Commemorations of the War of 1812 Today in the Niagara Region Timothy S
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Document generated on 09/27/2021 8:16 p.m. Ontario History Epic Triumph, Epic Embarrassment, or Both? Commemorations of the War of 1812 Today in the Niagara Region Timothy S. Forest Special Issue: The War of 1812 Article abstract Volume 104, Number 1, Spring 2012 Widely divergent national and local historiographies about the War of 1812 have been created on both sides of the Canadian/American border. This has URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1065390ar special significance for the Niagara region, where the two belligerents directly DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1065390ar confronted and still confront each other. On the Canadian side of the Niagara River, the Niagara Peninsula has been transformed into a center of regional See table of contents and national pride. Military leaders, troops and battles are celebrated and events commemorated in a grandiose and triumphant manner. Across the river, Western New York has largely downplayed or outright ignored its role in the very same conflict, to fit in with both the national and local amnesia Publisher(s) surrounding the war and the region’s self-conceptualization as a “good The Ontario Historical Society neighbour”. This article focuses on public commemorations on both sides of the Niagara to uncover the historical, geographic, economic and demographic explanations as to why the war has been transformed into an epic victory for ISSN some, a defeat for others, and an embarrassment best ignored for many. 0030-2953 (print) 2371-4654 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Forest, T. S. (2012). Epic Triumph, Epic Embarrassment, or Both? Commemorations of the War of 1812 Today in the Niagara Region. Ontario History, 104(1), 96–122. https://doi.org/10.7202/1065390ar Copyright © The Ontario Historical Society, 2012 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ ONTARIO HISTORY Epic Triumph, Epic Embarrassment, or Both? Commemorations of the War of 1812 Today in the Niagara Region by Timothy S. Forest Original monument to Brock to Original monument The War of 1�12 is one of those episodes in history that makes everybody happy, because eve- rybody interprets it in his [or her] own way. The Americans think of it primarily as a naval war in which the pride of the Mistress of the Seas was humbled by what an imprudent Englishman called ‘a few fir-built frigates manned by a handful of bastards and outlaws.’ Canadians think of it equally pridefully as a war of defence in which their brave fathers...saved the country from con- quest. And the English are the happiest of all because they don’t even know it existed.1 his quote, by Canadian histo- no clear-cut winner or loser emerged, all rian C.P. Stacey, sums up much combatants, once hostilities ended, were of the ambiguity that surrounds able to claim a victory of sorts. From Tthe War of 1�12. Unlike conflicts from the perspective of most Canadians, the which a clear-cut victor emerges, 1�12 Americans were thwarted in their at- can best be characterized—from a mili- tempt to conquer their northern neigh- tary and a diplomatic perspective—as a bour. The Americans likewise celebrated stalemate. The Treaty of Ghent that end- their victories over the most powerful ed the war in 1�14 essentially reaffirmed navy in the world at the time, and their the antebellum status quo between the ability to defend themselves against the United States and Great Britain. Because British for a second time.2 Each of these 1 �onald Graves, The Battle of Lundy’s Lane: On The Niagara in 1814 (Mount Pleasant, SC: The Nautical and Aviation Company of America, 1993), 205. 2 It is also evident in the title of Walter R. Borneman’s 1812: The War that Forged a Nation (New York: Harper Collins, 2004). What the title omits is that in many ways the War of 1�12 forged two na- tions. The wave of American euphoria that Borneman and others correctly point out swept the country following Ghent was more than matched by a British-Canadian hybrid nationalism that emerged, particu- Ontario History / Volume CIV, No. 1 / Spring 2012 commemorations of the war of 1812 histories, which quickly became the respective national standard, focuses on the protagonist being an under- Abstract Widely divergent national and local historiogra- dog, defeating a larger and more pow- phies about the War of 1812 have been created on erful enemy. Here, however, is where both sides of the Canadian/American border. This the similarities end. has special significance for the Niagara