Reason Why So Many Museums Fail

Why So Many Museums Fail [http://failfaire.org/2011/12] Well, taking a cue from FailFaire NYC 2011, there are many common reasons for failure in the non-profit sector – 1. The project wasn’t right for the organisation (or the organisation wasn’t right for the project) 2. Tech is search of a problem 3. The museum was too static in its conceptualization syndrome 4. Know thy end-users and where they are 5. Trying to please donors rather than beneficiaries (and chasing small pots of money 6. Forgetting people and ignoring the wider market 7. Too narrow in scope and “Feature creep” – again being too static – or too few bells and whistles 8. Lack of a backup plan – sole feature museums rarely survive 9. Not connecting with local needs 10. Not knowing when to say goodbye – or to re-invent your project Sound familiar? I thought so. 1. http://themythofhome.blogspot.ca/2011/05/why-museums-fail.html 2. http://www.freshandnew.org/2012/01/call-submissions-epic-fail-museums-web-2012- san-diego/ 3. http://www.aam-us.org/ My advice to all would-be museum operators, as a travel writer, a historian, and a history professor involved in the non-profit sector, is to be professional in all things. We will enjoy the museum more, and maybe even recommend it to our friends. In the meantime, a lack of imagination and an inability to understand capitalism, within the heritage industry if you can call it that, is destroying our nation's history faster than the bulldozers of condominium and real estate developers. Posted by Eric D. Lehman at 11:57 AM May 17, 2011. [New York Symposium] Most museums are simply run on government money or sole proprietor funding with little or no connection to the wider market or public at large. Opening a single focus static museum based on presumed demographics for sustainable "public-hits" [visitations] distant from a large urban setting but within market reach which has already closed numerous similar operations has never been a recipe for success. Posted by Eric J. Macklin at 12:45 AM September 3, 2012. [San Diego Symposium]

