The Best Hobby in the World

by Benjamin Fisher - Festival Nomad Correspondent

Day 2 continued ...Day 2 was almost all the same things, cannon and musket demonstrations, boiling hot sun under 2 layers of wool and an amazingly fun day. But I was told that I was to be a designated "dead guy" in the battle today. Colin, Andrew, Andrew #2, Rooster , George and Kevin were all doing either a dueling, musket or cannon demonstrations. Mid-day all the other guys were teaching me how to “die”! “heart wrenching screams!” “make it epic!” were things they taught me . Marching into battle I was hoping I would remember all the "dead person" instructions. Waiting for the battle to start was the hardest part! BANG we shoot to start the first volley. BOOM the Americans shoot, and down I go. Before I hit the ground I heard Colin say “well that definitely didn’t take long”. There I was "dead". A foot away from poison ivy. While I was waiting on the ground “dead”, the American troops marched over and stopped right beside my "dead body". The American Sergeant leant over and said “don’t move!”
Also before the battle Rooster, told me to not get his musket in the dirt. So of course I held it tight and made sure I did not get one grain of sand in or on that musket! When the battle ended another re-enactor came and told me it was finished and that I could get up now. So doesn’t he just accidentally put the barrel of the gun in the sand! Luckily Rooster didn’t mind because he witnessed the whole thing!

Day:3
The third and final day had all the normal things: cannon, musket, dueling and surgeon demonstrations took place at Wasaga Under Siege. The final battle just allowed me to conclude the awesome event. After the battle I said good bye to all the re-enactors with gratitude, for their gift to me was allowing me to “re-live” the moment, and truly know what it is like to reenact the War of 1812.
Sad to leave, the next morning we headed back to the small historic town of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
The End
P.S.: please do not attempt to "die" like soldier in 1812 unless you have professional teaching from re-enactors at Wasaga Under Siege!
Benn Fisher

The Best Hobby in the World

by Benjamin Fisher - Festival Nomad Correspondent

Day 1 Continued ...
Dear readers I am Benjamin Fisher. I am 12 years old and I am a War of 1812 British re-enactor from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Re – enacting is probably the best hobby in the world. Dave Cobbern, more commonly known as “rooster”, let me use his musket during the battle. I can’t believe they trusted me to carry a gun. I felt truly honoured, and new that I had to be serious, and respect what these men were allowing me to do. I listened and followed their orders specifically. Colin watched over me during the battle to make sure I knew all the drills and movements. But after the first musket volley I felt like I was actually in the war. There was so much smoke in my nose and fogging the air around me and even though I was not allowed to shoot because I was under age – I was there and “immersed in the experience”. When the battle was over, the day was pretty much over too. However, I had one more experience to the weekend left that day….sleeping in the historical re-enactors wedge tents. My mother agreed to stay with me overnight. It was amazing to see, hear, and live life of 1812.


"12 Year Old Soldier Benn"

(To Be Continued)

The Best Hobby in the World

by Benjamin Fisher - Festival Nomad Correspondent

Introduction...
Dear readers ... I am Benjamin Fisher. I am 12 years old and I am a War of 1812 British re-enactor from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Re – enacting is probably the best hobby in the world!
I discovered re-enacting when I was 6 or 7 years old . My mother is a curator at the Ermatinger Cleurge National Historic Site and they have an 1812 event every September. When I was 6, I only knew about voyageurs and Coureur Du Bois who are men and women who would tell stories about the life of a voyageur. But when I heard about 1812 re- enacting I wanted to learn more about it. I started learning drills from Mr. Kevin Brooks an 1812 re-enactor from Barrie, Ontario for 2 years while he attended events at the Ermatinger Site in Sault Ste. Marie. After the 2 years my mother and I decided we would go on a 6 hour trip with 2 of her co- workers to Wasaga Under Siege.
This event was the thing that totally got me hooked on re-enacting.
Before we left to go to Wasaga, I wrote a letter to the coordinator of the event Mr. David Brunelle about seeing if I could borrow a British uniform and assisting in the reenactments. When I got the “yes” from him at the event I was so happy I almost bowed down to him right then and there. His reply to me was very formal and properly addressed with permission from the regiment, with the closing comment: “God save the King”.

Day 1...
The next morning (opening day) of the event I was mustered up and ready for the day. About 2 hours into the day I was told that I was going to become the cannon’s powder monkey. The powder monkey was the most dangerous job in the War of 1812. If the powder monkey was shot then the cannon couldn’t fire, if the cannon couldn’t fire then there wouldn’t be as many casualties on the battle field. For this I had to wear a new set of clothes that pertained to the position, and also had to learn how to load, clean and carry the powder for the cannon. I even had to wear ear plugs in order to protect my ears from the blast of the cannon and the black powder shot.
Later that day I met up with my friend and mentor, Mr. Kevin Brooks. Kevin said that he came to be our regiments sergeant during the battle that night, and he would be there for the afternoon the next day.
During the Cannon demonstration with my new leaders / friends Colin and Andrew they let me light the cannon a few times which I held as one of the events highlights for me. The men were very good at training me, and providing me the safety precautions, and seriousness of the maneuvers. Then Colin asked Dave Brunelle if I would be allowed to enter the battle line with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Before the battle another member of the regiment.
(To Be Continued)

