Perpetual Tension

 The War of 1812 was a momentous time in Canadian history, with British regulars, colonial militia, and First Nations warriors fighting American soldiers across the frontier. The American objective was to push the British out of North America once and for all. Ours was to deny that. Guess which side achieved their objective.

Prominent in this display case is a uniform coat of particular significance. It is the coat of General Isaac Brock, who led our side at Queenston Heights and was shot down by an American. The hole where he was hit is still visible on the coat, just beneath the overturned collar.

This period was, to say the least, not the most ideal for battlefield medicine. Doctor's tools are seen in this display case.

Charles de Salaberry was a rarity of the time- a Francophone officer serving in the British military, born in Quebec and who distinguished himself time and again during that war.

Tensions with the Americans persisted for decades afterwards. This display case contains items pertaining to the culmination of that tension- the Fenian Raids. A certificate, medals, and Union soldier's cap are here. The Raids were in the aftermath of the American Civil War, when Irish American veterans of that war banded together and launched raids into Canada in an attempt to force the British to give up Ireland. Each time they were pushed back. The Civil War and the Fenian Raids solidified the Canadian provinces into Confederation as a response to seeing the chaos from south of the border.

This display case features items belonging to a typical Canadian militiaman of the time.

A look into what comes next.

A Struggle Across The Frontier

 A portrait of John Norton, a Mohawk war chief who took part in the fight against the Americans at the Battle of Queenston Heights, is found here, along with a wampum belt and weapons.

One of the museum's prize artifacts is displayed here along with other items of the period. This is the uniform jacket of Isaac Brock, the commanding British general at Queenston Heights and one of the heroes of the War of 1812. He was killed during the battle; the jacket bears the mark of the round that killed him, with a small hole just below the downturned collar clearly visible to the museum visitor.

Laura Secord brought knowledge of American military intentions to the attention of First Nations warriors and their British allies in a timely fashion, allowing for the defeat of enemy troops at the Battle of Beaver Dams.

Here we have surgical tools similar to that of the period, along with a standard jacket. Jean-Luc Picard photo bombed me. No, wait, that's me.

Charles de Salabery is seen in this portrait with his medal set. He was a French Canadian who became a British officer, organizing and commanding a regiment during the war.

Early Conflict

The permanent galleries at the Canadian War Museum tell the story of Canada's military history in chronological order, from time immemorial to the present, and against the backdrop of global history. Coming along the corridor from the temporary exhibits gallery brings us to this hub, where a map of the galleries is at its heart, and photographs of each section are on the far wall.

Armed conflict was already underway thousands of years ago in North America among First Nations peoples. The first area the visitor walks into examines that.

Here we have a close-up of the weapons and armour a warrior might have used in the pre-Contact era.

This model is of an Iroquois village under attack by a rival tribe.

Contact with Europeans started first with the Vikings a thousand years ago. Several hundred years later the French, and then the English, would make inroads. The museum examines the conflicts that rose up between the two European powers in Canada and elsewhere in North America, such as the Seven Years War, or the French And Indian War as it's also called. That war reached a climax in North America outside the walls of Quebec City in a battle on the Plains of Abraham, a decisive victory for the British that would lead to the end of New France. A model of the battleground, with lines of British and French positions, is found here, with the accompanying panels explaining how the battle unfolded.

The American Revolution had an impact on Canada, of course, with incursions by Continental Army forces under Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold, and the influx of Loyalists into the remaining British North America holdings after the war. A second conflict, the War Of 1812, would rage from that year into 1815 between the Americans, the British, and Canadian colonials. First Nations peoples would find themselves involved, such as Alex Norton (Teyonhokarawan), the Mohawk war chief who led warriors at the Battle of Queenston Heights.

The display case features a portrait of Norton, as well as a musket, wampum belt, medal, club, and axe that would have been among items a warrior might have at the time.

Another figure of the War of 1812 has his portrait across from Norton. Charles de Salaberry was a Quebecois resident who had the distinction of becoming one of the few French speaking officers in the British military during the war, organizing and commanding a French speaking regiment, the Voltigeurs canadiens. 

Later in the 19th century, the American Civil War erupted and had its effects on Canada as well. Confederation of Canada in 1867 came about partially because leaders in colonial legislatures were watching what was happening south of their borders with alarm and understood they had to come together or risk annexation. And while the legislatures and the British officially stayed neutral, that didn't stop anywhere from 20 000 to 50 000 Canadians from heading south and fighting in the war, the overwhelming majority of them for the Union. Afterwards for a number of years, Irish-American veterans of the Union army launched a number of raids, the Fenian Raids, into Canada as part of an effort to force the British into getting out of Ireland. Ultimately the raids failed, but their story is examined here.

The display cases include medals for those who responded to the Raids, and a Union army cap worn by one of the raiders, a common sight in many a Civil War photograph. The veterans of one war took elements of their uniform (or the entire uniform itself) and wore them in an unauthorized military action.

Also displayed is the uniform and other items of one of the soldiers who responded to the Fenian Raids.

Time And Conflict

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo that the theme day for the first of December is Gift.

The permanent galleries in the Canadian War Museum tell the story of Canada's military history in chronological order, beginning with conflicts between First Nations people through to European contact. The French and Indian War and the American Revolution are examined as well. During this visit, my photography began with the War of 1812. This is a model of the HMS St. Lawrence, a British navy ship built in Kingston at the time, and which lies in the harbour today after sinking years after that war.

The weapons and wampum belt seen here would be typical of First Nations allies to the British during that war. The portrait is of John Norton, also known as Teyoninhokarawan, a Cherokee warrior with a Scottish mother who had been adopted by the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant. Norton led First Nations warriors against the Americans at the Battle Of Queenston Heights.

Another leader of that war can be found here. Charles de Salabery was a rarity- a French Canadian who rose to become an officer in the regular British army. He served with distinction, commanding the light infantry regiment called the Voltigeurs Canadiens in the War of 1812.

The galleries move on in time, through events of the latter 19th century and the South African War before the extensive area dealing with the First World War. This is Canada's Answer, a large painting by Norman Wilkinson, an English artist. He captured the October 1914 sailing of ships for Europe bearing Canadian men for the war.

Another striking work of art nearby is this sculpture, based on a story that may or may not be true- that German soldiers crucified a Canadian soldier on a door.

The life of a soldier is explored among the panels and artifacts of battles. One of the displays includes things that might be found in a soldier's kit in the trenches. That includes, at the lower left, an inedible item many American Civil War soldiers might have been familiar with: hardtack. 

The Halifax Explosion of December 6th, 1917, is examined in depth, with photographs of the carnage accompanying the text, as well as pieces of one of the ships destroyed in the detonation. 

The Second World War area of the galleries opens with an examination of the state of the world during the 1930s and the forces that drew everyone into war. A painting based on action in the Atlantic drew my eye. Painted in 1944 by a lieutenant, Thomas Charles Wood, The Boarding Of The U-744 depicts sailors from the H.M.C.S. Chilliwack boarding the disabled German submarine on an intelligence gathering  run in the Atlantic.

Canadians were at war not only with Germany in the European theatre of operations, but also with Japan, and that aspect of the war is covered in this area. One of the panels examines the Japanese practice of sending balloon bombs east across the Pacific to strike at North America. One of those balloons hangs overhead.