HMS NANCY & The Lost Jesuit Gold

HMS Nancy & the Lost Jesuit Gold

Our story begins in the fall of 1627 in the small French village of Fougeres north east of the olde Royal city of Rennes in Normandy. A French trapper by the name of Louis Sevard was dying at the age of 32 and in his estate papers was a map from his days a trapper working out of Montreal in New France. He was one of the original French explorers-voyageurs from the earlier days brought into the Saint Mary’s Falls region by Samuel de Champlain in 1617 and later explored by Etienne de Brule in 1623. One of the new breed of “courier de bois” that was to arise with various fur trading companys being developed as an off-shoot to find the route to China on the inland seas of north America. The trade in furs just being one of the many new economic benefits of exploring and trading with the indigenous peoples as they moved westward. Part of the commentary in his estate papers dealt with the “shinny metal” being worn by the northern people referred to as the Ojibwa and Cree from what later became known as the Manitoulin Islands and those just south of “la grande saulte” or what we now call Saulte Ste Marie. Lac de Huron was rapidly changing from La Mer Douce to La Mer D’Ore and had nothing to do with the sunsets on the bays.
In folowing spring of 1628, to make a long story short, this last will and testiment along with the map was given to Louis Dumont an olde close friend of his who in turn gave it to Andre Marie Daumont who again was to be the father to a Jesuit priest by the name of Simon Francis Daumont of the local Jesuit mission in Caen. This priest who was to join with the mission, was sent out to establish a mission among the Ojibwa and Cree at a place on the map refrred to as Baawitigong [place by the falls] and subsequently called Saulte Saint Marie in 1668. When they arrived at the falls they found numerous French trapper-adventurers still working in the area. To their delight they also found that this “shinny metal” turned out to be gold being extracted from a multitude of small mines in the area by the Indians and of course which turned out to be a useful source of minerals in aid of financing their mission amongst the natives. To a certain measure it was south America all over again but while it was on a much smaller scale it was “highly profitable” none the less. Over time the amount of gold that was accumulated and smelted into small “cing livres” bars turned out to be “plentifull” to such an extent that it began to attrack some unwanted attention due in large part to more trappers going home to die either in Quebec or back in France just like where our story starts with Louis Sevard.
As in all things, the agents of none other than Louis XIV began to get wind of this bounty in the hands of the church and in 1674 informed Sieur de LaSalle that he should form a company of adventurers and while he was to be obstenively looking for a trade route to China, that he should check out the stories of what was now being referred to as Jesuit gold from New France. So in 1677 under the provisional guidance of Count Sieur de La Frontenac in New France Sieur LaSalle and company shipped out to Quebec and set up their base camp at the new French village of Fort Frontenac (Kingston) in New France. Here in the spring of 1678 he built the little bargue Le Frontenac with over sized timbers and sailed to the Niagara River arriving on Christmas day. They made arrangements with the local Seneca to allow them to cut trees and on januray 17, 1679 they started work on Le Griffon which was essentially a revised version of Le Frontenac but twice the size. From here they knew from Jesuit records and from the maps obtained from French trappers that their way was clear to sail straight to the Lac du Huron and of their main objective, that being the Jesuit mission at Saulte Saint Marie as directed by the King of France. Since communication is a two way street, the Jesuits knew of Sieur de LaSsalles intentions and were busy “making al necessary arrangements” to bury their gold on one of three islands just south of their mission one of which was called Isle St Joseph with the main disposal point being two more small islands off the mouth of yet another “saulte where the river flows to the west into the Michigan [one of which was later renamed Drummond Island] and further to the south east into Matchdash Bay near the main Huron WendotteVillage [Coldwater - now lock 45 at the northern end of the Huron indian trail leading all the way up from Lac Iroquois – now Lake Ontario]. A locale we shall hear of more later in our story. The actual trail is along the valley’s and highlands starting with the Rouge valley along Lake Couchiching to Bass Lake to “Gissinausebing” now known as Coldwater.
Niagara River to Saginaw Bay
In July of 1679, La Salle directed 12 men to tow Le Griffon through the rapids of the Niagara River with long lines stretched from the bank. They moored in quiet water off Squaw Island 3 miles from Lake Erie waiting for favorable northeast winds. La Salle sent Tonti ahead on 22 July 1679 with a few selected men, canoes, and trading goods to secure furs and supplies. Le Griffon set off [rowed] on 7 August with unfurled sails, a 34-man crew, and a salute from her cannon and musketry. They were navigating Le Griffon through uncharted waters that only canoes had previously explored. They made their way around Long Point, constantly sounding as they went through the first moonless, fog-laden night to the sound of breaking waves and guided only by La Salle's knowledge of Galinee’s [Sevard’s old map] crude, 10-year-old chart. They sailed across the open water of Lake Erie whose shores were forested and "unbroken by the faintest signs of civilization". They reached the mouth of the Detroit River on 10 August 1679 where they were greeted by 3 columns of smoke signaling the location of Tonti's adavnce camp whom they received on board. They entered lake St Clair on 12 August, the feast day of Saint Clare of Assisi, and named the lake after her. They again sounded their way through the narrow channel of the St. Claire River to its mouth where they were delayed by contrary winds until 24 August. For the second time, they used a dozen men and ropes to tow Le Griffon over the rapids of the St. Clair River into lower Lake Huron. They made their way north and west into Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron where they were becalmed until noon of 25 August.
(*) La Salle took personal command at this point due to evidence that the pilot was negligent. He was working for the Jesuits who wanted LaSalle to sail north west rather than north east where both the French River and the Severn River emptied into Matchdash Bay which at that time referred to all of east Lake Huron as the name Georgian Bay was not used until much later.
Lake Huron Storm
On noon of 25 August 1679 they started out northwest with a favoring northerly wind. When the wind suddenly veered to the southeast they changed course to avoid Presque Isle. However, the ferocity of the gale forced them to retreat windward and lie-to until morning. By 26 August the violence of the gale caused them to "haul down their topmasts, to lash their yards to the deck, and drift at the mercy of storm. At noon the waves ran so high, and the lake became so rough, as to compel them to stand in for land." Father Hennepin wrote that during the fearful crisis of the storm, La Salle vowed that if God would deliver them, the first chapel they later erected in Lousiana would be dedicated to the memory of saint Anthony of Padua, the patron of the sailor. The wind did slightly decrease but they drifted slowly all night, unable to find anchorage or shelter. They were driven northwesterly until the evening of 27 August when under a light southerly breeze they finally rounded Point St. Ignace and anchored in the calm waters of the natural harbor at Mackinac Island [within eyesight of the Jesuit mission at Saulte Saint Marie] where there was a settlement of Hurons, Ottawas, Cree and “a few Frenchmen”. The Jesuits were not thrilled to see Sieur de LaSalle and his band of thieves [entrepeneurs] arrive. What to do?
Mackinac Island
Upon Le Griffon's safe arrival at Mackinac Island, the voyagers sent by the King fired a salute from her deck that the Hurons respnded on shore and volleyed three times with their firearms. More than 100 native American birchbark canoes gathered around Le Griffon to look at the "big wood canoe". La Salle dressed in a scarlet cloak bordered with lace and a highly plumed cap, laid aside his arms in charge of a sentinel and attended mass with his crew in the Jesuit chapel of the Ottawas and then made a visit to the local indians in a ceremony with the Chiefs. Big wampum was here somewhere and he meant to find it for the King who was financing his “trade mission” via Count Sieur de La Frontenac.
La Salle found some of the 15 men he had sent ahead from Fort Frontenac to trade with the Michigan Illinois but they had listened to La Salle's enemies who said he would never reach Mackinac Island. La Salle seized 2 of the deserters and sent Tonti with 6 men to arrest 2 more at Saulte saint Marie who had been threatened with all sorts of “religious torments by the priests”.
Prairie du Chien – Wisconsin River - Green Bay
The short open-water season of the upper Great Lakes compelled La Salle to depart for Green Bay on 12 September, 5 days before Tonti's return. They sailed from the Starits of Mackinac to an island (either Washington Island, Rock Island on Lac du Michigan) located at or near the entrance of Green Bay (Lake Michigan). They anchored on the south shore of the island and found it occupied by the friendly Pottawatomies and Salk indians and 15 of the missing fur traders that La Salle had sent ahead. The traders had collected 12,000 pounds (5,400 kg) of furs in anticipation of the arrival of the Le Griffon. La Salle decided to stay behind with 4 canoes to explore the head lands of Lake Michigan. La Salle gave instructions for Le Griffon to off-load merchandise for him at Mackinac Island that would be picked up on the return trip. Le Griffon rode out a violent storm for 4 days and then on 18 September, the pilot Luc and 5 crew sailed south east under a favorable wind via Matchdash Bay for the Niagara River with a parting salute from a single gun. She carried a cargo of furs valued at from 50,000 to 60,000 francs ($10,000 – $12,000) and the rigging and anchors for another vessel that La Salle intended to build to find passage to the West Indies via the Ohio valley river, and finally a detailed map for Matchdash Bay. La Salle never saw Le Griffon again.
Shipwreck of Le Griffon
Father Hennepin wrote that Le Griffon was lost in a violent storm. Some charged fur traders, and even Jesuits with her destruction. Some said that the Pottawatomies or the Ottawas boarded her, murdered her crew, and then burned her. La Salle was convinced that the pilot Luc and crew treacherously sank her at the explicit orders of the Jesuits and made off with the goods. They say that there is no conclusive evidence about any of the theories about Le Griffon's loss.
Le Griffon is reported to be the "Holy Grail" of Great Lakes shipwreck hunters. A number of sunken old sailing ships have been suggested to be Le Griffon but, except for the ones proven to be other ships, there has been no positive identification. One candidate is a wreck at the western end of Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron, with another wreck near Escanaba, Michigan, also proposed. Le Griffon was the second in a string of thousands of ships that found their last berth on the bottom of the Great Lakes.
Le Griffon may have been found by the Great Lakes Exploration Group but the potential remains were the subject of lawsuits involving the discoverers, the state of Michigan, the U.S. federal government and the government of France acting on behalf of the “Crown”.
Le Griffon is considered by some to have been the first ship lost on the Great Lakes. It was another vessel used by LaSalle and Tonti, however, that was the first loss on January 8, 1679. As noted above, sources give its size as either 20 tons or 40 tons. It dragged anchor and ran aground near Thirty Mile Point on Lake Ontario, where it broke apart. Some say that this vessel was named the Frontenac, while others say the other vessel used on LaSalle's expedition was the Frontenac. Some sources confuse the two vessels.
In July, 2010 the Great Lakes Exploration Group issued a press release stating that they, the state of Michigan and France had reached agreement to co-operate in the next phase of an archaeological site assessment for identifying the shipwreck. Little do they realize just how far off the trail theyreally are.
Jesuit Gold
In looking for the Jesuit gold from the shinning seas of La Mer D’Ore long extracted by both Indian and trader alike from a multitude of small workings in what became the Algoma district one must first of all look at the entrance to Matchdash Bay and the charts extant from Father Hennepin a Recollet priest. Both he and the enterprising “fur” traders were reviled by the Jesuits with Hennepin nearly killed by accidentally “falling” into the falls at St Mary’s. His estate, which was, filed many years later in Calais France was also, along with another estate filed in 1705 by the family of one Jean de La Lande from the Landes estates in southern France in the Bordeaux region east of the Gironde River estuary and now called the Lande de Pomeral region and famous for its dry Bordeaux wines provided some interesting details as to the fate of the Jesuit gold. The olde estate is now a popular Chateau and tourist resort. Jean de La Lande has a stature dedicated to him at the Saint Marie Among the Hurons in Midland Ontario. The de La Lande family was also prominent in the later religious wars in France and where commanders for the Huguenot army of the south under Coligny during the reign of Louis XIV.