region, where This recasting of history along the two belligerents directly confronted and still con- strikingly divergent lines is especially front each other. On the Canadian side of the Nia- gara River, the Niagara Peninsula has been trans- evident in the bi-national Niagara re- formed into a center of regional and national pride. gion. This area consists of the north- Military leaders, troops and battles are celebrated westernmost parts of New York State and events commemorated in a grandiose and tri- (Erie and Niagara Counties) and the umphant manner. Across the river, Western New York has largely downplayed or outright ignored its Niagara Peninsula in southern On- role in the very same conflict, to fit in with both the tario (the Regional Municipality of national and local amnesia surrounding the war Niagara).3 The region experienced sig- and the region’s self-conceptualization as a “good nificant military action during 1�12. neighbour”. This article focuses on public commemo- Many of the skirmishes and battles rations on both sides of the Niagara to uncover the historical, geographic, economic and demographic fought there determined in large part explanations as to why the war has been trans- the war’s outcome. Like the conflict formed into an epic victory for some, a defeat for oth- itself, however, these contests are ers, and an embarrassment best ignored for many. commemorated today in vastly differ- Résumé: L’historiographie de la guerre de 1812 dif- ent ways, depending on which side of fère largement des deux côtés de la frontière canado- the Niagara one is on. Each combat- américaine, tant à l’échelle nationale qu’à l’échelle ant has created and perpetuated its locale. Ceci est surtout important pour la région de unique and oftentimes contradictory Niagara, où les deux belligérants se sont affrontés, et s’affrontent toujours, directement. Du côté canadien, history of the War of 1�12. While la péninsule de Niagara est devenue un centre de fierté many Canadians, and Ontarians es- régionale et nationale. Les chefs militaires, les soldats, et les batailles de 1812-14 sont célébrés et commé- larly in Ontario, out of the defeat of the “Yan- kee” invaders. One title that treats that topic is morés d’une façon grandiose et triomphale. De l’autre côté de la rivière, l’Ouest de l’État de New York a Mark Zuehlke’s For Honour’s Sake: The War of 1812 and the Brokering of an Uneasy Truce (To- largement oublié son rôle dans le même conflit, ce qui ronto: Alfred A. Knopf Canada. 2006). est compatible avec une sorte d’amnésie, tant nation- 3 For purposes of clarity, I will hereafter ale que locale, et avec la conception que cette région a use the term “Niagara region”, “Niagara”, or d’elle-même d’être un “bon voisin”. Nous examinons “the region” in lower case to refer to both the ici les commémorations des deux côtés du Niagara, portions of New York State and Ontario that pour chercher les facteurs historiques, géographiques, border the Niagara river. When I use the terms économiques, et démographiques, qui pourraient “Niagara Region”, “the Region” in upper case expliquer pourquoi la guerre a été transformée en or “the Niagara Peninsula”, I am referring to the victoire épique pour les uns, en défaite pour d’autres, Canadian side only. Likewise, the term “Ni- et, pour beaucoup de gens, en souvenir embarrassant agara Frontier” only applies to the New York qu’il vaut mieux supprimer. side of the river. “The Niagara” will refer to the Niagara River. ONTARIO HISTORY pecially in this case, take pride in defeat- nomic, political and cultural prerogatives ing the American invaders, and celebrate that propel and perpetuate how 1�12 is it quite publicly, the New Yorkers across memorialized. Gilbert Collins, author the river for the most part conspicuously of a definitive guide to sites that honour downplay or outright ignore the fact a the conflict, provides empirical evidence war was even waged there. These varying of this. He lists twenty-two commemora- depictions reflect and promote 1�12’s tions of the War of 1�12 along the Niaga- part in Canadian, Ontarian, American ra Parkway alone in the Niagara Region. and New York national, state/provincial Many of these are either national or pro- and regional consciousnesses—a signifi- vincial parks, reflecting the prominent cant role in the former two, a negligible role the conflict plays in Canadian, On- one in the latter pair. tarian and local history and memory. The They also reflect, promote and bol- official website of Niagara Parks, the -or ster different approaches to history, pub- ganization in change of maintaining the lic memory, and historical tourism.