On Oct. 13, 1812, U.S. soldiers and militia captured the British stronghold of Queenston Heights in what is present-day Ontario. Strategically it was a significant move on the part of the American forces. Queenston Heights was the portage site for western access to the west. Moving supplies and people from Lake Ontario to Lake Erie and the west meant a getting around Niagara Falls, no mean feat. The portage at Queenston Heights was critical to exploration and control of the rest of the continent.
Whoever controlled Queenston Heights controlled access to the Great Lakes waterways of Upper Canada.
The battle began at dawn. By any measure it should have been a slam dunk. The American forces numbered 6,000. The British 1,200 with 250 Indian allies. But a slam dunk was not in the cards for the Americans. Leading the British in defence of Queenston Heights was Major General Isaac Brock, a seasoned officer who had served with distinction in Europe and later in Canada. At the time of the battle he had risen in the military hierarchy to the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in Canada.
Brock's men were also experienced and well trained. This wasn't the case with the American forces. In the first attack, Brock was shot and died soon after. As an aside, Brock was six foot two and led the first charge against the U.S. forces. For someone that size facing a line of muskets, the odds were not all that good. The second attack was led by John Macdonell, he too was fatally wounded. The third attack on the U.S. forces took place at 3 p.m. and was led by Major- General Roger Sheaffe. This attack was successful and the Americans were forced to retreat in defeat.
Last Saturday, we attended the Queenston Heights bicentennial and re-enactment. Pardon the pun but it was a blast and a damned good one at that. More to the point, it was extremely well done. At least a thousand volunteers took to the battle site. They had cannons and muskets and did a marvellous job of re-enacting the three skirmishes that happened 200 years ago. A narrator on a public address system took us through the offensive thrusts and when the American forces gained ground the crowd booed. It sounded like a WWF match. Finally as the U.S. forces were forced to retreat and finally surrender.
We all cheered.
From the actual battle came a number of Canadian heroes; Sir Isaac Brock, who lost his life in defence of the new country. The war also gave us Indian leaders Tecumseh and John Norton. In a bit of a twist, Norton's mother was Scottish and his father was Mohawk. He was captured by the British Army and raised in Scotland, but returned to Canada with the British Army as an interpreter. Later Norton was made a Mohawk Chief. Norton led the Indian allies who helped defeat the Americans at Queenston.
Re-enactments and Canadian nationalism aside, the Battle of Queenston Heights was a pivotal day in Canadian history. The victory sent the Americans running and dashed their hopes of taking what was known then as British North America. The battle of Queenston Heights also instilled in the new Canadians the confidence that they could defend their new country and prosper. Queenston Heights was and is a wonderful legacy and even another 200 years from now will remain a significant slice of Canadian history.
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China bound.
Mayor Shari Green along with councillors Lynn Hall and Dave Wilbur plus acting city manager Kathleen Soltis are off to China to fulfil the terms of a twinning agreement. For a lot of reasons, this is a good move. Thanks to past trips by former Mayor Colin Kinsley and current jobs minster Pat Bell, British Columbia and Prince George have been treated well by China. With a population of 1.3 billion, China is an economic powerhouse and not the kind of partner you want to ignore. In past years China has surpassed the U.S. as a market for B.C. lumber. There is no question that without the development of the Chinese market our local economy would have suffered considerably.
The key to dealing with Asian decision makers is consistency. Plus, the Asian practice of getting to agreements is by way of politician to politician. Business negotiations and indeed any cooperative arrangements, follow political visits. City council is wise to continue our relationship with Chinese authorities. It's one of the basic rules of any successful business, if you want to make the sale you have to be there to ask for the order.
