by Judi McWilliams
Over the past few years the Festival Nomad and I have had wonderful experiences visiting War of 1812 Re-enactments around Ontario. We find these re-enactments amazing and extremely interesting! In this NEW War of 1812 Discovery Series, I want to share with you some of our experiences, while attempting to shed some light into the actual historic.
A Musketeer 1812 and Now (Part One)
“You can actually visualize yourself being back in time! On the battlefield it is even more captivating. You can feel the intensity of the battle! Guns firing, smoke filling the air, soldiers marching and officers shouting orders, advances and retreats, all for the sake of authenticity! As the battle progresses, soldiers begin to fall as though they have been shot! They lie there as their comrades walk over them! The sun scorches their fallen bodies! Truly “in the heat of the battle”! There is so much happening; it’s hard to take it all in! Who notices that some of the “dead” have dragged themselves to the shade of the “old oak tree”? Who can tell that there are “dead men talking”! (quote from the Adventures of the Festival Nomad blog article “Dead Men Talking!).
“You can actually visualize yourself being back in time! On the battlefield it is even more captivating. You can feel the intensity of the battle! Guns firing, smoke filling the air, soldiers marching and officers shouting orders, advances and retreats, all for the sake of authenticity! As the battle progresses, soldiers begin to fall as though they have been shot! They lie there as their comrades walk over them! The sun scorches their fallen bodies! Truly “in the heat of the battle”! There is so much happening; it’s hard to take it all in! Who notices that some of the “dead” have dragged themselves to the shade of the “old oak tree”? Who can tell that there are “dead men talking”! (quote from the Adventures of the Festival Nomad blog article “Dead Men Talking!).
From our visits over the past few years to re-enactments, I have noticed that during these well orchestrated battles not all soldiers actually “fire” their Muskets. After a bit of research, it seems today that there are specific laws and regulations regarding Musket usage. Canadian law states that an antique (or antique reproduction) flint-lock firearm do not require a standard Firearm Acquisition Certificate, but in order to purchase the black powder you must have a valid Possession and Acquisition License from the Federal Government. Once you have completed the proper paperwork, the fun begins … the training!
(To be continued)
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