In 1765 Clan MacKintosh [Clan Chattan] of Inverness at the request of Richardson Forsythe of Aberdeen Scotland were requested to set up a trading enterprise in the Canadas from Montreal to re-organize the “courier de bois” of Montreal into a trading company and expand it westward into the Assinaboine Country west of the great lakes obsessively for the beaver furs that were now so popular in Europe, ‘along with anything else they could find” …. a standard caveat. As a result the Richardson Forsythe Company set up their business in Montreal along with a joint venture called the XY Company which was the financing wing of the fur trade enterprise out of Montreal. From here they set up trading posts or took over olde French trading posts from the Detroit River to the Wisconsin River all the way out to Fort William established in 1796 to replace the original trading post established twenty years earlier. To supply these forts and sundry trading posts Richardson Forsythe build a number of schooners and brigs to supply and carry the heavy freight on the lakes with the bateaux and canoe d’Maitre to run the river systems.

In 1769 the North West Company built the executive express schooner for John Richardson and named her after his eldest daughter, Nancy Richardson – the Nancy. John Forsythe named another schooner after his daughter, the Ellen. The Nancy interestingly enough operated from Fort Erie to Saint Mary’s Falls [Saulte Sainte Marie] and covered the olde trading posts in Saginaw Bay and both Michilimacquinac on the mains land and Fort Mackinaw just opposite that on Mackinaw Island. And of course the North West Company being from Montreal operated with the “courier de bois” and the voyageur families dating back to the days of Sieur de Champlain and Count Sieur de La Frontenac and of course Sieur de la Salle and a few sundry contacts with religious orders of various “bents”.

The NANCY & Jesuit Gold
As in all things, there is the ever-present “six degrees of separation”. The crew of the NANCY now under the command of one Alexander MacIntosh included a cadre of French voyageurs and adventurers from France and Montreal and around the lakes with a long heritage of being “Canadienne”. In amongst these men were three individuals of particular interest being Joseph LaMotte and Joseph Paquette and Joseph L’Tromp. They were from Montreal of course with friends and relatives in Saulte Ste Marie. Of specific interest is Joseph LaMotte who was cousin of Jean LaMonte who was related on his mother’s side to one Louis Dumont cousin to the Jesuit founder of the mission to Saulte Saint Marie, Simon Francis Daumont. On occasion there was a Henri Dumont that sailed on the Nancy as well in the later 1790’s.
It was Louis Dumont who gave a certain map obtained from Simon Daumont to Henri Dumont as a family heirloom and then who gave it to Jean LaMonte who in turn gave it to Joseph LaMotte who as we have said sailed onboard the NANCY and who was a friend and confident of Alexander MacKintosh. While the main based of operations for the NANCY were from “Moy” a place called Sandwich later called Windsor to either Fort Erie or to Saulte Saint Marie her “mid-point” was the provisioning base in Matchdash Bay between the Severn and French River for incoming supplies from Montreal up the Ottawa River valley.
In referring back to the loss of the “Le Griffon” one must keep in mind that as a marine archaeologist one is familiar with the use by the French use of nickel-plating to keep their guns barrels and fittings from rusting in New France. The Charleville muskets of the period found at Fortress Louisburg were all nickel-plated. From French records many of the fittings sent out for the ships in New France were also nickel-platted including those designed for both Le Frontenac and Le Griffon used by Sieur de La Salle. There is only one wreck on the south eastern side of Manitoulin Island in Meldrum Bay that has a wreck with French artefacts that are nickel plated and this is the wreck of the Le Griffon, including small traces of “L’Ore” .. gold. It is approximately half way between the French and Severn River in the opposite direction to that of Lake Michigan.
Both the Logs by Alexander MacIntosh and Masters Logs by Jacob Hammond of the schooner Nancy, later HMS Nancy, while Joseph LaMotte was present, clearly indicate that she visited Meldrum Bay on numerous occasions and “brought off 3000 livres d’ore”. As to what happened to this gold, one can only guess. Most of it was sent onto Montreal and to Aberdeen where the MacIntosh Clan suddenly experienced a period of wealth in building their new castle [now gone] and to the fortunes of the North West Company. Without a doubt some of that gold financed the founding of McGill University.
But of the nearly 1 ton of the ton and half of gold, which took some 50 years to accumulate by the Jesuits in 5 livre bars made in granite moulds, some remained reburied on one of three islands named above and more importantly in Matchdash Bay north to Meldrum bay. This body of water was easily navigated by the Nancy before her commissioning days with the royal navy as HMS NANCY, and somewhere between Port McNicoll and Christies Mills at Lock 45. It is estimated that at least half remains to be found underwater in a small inlet easily spotted from the mainland. One final note and that is Simon MacGillivray liked come all the way from Montreal to fish in Matchdash Bay shortly after the war of 1812 and when he was donating numerous canoes to Indian Chiefs “who honourably maintained his assets” during the war. Why here?
So then, I leave it up to you the intrepid reader, who by happenstance reads this, to go find the long lost 1000 livres of gold bars of the Jesuits confiscated by de LaSalle and now belonging to the Crown. [Subsequent to the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 the Crown is now the British Crown - and with the new Canada Repatriation Act to the Canadian Government] and reburied by the crew of the NANCY somewhere in Matchdash Bay for safe-keeping. All you need now is an olde map, binoculars, a pair of fins, a shovel and a strong back.

In today’s terms a 1000 pounds of gold at $980 an ounce is about $15.7 million. Well worth a peak.

HMS NANCY - The Rosedale Ladies Gun Club 1812

HMS NANCY - The Rosedale Ladies Gun Club 1812

In researching the Rosedale district of olde York now Toronto which was named after the Jarvis residence, Rosedale House, that formerly occupied that estate. The house on 400 acres, which overlooked Castle Frank Brook, a northern tributary of the Don River, was "a wonderful rambling Georgian style farm house perched on the edge of the wooded ravine. The house was designed by William Botsworth Jarvis – the Sherriff of York. The “additions” were created by his lovely wife Mary Boyles Powell which included natural wildflower gardens, a conservatory full of greenhouse flowers, and, the envy of Toronto, a magnificent curving double staircase that descended from the second floor to a foyer panelled in richest walnut and lit by the afternoon sunshine cascading through the second story landing leaded windows. Two new wings were added to either sides of the house c.1830 containing a peach house, a grape house, two new bedrooms, a morning room and a large verandah. Orchards, quiet arbours, rose gardens with over a thousand roses extending deep into the into the valley and masses of flowers surrounded the house. The estate was named by Jarvis' wife Mary Jarvis, granddaughter of William Dummer Powell., for the wild roses that grew so abundantly throughout the estate.

