Committees start to collect fire arms and to drill.
• October 1837, Mackenzie receives word from Lower Canada that the Patriotes are ready to strike a blow for liberty.
• Date is set for rebellion, 7 December 1837, plan calls for 5,000 men to assemble at Montgomery’s Tavern just north of Toronto.
• In November word is received that rebellion has broken out in Lower Canada.
• In spite of advice from James FitzGibbon, Governor Bond Head sends all available troops to Lower Canada.
• 4 December 1837 rebels start to assemble at Montgomery’s Tavern.
• 5 December 1837 they begin to march on Toronto.
• About 300 men, loyal to the Family Compact, assemble in Toronto.
• Thirty government supporters, under the command of Sheriff Jarvis, stand guard at a barricade just north of the city.
• A brief skirmish results and the rebels retreat back to the tavern.
• The government forces, under the direction of James FitzGibbon, march north on Yonge street and defeat the rebels.
• Montgomery’s Tavern is burned along with other buildings associated with known reformers.
• Mackenzie escapes to the United States, establishes a provisional government on Navy Island in the Niagara River from which he initiates raids on Upper Canada.
• The American steamer Caroline, used to supply the group, is burned by government supporters.
• 14 April 1838, prisoners from Dr. Duncombe’s Rising, near Brantford, and the Short Hills engagement are sentenced to death.
• Several men, including Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews, are hanged for treason and almost one hundred are sent into exile.
• Mackenzie is finally arrested by U.S. authorities, spends a year in jail, eventually settles in New York City, and returns to Upper Canada in 1849 when a general amnesty is declared.
In Lower Canada:
• By 1837 there is deadlock in government — the assembly refuses to grant money to pay the salaries of the governor and councillors.
• The Ten Resolutions are passed by the British Parliament allowing the governor to pay out funds without the consent of the assembly.
• Patriotes (supporters of Papineau) start to collect arms and secretly drill.
• The rebels start to refer to themselves as the “Fils de la liberté” hold rallies and use slogans like “La nation Canadienne” and “Papineau et l’independence.”
• November 1837, the rebellion begins with a clash between the Doric Club, which supports the government, and the Patriotes who support reform.
• Papineau leaves Montreal, Patriotes start to assemble in the Richelieu Valley region, and the government decides to send troops to take prisoners and disperse any armed Patriote groups.
• 22 November 1837, a force of British Troops march toward the village of Saint- Denis, a five-hour battle is fought with a large body of Patriotes who put up such a strong resistance that the troops retreat.
• 24 November 1837, a second clash occurs at the village of Saint-Charles, Papineau flees to the U.S., and the rebels are defeated.
• December 1837, the battle at Saint–Eustache, just north and west of Montreal, results in 120 Patriotes being taken prisoner and many more killed and wounded.
• Trials begin and eventually over one thousand prisoners are tried for treason.
• Papineau eventually leaves the United States, lives in France, and returns to Canada in 1845.
The rebellions in Upper and Lower Canada did not end with the defeat of the rebels. For the following few years Hunters’ Lodges, mostly situated in the U.S., organized and planned raids on Upper Canada. The lodges seemed to be mostly located in New York State and indeed a meeting did occur in Lockport, New York, in March 1838 attended by William Lyon Mackenzie. These lodges were responsible for the burning of the steamer Sir Robert Peel and various raids across the border at Niagara. In November 1838, a major engagement was fought at Prescott, Ontario, which is commonly referred to as the Battle of the Windmill. What is left of the windmill is still on the site and Fort Wellington is open to the public.
As an interesting aside, you may want to spend some time researching William Johnson, the Thousand Island Pirate. It is claimed Johnson was responsible for the burning of the Peel and generally harassing boat traffic on the St. Lawrence River. That he was a member of a hunters’ lodge is not totally verified; that he was a pirate whom authorities would have like to apprehend is not in doubt. I don’t believe he was ever captured, nor was his base in the Thousand Islands discovered. Johnson is one of the many interesting characters who appear in Canadian history from time to time and about whom very few Canadians know.
So, what about your military ancestors who served during the rebellions? The governor of Upper Canada, Sir Francis Bond Head, upon a request from the authorities in Lower Canada, sent almost all the regular British troops then stationed in the colony to Quebec. Thus, by January 1838 the defence of the colony of Upper Canada depended on local militia units raised specifically for the duration of hostilities. Several hundred volunteers flooded into the city of Toronto in response to the December threats and it is estimated that by February there were almost two thousand militiamen available for service. They were formed into units with names like the Toronto City Guards, Queen’s Lancers, and Royal Volunteers. To counter the hunters’ lodge threat several 600-man battalions were incorporated and specifically equipped by the government for full-time service. By the end of 1838 these battalions were reorganized into thirty companies and sixteen battalions.[3]
Your ancestors would have been organized into incorporated, provisional, or sedentary militia units. The incorporated militia served for eighteen months, full-time. The provisional battalions volunteered for six months. The sedentary units and Aboriginal peoples were called out when it was felt necessary. England responded by dispatching over five thousand regulars to Upper and Lower Canada. The Great Lakes