French Canadian Participation in the War of 1812: A Social Study of the Voltiguers Canadians

During the War of 1812, the participation of French Canadians in colonial militia units such as the Voltigeurs Canadiens was of great importance for the defence of Lower Canada. The colony’s lack of regular British toops combined with threats of American invasion rendered crucial to the mobilization of the local populace, most of which was of French descent. Although lacking the discipline and structure of British regular soldiers. Lower-Canadian militiamen were able to neutralize numerous American invasion attempts. Altogether, this impressive participation in the war effort helped redefine the military character of French Canadians. It also dissipated the British authorities’ fears that French Canadians were disloyal subjects. This study analyses the military organization of the Voltigeurs Canadiens to demonstrate the importance of French Canadian participation in the war, especially in Lower Canada, their military campaigns and how the Voltigeurs’ victories became the pride of all French Canada

Military Aid to the Civil Authority in the mid-19th Century New Brunswick

During the mid–19th century, the role of the military in New Brunswick began to change. Although its primary function remained defence against invasion, the civil power called on it with increasing frequency; first the British regulars and later the militia assisted in capacities ranging from fighting fires to policing. Nevertheless, as New Brunswick changed from colony to province, the militia did not automatically replace the imperial garrison. Civil authorities were reluctant to call on it, and volunteers assumed this role only after the regulars departed in 1869. This article first examines the types of disorder that occurred between the 1830s and the 1870s. It next considers the 18 known instances during this period when the civil authorities called out British regulars and provincial (ie., county–based) militias to aid them. It finaly looks at factors that discouraged such use of the militia

“The Vast Experiment”: The New Brunswick Militia’s 1865 Camp of Instruction

In July 1865, almost 1,000 New Brunswick militiamen assembled in Fredericton for a twenty-four day Camp of Instruction. This was the first time peacetime militia training on this scale was ever attempted in British North America. At the time, and since, the camp was praised as a notable achievement. New Brunswick’s lieutenant-governor and provincial commander-in-chief, Arthur Hamilton Gordon, wrote: “The entire success of this experiment is admitted with an unanimity which is remarkable, because rare in this Province.” Although the uniqueness of the camp has been the subject of some interest, it has never been subjected to more in-depth analysis. This article moves beyond generalizations to examine the purpose of the camp and what actually transpired. The Camp of Instruction tells us a great deal about the nature and character of New Brunswick’s militia on the eve of Confederation, and its outcome helps to explain why the province moved towards political union as an answer to the inadequate state of its defences

\u3cem\u3eMartin v. Mott\u3c/em\u3e and the Establishment of Executive Emergency Authority

In August of 1814, a New York farmer named Jacob E. Mott refused to rendezvous with the militia pursuant to the orders of Governor Daniel D. Tompkins as commanded by President James Madison. In 1818, Mott was court martialed and fined ninety-six dollars. One year later, Mott brought an action in replevin in the New York state courts to recover chattel taken from him by a deputy marshal in lieu of the ninety-six dollars. Both the New York trial and appellate courts sided with Mott. In a unanimous opinion authored by Justice Joseph Story, the Supreme Court of the United States reversed and held the marshal’s avowry sufficient. Justice Story’s opinion reiterated the authority of the federal executive, and began a line of cases that culminated in our modern approach to unilateral executive emergency powers

The National Intelligencer Validating Cowardice: How a Washington D.C. Newspaper Redefined Defeat into Republican Victory

The fall and burning of Washington D.C. without substantial resistance by the American army and militia was initially an obvious disgrace, however the widely read Washington based newspaper, The National Intelligencer, sought to rewrite this story of defeat into a narrative highlighting republican virtue. Utilizing preexisting stereotypes perpetuated in their paper of British soldiers acting immoral, the staff of The National Intelligencer articulated that the men defending Washington had to return to their individual homes on account of the impending barbarism and savagery of the British invaders, therefore vindicating the militiamen of their lack of resistance and praising their virtuous paternalism

“The Simplest Thing is Difficult”: The United States Army and the War of 1812

The War of 1812 occupies an uneasy place in the American memory. Despite some popular notions of victory in that conflict, serious students of military history have always known that the United States did not win it. The war was at best a draw because the nation lacked experienced officers, disciplined soldiers, a working logistical system, and a clear-cut strategic plan. For most of the war American leadership was bungling and inadequate. The performance of the Regulars was frequently far from perfect, and that of the militia even less so. Yet the nation maintained its territorial integrity, and some younger Army officers demonstrated the leadership so conspicuously lacking at higher levels. These officers showed that American troops, Regular or militia, when properly led and trained performed as well as British Regulars

Of Rocks and Revolutions

This post is part of a series featuring behind-the-scenes dispatches from our Pohanka Interns on the front lines of history this summer as interpreters, archivists, and preservationists. See here for the introduction to the series. It is difficult to explain how the most advanced military technology of the 18th century relies upon a rock to function. Examined with modern eyes, the flintlock musket is as absurd as the macaroni fashion of the era. A petite vise grips a hunk of flint, which when thrown upon a steel battery, showers sparks on a criminally unmeasured amount of black powder. This produces a blinding flash, ushering a jet of flame through an eighth inch wide hole in the barrel. The powder condensed behind the ounce ball of lead is transformed from inert sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate into instant leviathan strength. The bullet careens down the barrel until its ejection from the twelve gauge bore, destined for whatever organic matter may halt the progress of this thoroughly unnatural reaction. [excerpt

Indiana militia (to accompany bill H. R. no. 917).

Report : Claim of of Indiana Militiamen. [305] For expenses incurred protecting the Pottawatomie Indians on the Tippecanoe River in 1836 while receiving annuities