In researching the Sheppard district of olde [north] York also now part of Toronto which was named after the Joseph Shepard House residence, Wildwood, that formerly occupied their estate on 200 + 200 acres of land at what is now Yonge & Shepard. This house was three concessions north of the Rosedale House and like many of the large two and half story Georgian houses faced east with the rising sun warming the back of the house and the master bedrooms which faced west were warmed by the glow of the setting sun in the evening. And like the Jarvis House over looking the west Don River where the family operated both a grist mill and saw mill. And like Mary Jarvis above, Catherine Shepard [nee Fisher] extened the main house with a large greenhouse and wild fower gardens along with the uniquitous coach house and farm buildings to run a operating farm which supplied some of the needs of the growing settlement of York. At the corner of Yonge Street and what eventually became Sheppard Avenue the family later ran a general store. This was later sold to the Dempsey family and moved in the latter 1980’s to form a local museum.

Both men served in the 3rd York Militia during the war of 1812. The York Militia was a volunter unit of “irregulars” like so many others. Both William Jarvis and Joseph Shepard were merchant farmers at the time with William Jarvis [later the famous Sherrif of York and the name sake of Jarvis Street which lead to his estate up from Front Street and who served as an officer along with Joseph Shepard of Scots-Irish descent who served as a private. He was at the ill-fated battle of York in April 1813, suffering injuries in the explosion of the powder magazine ingloriously set off after the surrender and serious enough to warrant a lifetime pension. Both men were taken by the American forces under General Pike and General Deerborn and later released “petitioned by Pardons” both having given their promise not to fight or further serve in the conflict. Both were like so many others minor partners in the local supply house operated by the North West Company operated out of Montreal under the directions of William MacGillvray. This was later replaced by the Farmers’ Storehouse Company which was created in 1824 [shortly after the “merger” of the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821-22] at the bottom of Jarvis Street to store members’ produce and to buy and sell for them both locally and across the lake with the Americans. And again Jarvis and Shepard were founding directors. The warehouse was sometimes called “Shepard’s Hall”.

And like so many others attended many of the parties at the official residence of Major General Isaac Brock at Fort York in what was referred to the Government House on the north quadrant of Fort York. This one and a half story frame building along with so many others in and around Fort York were burned by the Americans after their attack and shortly before their departure in April of 1813. The Commander of the Fort York garrison, General Roger [the original dogger] Hale [and not so hardy] Schaeffe was still on the olde Kingston Road leading east out of town running all the way to Fort Henry in Kingston on “the March of Shame”. The Duke of Wellington later ordered his arrest and return to England to be court marshalled for abject cowardice and dereliction of duty in the face of inferior forces. The Fort remained in ruins for over 100 years and sold by the Federal Government for a pitance to the City of Toronto.

So much for these two men. But what of Mrs. Mary Jarvis of Rosedale House and Mrs. Catherine Shepard of Wildwood House. Two roses for sure and as wives of merchant farmers, politicians and volunteers in the 3rd York Militia I dare say they had their voices heard and were power-houses behind their men-folk especially after they were paroled by the Americans. What say you of them.
Keeping in mind that their history is not taught by “Canadian history teachers” to make room no doubt for “multi-cuturalism” ... in ruins just like olde Fort York - thank God for the modern internet.

So here we are in the warmth of the late afternoon with the sun ever so gloriously shining through the windows as it begins its inevitable journey to the horizon and begins to set in the west – the glass panelled doors are open and the smell of roses and wild flowers comes waffting in on the gentle breezes of the Don River tributaries and the small of cooking drifts in from beyond the peach house and from the kitchen just beyond. Over their left is the beautiful oak desk with papers piled high, a copy of the signed Petitions of Pardon and receipts from the North West Company supply house. Add to that the most recent copy [week olde] of the Montreal Gazette just in from the harbour and the fresh pampflet called the colonial York Gazette from York speaking of events from the war of 1812 now freshly arrived at their door-step in late August of 1813. Amongst these papers and receipts are references to dispatches between Sir James Lucas Yeo covering movements on Lake Ontario, Lord Sir James Robert Drummond and Commodore Robert Barlcay with preparations on Lake Erie. The recent fiasco at Fort York will prove to be a very expensive venture with implications for the future and for all concerned. All main stream history.

One item of note is the arrival of a very special shipment of Baker Rifles paid for and from “the merchants of Aberdeen” Scotland and forwarded on behalf of Richardson & Forsythe in Montreal and notated by the wife of Mr. William MacGillivray, one Elizabeth MacDonald daughter of Lord MacDonald of Garth. Everyone is familiar with the Brown Bess musket which even then had been around for years. But the fairly new Baker Musket or rifle [made famous in the TV series Sharpe’s Rifles] had been around since 1803 and was used to equip various ranger groups during the war of 1812 including three well-known groups in Upper Canada. In 1811 these rifles were highly prized and which were lighter and far more accurate than the Tower Musket [Tower of London made and issued] at over three times the distance. The first group to be so supplied were the “re-constituted” Rogers Rifle [previous members of the British Roger’s Rangers, loyalists from Upper New York who had settled in the Hamilton area led by Colonel Land] Company of Fort Erie, the next group were the Colonel Dolsen’s Rifle Company associated with Fort Amherstberg [Windsor area] and the last group to be equipped were the Johnston’s Rifles led by the British Indian Agent Colonel Robert Johnston. What the three ladies knew was that all three groups were associated with the North West Company and their supply chain from Montreal all the way out to the west coast, and more importantly and closer to home with the schooner NANCY. Ah, now we have the reason for the Blog. Just like a good movie script.

And yes, the NANCY [later commissioned in the spring of 1814 as HM Schooner NANCY] which was the North West Company’s express executive 87’ schooner which ran supplies from Fort Erie and a place called Black Rock to Fort Amherstberg – Sandwich [Moy Hall – her operational base – a stone’s throw from the Hiram Walker Whisky plant in Windsor – good Scotch whisky] up to Fort St. Joseph and to Fort Mackinaw on the island and onto her northern base at St. Mary’s Falls. So the NANCY was equipped with six long four pounders and two more in the hold, six one pound long railing guns and of course the modern light weight Baker Rifle supplied to her crew who trained with Colonel Dolsen and Colonel Johnston. Yes she carried the Tower muskets but they were relegated to the level of general trade and garrison muskets.

The NANCY was so successful in dealing with the Americans and their ships of the Lake Erie fleet under Commodore Perry and later Commodore Sinclair during the whole of the war of 1812 that in July of 1814 they sent their two frigates the USS LAWRENCE and the USS NIAGARA along with three new war schooners, the USS TIGRESS, the USS SCORPION and the USS CHIPPEWA to take her out as well as create a little havoc at some of the British garrisons. 600 Americans against 30 British and equal number of Indians and Johnston’s Rifles. Later in August, a month later the Americans cornered the NANCY at the mouth of the Nottawasaga River because Captain MacIntosh [commander for 30 years who wanted to run the NANCY into her base and hide her in Matchdash Bay] and Commander Worsley of the British navy [the new guy] argued all the way down Georgian Bay as to what was the best way to save the NANCY.

