Scouts and the War of 1812

The Yankees are coming! The Yankees are coming!

Each September Scouters across Canada and the United States storm Fort George in Niagara-on-the Lake to re-enact the famous battle of 1812.

“It’s part of our history and we celebrate it every year,” says Kevin White, Welland Scout Leader.

White has been bringing his troop to the re-enactment for the past 12 years because it is a valuable teaching tool.

“It teaches them a major part of our history,” he says. “The war between the British and the US was settled peacefully and the children get to experience it.”

John Carlson, a re-enactment trainer, has been coming to the event for about 18 years and he says the experience the children have is greater than anything they can learn in school.

“There are so many highlights in the program,” he says. “It is educational and fun and it’s also a hands-on history lesson.”

This year about 2300 people took part in the re-enactment. Carlson says the event is popular because of the effort made to keep it authentic.

“They come down to this camp for a chance to re-enact what happened here almost 200 years ago,” he says. “They go out into the field and we let them have fun. We give them as much information as to what is historically correct and then we just let them go to it. Half the time we have a hard time getting them off the field. They want to keep running around firing their muskets.”

White’s troop wear historically correct uniforms representing the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, including handmade muskets that work with a cap mechanism.

“When I started we’d have to go out into the field and say BANG,” he laughs. “But now when they pull the trigger it goes on the cap and makes a real bang.”

He says the live demonstrations, battles, Brigade marches, and capture the flag games played during the weekend lets the children become part of history.

And, although there may be some friendly competition between the Canadians and Americans during the re-enactment, Carlson says “It’s a brother hood. We have fun. We talk to each other.”

He say this brotherhood was most evident during the re-enactment of 2001- occurring only days after the 9/11 attacks in the US.

“We formed an honour guard along the pathway and they walked through it. It was very emotional,” says Carlson. “Some were crying. The camp was only a few days after the attacks. There was a concern that they weren’t coming, but a lot of them did. Nothing can come close to that because of the emotion; and the thought that they still came over.”

White agrees. “It was the most emotional re-enactment we have had yet for everyone. Sometimes it’s even hard to talk about it.”

And it is the emotions and authentic experiences that keep White and his troop coming back year after year.

“It really is an awesome camp.”