Militia

 This map of the east coast includes the blockades that the Union navy put up around Confederate ports. The concept was the overall strategy that would win the war. Called Anaconda, it meant blockading the ports, seizing control of the Mississippi, and strangling the Confederacy. It was the plan conceived by Winfield Scott, the hero of the War of 1812 and the Mexican War, the general-in-chief who knew he was too old to lead armies onto the field.

The Trent Affair flared up during the Civil War, with the capture of Confederate diplomats by Union officers on a British ship near Cuba. It built up tensions, as it violated British neutrality. While the Union government weighed its options, the British prepared for the possibility of war.

British regulars manned the defences in Canada, augmented by ill-trained Canadian militia. There weren't enough of either. It was recognized that this was going to have to change.

This is a model of the SS Great Eastern, which transported British soldiers to North America during the Trent Affair.

This display case includes equipment for British regulars.

This large display features an image of the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII laying the cornerstone of Parliament in Ottawa. 

By the spring of 1862, colonial leaders were busy increasing the numbers of the militia.

The efforts included upgrading to better weapons.

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.

Library Annex

 Doors Open is a program held on weekends across the province in cities and towns from April into October each year. In Ottawa, the first weekend of June is set aside for it, with numerous sites across the city limits. I was only able to get to a couple of sites this year, but was glad to at least see some of it. 

Sparks Street was my first stop. The former main branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia is here. For years now it has been an annex branch for the Library of Parliament on Parliament Hill, which is one block north. It is open to Parliamentarians and their staff during the year, but the public can visit on this weekend. With the work going on around Centre Block, it is currently the main branch of the Library.

The beautiful architecture outside is matched by the interior, which has contemporary infrastructure that works well with the older architecture. Shelving contains numerous books- just a fraction of what Parliament's library contains. This is, after all, only one of the annex branches.

The former branch manager's office is worth a stop, with its woodwork doors and fireplace.

The painting on the wall is The Parliamentary Library, Ottawa, by Anthony Batten. Dating to 2020, it features the Library on the Hill, currently inaccessible. A statue of Queen Victoria is lit by daylight sun. The Library saw rehabilitation work done early in the century, so is not really part of the work on Centre Block. However, one has to go through Centre Block to get to it, which is why it's inaccessible during the project. A staff member said that the statue of the Queen is the only item in there at the present. The books and other movable items have all been moved off site.

This is a bust of King Edward VII.

The building architect, John Lyle, did other projects around the country and beyond.

Since the beginning of the century, Parliament has had a tradition of a poet laureate. Some of them are seen, with a hint of their poetry, along the book cases.

The Bank Turned Library

 A favourite stop during Doors Open is the Library of Parliament annex on Sparks Street, which is a block south of Parliament Hill. It is housed within this former bank. The building dates to 1924, in the Beaux-Arts style, and the former bank, the Bank of Nova Scotia, vacated in the 1980s for a nearby location. The government turned it into the main annex for the Library, which is on Parliament Hill. These days, with the Library of Parliament inaccessible due to the rehabilitation work, this place is serving for the next few years as the main branch.

The architectural details are a delight, inside and out.

When it was a bank, this would have been the manager's office. 

A bust of King Edward VII rests here.

The book stops were reason enough for this photograph.

This beautiful painting above the fireplace is The Parliamentary Library, by Anthony Batten, painted in 2020. It depicts the interior of this space, which is behind Centre Block, where most of the current work is taking place. The Library itself had work done on it years ago, and is not part of the current project, but since its primary access point is through the Centre Block, it is not being used at present, with the books and other materials being stored at annex locations around the national capital. The white statue at the heart of the painting is a statue of Queen Victoria.

I love the architecture, including the details of the woodworking.

Here we are in the main space of the interior. The contemporary infrastructure was installed in such a way as to be easily removable, with four stories of shelving at left. It actually works very well with the older architecture of the building.

Doors Open is the only time of year when the public can visit. The annex is otherwise at the disposal of Parliamentarians and their staff. 

Since 2001, there has been a program of Parliamentary poet laureates.

They include photos of each, with a selection of their poetry, in English and French.

Here we have a photograph of the main space as it appeared when it was a bank.

There was even a vault downstairs back in the day. As I understand it, the vault is still there.

More from here tomorrow.