Warfare

 Mary Ann Shadd established her newspaper, the Provincial Freeman, to speak to free black people in Canada, and to advocate for those facing the threat of being returned to slavery south of the border to come north. Samples of her columns can be found on a digital display.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, tensions rose between the British and the Union. Canada's status was uncertain.

Confederate forces organized during the first months of 1861, and at Fort Sumter in Charleston, Confederates opened fire on the federal fort and forced the surrender of its garrison. When the Union government called for more volunteers, more states voted to secede. The Civil War had begun.

Britain quickly adopted a stance of neutrality in the war, prohibiting its subjects from joining either side.

The first major engagement of the war was at Bull Run, Virginia. Both sides assumed it would be a short war. Bull Run proved to be a calamity for Union forces, who retreated back to Washington. It became obvious that this was going to be a very bloody affair.

The Trent Affair, which we'll look at more tomorrow, happened during this time. The Union Navy established a blockade of southern ports, and arrested two Confederate diplomats aboard a British mail ship, the Trent. This set off a diplomatic firestorm.

The war in the western theatre was not as covered by the press as that in the eastern theatre, but it was as important in the long run. Battles at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February of 1862 saw the rise of Ulysses S. Grant in victories. A veteran of the old army and the Mexican War, Grant would prove his abilities more and more as the war went on.

At Shiloh, Union and Confederate forces clashed in a horrendous battle with 23 000 casualties.

In the eastern theatre, the Peninsula Campaign was an attempt by the commanding general, George McClellan, to threaten the Confederate capital of Richmond. Its last stages were known as the Seven Days, in which Robert E. Lee had taken command and completely out-maneuvered the Union Army, beginning to establish his legendary reputation.

Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales, and the same man who would one day be Edward VII, came to the Canadian colonies in 1860 on an official visit. This display case features items of that time. The visit would highlight loyalty to the Queen, but also divisions in the colonies and a need to consolidate defense.