As luck would have it, the NANCY was lost but with the guidance of Captain Alexander MacIntosh and his crew, members of Robert Johnston’s Rifles, a few Indians and remnants of Robert McDoualls militia armed with the olde Tower flintlocks, the remaining American schooners the USS SCORPION and the USS TIGRESS were taken at Detour passage to replace the NANCY.

Such is history, and while William Jarvis and Joseph Shepard couldn’t sign the “in-transit shipping papers” for the war materiel headed north up Yonge Street through lake Simcoe to the NANCY’s supply base in Matchdash Bay at what is now Port Severn [Lock 45], their wives Mary Jarvis and Catherine Shepard could, and so they had a hand in the success of the little Scottish schooner, the NANCY on that fateful day in August of 1813 in Rosedale and the NANCY’s fateful day in August of the following year. Our thanks to Elizabeth [MacDonald] MacGillivray in Montreal as well. The ladies took very good care of their little friend, the Queen of the Northern Lakes …. the NANCY.

One final note for the ladies of Rosedale Mary Jarvis and Catherine Shepard, that after the fiasco of April 1813 at Fort York, they, like so many others women became a crack shot with the new Baker rifle. They pre-dated little Annie Oakley who also used the same Baker rifle.
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Help us raise funds for the new NANCY. She is as important to Canadians as the Alamo is the Americans. She is history well worth preserving. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you

HMS NANCY - Her Place in History Ignored

Naval History – Military History
Errors in Fact
And
Ltd Com Miller Worsley and Lt Com Newdigate Poyntz
Never spoke of Lt Col Robert McDouall

As the Military Recorded Events on Georgian Bay 1814

The Voyage of the Newfoundland Fencibles - Spring of 1814
According to Keith Bacon's paper below, Nine Mile Portage built in the middle of the 20 mile by 8 mile mosquito and Mississauga rattle snake infested Minesing Swamp and Willow creek became important to the British military efforts in 1813, after the loss of the Lake Erie fleet and control of that Lake required some form of access to Georgian Bay and their fort at Michillimackinac now Mackinaw Island, Michigan (*).
A party of soldiers from the Newfoundland Fencible Regiment, and “some sailors and naval artificers” (*), set out from Kingston in early 1814. Marching to York [Toronto along what is known as Kingston Road], they travelled up Yonge Street to the Holland Landing, [up the Holland River] across the ice on Lake Simcoe [into Iroquois Bay - Kempenfelt] and eight miles west into the woods, following the Nine Mile Portage.
Near the head of Willow Creek, the soldiers constructed 29 batteaux, loaded them with supplies and travelled down Willow Creek and the Nottawasaga River and through the ice of Georgian Bay to Michillimackinac.
Below is an account of that voyage, taken from the London Gazette [England] of August 1814.

COLONIAL DEPARTMENT.
Downing Street, August, 1814.
DISPATCHES, of which the following are an extract and copy, have been this day received from Lieutenaut-General Sir George Prevost, by Earl Bathurst, His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the War and Colonies.
Head-Quarters, Montreal, July 10, 1814
I HAVE the honour to report to your Lordship, the safe arrival at Michilimackinac on the 18th of May last, of Lieutenant-Colonel [Robert] M'Douall, with the whole of the reinforcements of troops and seamen, and of the supplies of stores and provisions with which he sailed from Nottawasaga River on the 25th April preceding. The difficulties experienced in conducting open and deeply laden batteaux, across so great an extent of water as Lake Huron, covered with immense fields of ice, and agitated by violent gales of wind, could only have been surmounted by the zeal, perseverance and abilities, of the officers commanding this expedition for nineteen days it was nearly one continued struggle with the elements, during which time the dangers, hardships and privations, to which the men were exposed, were sufficient to discourage the boldest amongst them, and at times threatened the total destruction of the flotilla. By uncommon exertions, however, the obstacles to the progress of the boats were surmounted, and the whole, with the exception of one only (the lading of which was saved), reached the place of their destination, to the great joy of the garrison, who had been anxiously looking out for this timely relief.
Measures were taken by Colonel M'Douall, immediately after his arrival, to strengthen the defences of the fort; and I have had the satisfaction of hearing from him as late as the .18th of June, that the works had assumed so formidable an attitude, as to leave him no apprehension of the result of any attack which, the enemy might make upon this post. Colonel M'Douall reports to me the arrival at the fort of nearly two hundred of the Western warriors, under Mr. [Robert] Dickson [North West Company fur trader and Indian Agent for the British during the War and buried on Drummond Island at the Fort Drummond cemetery]; a reinforcement which he considers highly important. He describes these Western warriors to be a warlike and determined race, on whom great reliance may be placed.


As the Royal Navy Recorded Events on Georgian Bay 1814

In reviewing history in general it is well worth noting that dispatches written by Royal naval officers rarely if ever mention the officers or names of British military officers as they left it up to the British military establishment to promote their “own causes”. So it comes as no surprise that dispatches written by military officers hardly ever mention the names of Royal naval officers and or their ships even if in some cases the ships were contracted to carry supplies for the military. What occurs are errors in judgement and geography and a sense of disproportion and guidance that is seen to this very day in terms of the general lack of co-operation between various services including those involved in security operations.

An interesting case in point involves four men who were involved with the Lake Huron squadron during the closing stages of the War of 1812 in 1814 during the war of 1812. The players here are of course Captain Alexander MacIntosh of Moy Hall and the NANCY based at Sandwich next to Fort Amherstburg [Windsor] and the NANCY’s ship’s Master Jacob Hammond and crew under the employ of the North West Company and the local British Indian Agent, Mr. Robert Dickson. These men through their allies from the Three Fires Confederacy [Ottawa-Ojibwa-Potawatani and Sauk] where in control of everything and had been since well before 1807.
Into this mix post the loss of the Lake Erie fleet under Commodore Barclay to Commodore Perry the previous year, all that was left of the Royal navy and military [both with their own list of bad and ineffective officers] west of Fort Henry in Kingston was the North West Company’s executive express schooner the very beautiful NANCY. [See previous Blogs]
The British navy now decided to bless the NANCY with a naval commission and call her HMS NANCY as she was the sole surviving vessel from the Lake Erie squadron and armed to the teeth. In fact her crew had trained with the Captain Dolsen’s rifle company with the baker Rifle – not the old Brown Bess. To this we now add the son of a well connected aristocrat from north London, one Lt. Com Newdigate Poyntz who arrived with the spring break-up of the ice on Georgian Bay in May of 1814 to take control of the now HMS NANCY and what formed the Lake Huron squadron. A certain self opinionated Lt Col Robert McDouall from the British military establishment had proceeded him by only a month. And his had no political or lordly connections. Needless to say they were instantly at odds with each other as to who or whom controlled what – when – and where.
Correspondence and the ship’s logs of the NANCY indicated that both men wanted the other replaced and as a result of volumes of correspondence between them and General Proctor, Lord James Yeo, Lord Drummond, Lord Halifax – Lt Col Robert McDouall was on his own and Lt Com Poyntz was seconded to Sir James Yeo staff in Kingston to be replaced by another scions son, one Lt Com Miller Worsley. He too had no real use for Lt McDouall.
If you read the correspondence as shown above the results can be clearly seen in what is not mentioned and who is left out in Lt. McDouall dispatches. In reading the dispatches of Lt Com’s Poyntz and Worsley that same can be said on the other side. That my friend is the “thrust of history”

This same military over naval dispatches is carried on even to day. In the later part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century one military historian by the name of Breithaupt CE [which was ridiculed by journalist from the Toronto Evening Telegram as Breithaupt of the common error] repeated much of the erroneous information above perpetuating the dispatches of McDouall.