Characters of the War of 1812

by Judi McWilliams

ELIZABETH SIMCOE - WRITER!
Elizabeth Simcoe's diary is said to be written in least three versions. The first contained brief, almost daily entries often combined with rough sketches. The others expanded from the first version with more detail and smoother style, with some omissions. She sent the entries back to England at every opportunity. Elizabeth also wrote about her surroundings. Her descriptions are very graphic and her diaries are full of colourful vignettes, such as the Epiphany service in the Roman Catholic cathedral at Quebec or a walk through a still burning forest fire. She had, as she wrote, “the picturesque eye.” She was especially interested in flora and fauna, as well as the food and medicines prepared from them. Elizabeth’s approach to writing was anthropological or romanticized rather than personal even though she was fascinated by the native people. It was said that her marriage was a happy one; even her husband was a shadowy figure, mostly though she was not interested in people. She wrote more about her little son, Francis Gwillim, said to be his mother’s favorite. Over the years I found that I was drawn to nature which I too depicted in my watercolour paintings and poems over the years. I however, found that I saw the images in an “impressionistic way” rather then “realistic” (not abstract though). I found that I was drawn to vibrant colours, while Elizabeth only had monotone colours to work with.
With this said, I thought it would be a good time to let you know a little about John Graves Simcoe, “the husband”.
(To Be Continued)

Characters of the War of 1812

by Judi McWilliams

ELIZABETH SIMCOE - CANADIAN CHRONICLER!

As well as her diaries, it is said that Elizabeth Simcoe produced a large number of water-colours depicting Canadian scenes. They also exist in several versions, from rough sketches made on the spot to finished works which were sent regularly to friends in England. After her return to Wolford, it is said Elizabeth and her daughters made further copies of her Canadian views. While in Canada, she experimented with etching; in her first letter to England she ordered a set of engraving tools, because she had seen Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres*’s engravings and was “sure I can engrave to imitate them.” Apparently she etched only two small and not very successful plates, which were sent to England in 1794 and printed in Bristol and London. They say Elizabeth had two motives in her sketching in Canada. One was artistic; she was always looking for good views, and would travel long and arduous distances to find them. The other was documentary; she was intentionally making a pictorial record of what she saw. Quote from Elizabeth … “I took no sketch of a place I never wish to recollect,” she wrote at Cap-de-la-Madeleine. Most of the time, Elizabeth Simcoe was delighted in her Canadian experience. In her diaries and water-colours she has left a lively record of Canada in the 1790s, which is remarkable for its interest, detail, and accuracy.
(To Be Continued)

Characters of the War of 1812

by Judi McWilliams

ELIZABETH SIMCOE - DIARIST

She was the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada. It is said that Elizabeth was an accomplished artist and, between 1791 and 1796, as she travelled throughout Upper and Lower Canada, produced a large number of sketches and Watercolour depicting Canadian scenes. She was also an avid diarist and wrote about many of her experiences. They say the diaries and paintings combine to create a vivid portrait of both the raw beauty of the untamed landscape and the day-to-day life of a gentlewoman in pioneer times. I recently looked at several of her paintings from sites via the internet. I began wondering how she obtained the paper and paints to accomplish these delicate items. And, I am wondering now, how it is that they have been preserved all these years! Just who was Elizabeth Simcoe?
Elizabeth Simcoe left a diary that provides a valuable impression of life in colonial Ontario. First published in 1934, there was a subsequent transcription published in 1965 and a paperback version issued at the turn of the 21st century, more than 200 years after she wrote it. Lady Elizabeth Simcoe's legacy also includes a series of 595 water-colour paintings that depict the town of York. She was responsible for the naming of Scarborough, an eastern Toronto district, after Scarborough, England. The townships of North, East and West Gwillimbury, just south of Lake Simcoe in central Ontario, are also named for the family. In December 2007, a statue of Elizabeth Simcoe Gwillim was erected in the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, while commemorating the 150th anniversary of the town's incorporation. The statue is located in parquet in front of the Bradford post office at the corner of John Street West and Barrie Street.
(To Be Continued)

Characters of the War of 1812

by Judi McWilliams

ELIZABETH SIMCOE – WATERCOLOUR ARTIST!

Over the past, I have written about the War of 1812 from the barracks, rations, clothing to weapons. Today I would like to write about one of my passions, and that of a famous watercolour artist Elizabeth Simcoe. As a professional Watercolour artist, for about 25 years, I was very interested to read about Elizabeth Simcoe. For those of you who don’t know what Watercolour is... simply, Wikipedia describes it as follows ... “The term watercolor refers to paints that use water soluble, complex carbohydrates as a binder. Originally (16th to 18th centuries) watercolor binders were sugars and/or hide glues, but since the 19th century the preferred binder is natural gum Arabic, with glycerin and/or honey as additives to improve plasticity and dissolvability of the binder, and with other chemicals added to improve product shelf life Bodycolor is a watercolor made as opaque as possible by a heavy pigment concentration, and gouache is a watercolor made opaque by the addition of a colorless opacifier (such as chalk or zinc oxide). Modern acrylic paints are based on a completely different chemistry that uses water soluble acrylic resin as a binder." There are many techniques used and many different qualities of paints. This leads to my original question about preservation of Elizabeth’s works. Even back in the early centuries, the paper had compounds to preserve the works of art. This is an entire other subject matter. What interests me currently, is the War of 1812 and the people who lived during these times. Elizabeth Simcoe was just such a woman.
(To Be Continued)