(*) The NANCY, now HMS NANCY and “her Batteaux” under the able command of both Alexander MacIntosh and Lt Com Poyntz carried most of the supplies to take the island fortress of Fort Mackinaw while the little wooden palisade of Fort Michilimaquinac on the mainland across from Fort Mackinaw was left to be taken by Lt Col McDouall with the Batteaux that they could scrounge up made by the “sailors and seamen and men of the North West Company” from the Upper Canada lake squadron on Lake Huron. Oh really.

(*) As for the major supply route from Lake Simcoe to the Georgian Bay - the British navy and the British army diverge. The military took the low road through the mosquito and Mississauga snake [poisonous rattle snake] infested Minesing swap and had to use it after the ice break-up in March and certainly before the middle of May or face the dreaded black fly season. This route had very limited uses and could not be used again until late fall. The Royal navy took the advice of the Ojibwa and went north to Lake Couchiching to the north and west and what is now the Severn River to “la chute” [the falls] at the juncture of Matchdash Bay and on into Georgian Bay. Only had to tranship their cargoes once past a 700 foot portage on this route and avoided the use of back-packing it through the eight mile swamp.

Even today, I leave it to the reader to chose which route he or she would take. Hence the NANCY’s main supply bases were at Saint Mary’s Falls to the north where we pick up the story of the NANCY last four months in here Log beginning with march 31, 1814 and ending on August 14, 1814. Lt. Com Miller Worsley only had command of HMS NANCY [actually HM Schooner NANCY] from the last days of July to August 14, 1814 and for two weeks after that of her crew as they made their way back to Fort Mackinaw in the Batteaux to retake it again; this time with MacIntosh and Worsley fully in control and McDouall pulling up the rear with his men equipped with the old Brown Bess Muskets. The NANCY crew were equipped with the very best courtesy of William MacGillivray of the North West Company – the Baker Rifle.

Just to make sure all is fair in love and war, we will not mention a certain fort lost long ago in the Minesing Swap and they will not mention the very beautiful and highly successful HMS NANCY and her War Log.

The NANCY is as important to Upper Canada [Ontario] and the rest of Canada as the Alamo is to Texas and hence to the United States. Ah - but do our history teachers teach this … I doubt it very much !

HMS NANCY - War of 1812 Bi-Centennial

HMS NANCY – War of 1812 Bi-Centennial

In writing Blogs one is always aware of its audience large or small and for marine history buffs I would dare to say that it is on the smallish side and rather unique. In terms of fund raising it is more unique still and when it comes to raising funds for the Bi-Centennial of the war of 1812 which is being celebrated from 2012 to the spring of 2015.

For larger corporations who donate in the five figure range there is a slightly different format than for those commercial enterprises businesses who donate in the four figure range that format is again different still from those who are small businesses who donate in the three figure range. For this grouping the tax write-off is essential but with the commercial tax rate in Canada being effectively 19% the incentive here is modest.

Beyond this group there is the unique corporation, usually a developer, who looks at it from the commercial advertising point of view and form an investment syndicate to underwrite the project from a commercial marketing purposes and this can revolve around a timing schedule rather than a tax schedule. In other words for them it is a direct cost of doing business. For the Nancy Project we luckily have a representative from each group.

The last threshold in terms of fund raising, and this is always asked by each group, and that is what is the government doing [read contributing] towards marine heritage here in Canada. The answer to that question is as expected – not much. For marine heritage other than say building a wharf or building there is some funding, but for anything that “floats” or might move, the answer is clearly no.

For the Nancy project, the Foundation did talk with the Trillium Foundation and because the NANCY floats, the answer is no support. Also we would have to have a history of raising funds on an annual basis equivalent to that which we would be seeking. For the Federal Government the answer is that same, the olde phrase –“whatever floats your boat” is clearly not working. While we did make a full Business Plan presentation and indicate our corporate support they still refused to answer even after a year and with the full support of the two major cities involved.

They, the Federal Ministry of Heritage did, after a year, refer us to a local group for the Bi-Centennial Committee who refused to support the project because they wanted a full listing of corporate supporters – which any Foundation would never do, and they took their lead from the Federal Government and didn’t like anything that floats – and the fact that we were a “private” Foundation, even though we have a heritage like none other, with our Directors and previous programs going back some 125 years. The local Committee was aghast that we would ask and that they were fully aware that we knew that they had 15 other museums with no relationship to the war of 1812 at all and were developing programs just so they could attract Federal funding. The Nancy be damned.

It didn’t help that the corporate developer, which has the Nancy’s syndicated funding, delayed their input for one year. Even more thrilling for the local group, for if the Nancy were to proceed, then it would be seen as the “elephant in the room” except in this case it would have been all of Simcoe County. The tourism impact would have been enormous; but “what the hey” as they say.

So then, what is next in terms of fund raising while we wait for one more river to cross before we get to Jordan as the olde camp song goes, or in our case cross from Jordan into Israel where our sponsor and their funding base is from.

So we develop our “QR code” and start a secondary funding program for what is called the “deck furniture” for the new Nancy and here it is:-

Subject: HMS NANCY Project – War of 1812 Bi-Centennial – 2012 to 2015

While most of the activity and Federal funding initiatives will be along the Niagara frontier there is one program which is essential to Simcoe County and that is of course the project to build a replica of the very famous 100’ HMS NANCY from the War of 1812. The events around the NANCY during the final year of the war in 1814 were essential to the British retaking strategic territory on Georgian Bay [Lake Huron] such that we were able to regain all southern Ontario taken by the Americans, even though all the Forts along the Niagara frontier were lost, and the boundary finally settled at the 49th parallel.

Since the crew of the NANCY and her allies later settled for the most part in Simcoe County, we believe that we should also be a focal part of the celebrations. While we anticipate a private corporate sponsor looking at the cost of the new ship next year, we are now looking a supplementary funding program to raise sufficient funds for her armaments - six new cannons at $5500 each along with twelve replica muskets-rifles at $750 each [two to a case] as well as her ships bell at $1100 and her two main admiralty anchors at $2300 each.

For this endeavour then, we, the NANCY-GRIFFON Foundation, Federally registered charity, asked for your financial support for this supplementary program for the replica of the NANCY, which will be based in Port McNicoll, the closest deepwater harbour to both Barrie and Orillia. Once finished she will sail around the Great Lakes representing the truly great heritage of Barrie - Simcoe County and southern Georgian Bay. For Cell phone users please scan the image below and visit our website for further information. Your financial support would be sincerely appreciated. Thank you very much.

Yours truly

Eric J. Macklin
Chairman
The NANCY Project

H. M. S. Nancy - The Nancy Project

H.M. Schooner Nancy Project
To Build a Replica of HM Schooner NANCY - Bi-Centennial 2012-2015

I think as Blogs go I should dedicate this one to Helen Ready, she used “Hear me Roar” so based on that and the long suffering Nancy Project, we shall say “ Hear Me Shout”

It has long been my experience as a Senior Bank Manager, some 35 years, in managing business proposals through various levels of business plans and the ubiquitous five year cash flow projections, was the importance of maintaining a sharpe focus on what one really wanted to accomplish. Did I, or did they succeed with every business proposal or decision I/we ever made over the years? Hardly! Nobody does, nor should anyone expect to!

It is important, however to recognize that in not succeeding at a goal, or not making the right decision, or even succeeding with a false schedule or time-line, doesn’t necessarily qualify as a failure. Remarkably few people recognize this fact. Why we might ask? Because most of those same people are too frightened or too timid in their lives of imminent or long term failure or to even aim for future success. Most of these people even fear to look up from the sidewalk or from the daily beat of their lives to look over the next hill or around the next corner.
Its not so much the time travelled or the road travelled or the distance traveled, as it is the importance of the journey itself along the way and the multitude of side trips know euphemistically as “tangents”. One must take a patient and careful aim along the sight line of one’s proposal before you consider giving it whatever it may be, your best shot. Probably the reason why the great American Samuel Colt invented the “six shooter”. Hell, even the olde shotgun has two barrels. So fire away.

So there we were in November of 2009 sitting in the second floor offices just before noon at the invitation of the developer who shall remain nameless to protect the innocent; could be either one of us; not really sure at this point in the game; to discuss the building of the “long in the tooth” project, the Nancy for the Bi-Centennial of 1812 in 2012 and beyond. There we were bright eyed and bushy tailed so to speak as the potential sponsor and President of the company gently rubbed his fingers over the embossed figure head for the Nancy on the letterhead and listened serenely to the project and what it could do for tourism for his investment on Georgian Bay and the ability to attract visitors to his moribund project and from that elicit some real estate buyers. After all it is a $1.9 billion dollar project. Keep that in mind.

“Done” says he; “Just get me the plans for the Nancy from the naval architect along with a shipyard and we’ll build her and of course a Business Plan for our investors. And bye the bye we’ll make you the Project Manager”.
“OK” says I. “It’s a deal, but getting an architect to do the plans for the yard may take the better part of a year”.
“Fine” says he. “Just let me know when you are ready and keep in touch with my VP here ... Mr. So and So”
We all agree and off we go. As in every story .. not quite… even though it is down in black and white with the VP … Mr. So-and-So.

So we kept in touch and arranged for what had been requested of us and even arranged to get the endorsement of the local communities along the way as the architect nears the end of the getting the plans ready for the yard. Naval drawings are not cheap as they say, about 5% of the building cost of $2.9 million. You work it out. Time is now approaching one year and we arrange for a conference call with, you guessed it, a new So-and-So who had just replaced the old So-and-So and couple of months before.

“No so fast” Says the new So-and-So. “We’ve hit a snag in our $1.9 billion development and must put you off for at least another year, maybe, in order to finance the Nancy Project”
“What the hey” Say I. “Another year after 34 years in reality won’t make that big a difference and we wish you well, especially in your negotiation with the Feds”

Shortly after November 2009 in December of 2009 we approached the local MP in the area of the “connected development” to whom we handed a copy of the Business Plan and submitted our request for a heritage ship building grant for the “project”. Then we appraoched our own MP and the MP in the area of the shipyard which would build the Nancy for their blessing which we received verbally, of course. Our MP said an answer would be forth coming in about 6 months. In three months we had heard nothing from the Ministry of Heritage Canada and re-submitted the Business Plan all over again this time directly on a CD. In a year, not much to our surprise, we still had heard nothing from the Federal Minister of Heritage. In January of 2010 he did respond to us saying that our application for the little grant had to come in via the Central Ontario Bi-Centennial Committee. Technically we had been declined and the local committee was now assigned the dirty work of saying no. And why could the Minister or the three MP’s for that matter not told us earlier.

It didn’t help that the conference call with the developer had happened just one week earlier, when the decision from the Bi-Centennial Committee came rolling in. And as we had predicted, along with a few other items, such as paragraph one which said that the Nancy Project would be “disruptive to their local committee’s plans”. Their plans included having twelve moribund museums with little or no following let alone any connection to the war of 1812 [there were three other venues that did] coming up with plans to attract funding for their “temporary venues” from the Federal government. But on it went for four more reasons, with the fifth reason of course being that they had just been made aware that the developer had had a change in plans for the foreseeable future.

So there we have it. Dead but not quite. It’s almost atypical of the Nancy Saga itself. Like many others, we're marathon runners, we're not sprinters. Mind you though the developer who as I shall remain nameless could always, say bring an old CP steamer back at the cost of nearly $35 million once its re-floated or how about an olde decommissioned Canadian submarine just like they did in Longueille Quebec at close to $65 million paid in large part by Quebec Hydro and the Quebec Municipal Employees Union. The Nancy Project is only $2.9 million, hell lets round it off to $3 million and even at twice the price makes more sense. It could sail around the lakes and even attract a sizeable return on investment. With guaranteed advertising from the Federal and provincial government the project could very easily pay for itself. But that is the private sector talking!
Hoist the Main Sails for HMS Nancy and bring on the chutzpah and we’ll add a large dose of moxie. for good measure. How Shakespearean in Measure for Measure. And instead of using Letters of Credit to support investments dollars from Singapore as one wit suggested, we could use Letters of Credit to support investment dollars from Europe to utilize, not the old US denominated dollars from Asia but, the same bucks the US treasury doesn’t recognize sitting in Europe after the end of WW2. I say lets make dollars and sense.

Oh, almost forgot my dear friend Helen, “hear me shout” girl!

* * * * *

They Fired Once More and Proctor Kept a Runnin

Of course the tile is a parody, but like so many parodies, its far closer to the truth than the fairy tales we’ve been fed as it passes for the Canadian History of the War of 1812. And like so many stories written by Canadian history writers passing themselves off as historians they are just that, stories. And more often than not, they are repeated from earlier fairy tales and poorly researched historical vignettes.

Other than the brave effort put forth by major General Sir Isaac Brock, surrounded by Republican fools and sympathizers, in the opening stages of the War of 1812 on the north American continent, the land engagements and what there was of the so called fleet actions on Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, they were largely a string of one-act scenes of military stupidity. Ultimately, any success obtained from the jaws of defeat were obtained by junior Lieutenants, while senior officers were busy obtaining defeat from the hands of the Gods of Victory. One only has to read the notes from the Duke of Wellington on the efforts of senior officers in Upper Canada during the conflict.

The three main officers in question were of course Commodore Robert Heriot Barclay in command of the Lake Erie Squadron under Sir James Lucas Yeo based safely in Kingston, and two subaltern Colonels who weren’t worth their uniforms according to General Brock who subsequent to Brock’s untimely death in 1812 actually fighting in the field, a concept totally unknown to these two twerps, known now by the names of General Henry Proctor and General Roger “the Dodger” Scheaffe. Proctor was born in Boston and a Republican sympathizer from well before the war, and Scheaffe, was just a plain old fashion coward. Both of whom were “yanked” by the Duke of Wellington in 1814. In modern parlance these folks especially the later two would be called “dumb and dumber”.

One more point here as we prepare a very short discussion paper on the War of 1812, is the fact that all the commercial trade along the great lakes and well into the interior and beyond was controlled by the either the North West Company under John Richard and John Forsythe and William MacGillivray or their contemporary and at one time partner John Jacob Astor of the now South West Company. In many cases they shared the same trading posts and looked after each others commercial interests. The other factor was that in 1811 the British naval contracted with these companies for the supplies of their forces and to provide transportation from point to point for major personnel including the various Indian leaders. This is another story, but no less interesting in the host of characters that sailed on-board these ships and engagements they were involved in. This ad-hoc group of vessels and men involved were loosely called the Provincial Marine. To be more precise for the purist that reads these things, the Provincial marine was branch of the British Army Quarter-Master General’s department whose main tasks were to transport troops and supplies to various sites and/or engagements. The Provincial Marine was subsequent to the fiasco of Commodore Barclay’s little engagement on Lake Erie on September 10, 1813, absorbed by the Royal Navy.

Hence the executive express schooner of the North West Company known as the NANCY, the largest and fastest schooner on the lakes now became HM Schooner NANCY and one Lt Com Miller Worsley of the Lake Erie fleet, who some how escaped being “paroled” by the Americans subsequent to the loss and capture of the HMS Queen Charlotte, was sent on his way to take over the command of the NANCY. As to how and with whom and led by whom over how long and over which sequence of Indian trails to get to Matchdash Bay to assume command is a story for another time. Rest assured it is not in the rather sophomoric history books of our Canadian schools. There is one other fine point to be made here and that is that the NANCY carried six long four pounders and were also made of bronze. These weighed about a ton each, and because they were bronze could literally be fired all day long as opposed to the their iron versions. These my friends were the original “rifles” of their day, and very accurate at a greater distance than the iron versions. Once again, a story for another time and place and again one not taught in our Canadian history books. Ok so there we have it.

So the War of 1812 started out not too badly, our friend Brock was doing well and even then he had to suspend the right of habeas-corpus due to the large number of Republican sympathizers in his ranks and amongst the new comers to Upper Canada. Such were the times and natures of conflicts as I am more than sure they exist even in today’s environment and even amongst those for the Bi-Centennial efforts to “celebrate” as it were, the events of the original.

So with the untimely death of General Brock 1812 comes a new year and some old and tired faces for his replacements. The first is of course the Republican born Colonel Henry Proctor of Boston, who constantly pissed Brock off by arranging numerous armistices with the Americans on the Niagara frontier while he, Brock, was await attending to other duties. No surprise here. Next comes dear sweet Colonel Roger “the Dodger” Scheaffe who is now the idiotic General stationed at Fort York. Last but certainly not least is Commodore Robert Heriot Barclay. Totally uncomfortable on the deck of anything that floats. In their hands rests the fate of Upper Canada. God help us as they say, but then again even God knows when to leave. Even the Grand War Chief Roundhead [Blackbear]of the Ottawa along with Grand War Chief Blackbird of the Ojibwa after the death of Colonel Tecumseth and at the Grand Council on the 7th in the fall of 1813 called all three of these leaders “women among women” and never to be served or acknowledged again.

So what are we celebrating during the Bi-Centennial of the War of 1812 on the Canadian side after the glorious days of 1812. 1813 and 1814 of course. So here we go from east to west.
1. Fort Henry and the Naval Base in Kingston. No problems here other than the fact that the vessels in the “fleet” were the recipients of a multitude of name plates to scare the Americans away. And no engagements of note.
2. Fort York. April 27, 1813. After an embarrassingly brief [and as previously arranged] engagement between General Roger “the Dodger” Scheaffe and the two American Generals Zebulon Pike and Henry Dearborn. Scheaffe was the great coward of the war that we have and after a short skirmish marched a out of Fort York as fast as he could all the way back to Kingston. Even the Americans were totally disgusted with his actions. Fort is burned to the ground and only after 2 days of the American killing a raping everything in sight is it brought to an end by Bishop Strachan. Thank God the North West Company supply warehouse remains in tact thanks to prior arrangements with the Astor family in New York. It should be noted that during the up-coming Bi-Centennial celebrations that the Federal Government will be spending in excess of $4 million to celebrate this wondrous event and make the American feel right at home. After all we do want to keep them happy and have continuous access to their markets for our goods.
3. Fort George. May 25, 1813. What can I say. Brigadier General John Vincent having taken over Brock’s two regiments, the 8th Kings and the 49th merrily proceeds to lose the fort in a much honoured and timely fashion to the more skill full American one General Jacob Brown. Oddly enough the supply base for the NWCo remains in tact.
4. Fort Erie. From January 13, 1813 to June 9 1813 the Americans simply walker over the “border” and took this stone fort. They eventually abandoned it out of boredom. On July 3, 1814 the Americans returned under the command of General Jacob Brown and after no more than 20 minutes the British Commander Major Thomas Buck “surrendered”. The Americans later totally demolished the place. No surprise there. For these last two forts outside of the Lundy’s lane skirmish the Federal Government via Parks Canada is spending in excess of $10 million. There are plenty of military and militia bodies yet to be exhumed and properly buried all along the escarpment, but we don’t honour them with a proper burial. All well documented by others.
5. Fort Amherstburg. This was the largest combined military – naval base west of the Fort Henry complex in Kingston. Major General Sir Isaac Brock’s pride and joy in the wilderness at the western end of Lake Erie and at the base of Lake St Clair. From here Brock controlled the Michigan/Wisconsin territories with nearly 2000 men. This was also the NANCY’s main operational base at Moy outside of her base at Matchdash Bay just to the east of modern day Port McNicoll. Brock was here while Colonel Proctor dallied and dillied with the Americans on the Niagara frontier.
6. So then after September 10th, 1813, General Brock is now long gone and with our friend Commodore Barclay’s defeat on Lake Erie, General Henry Proctor takes over matters as the senior military commander and without so much as “a how do you do” to the American General, one William Henry Harrison, does what comes naturally, he simply abandons the entire well defended military/naval complex and like his close friend and confidant Scheaffe who quick marches out of York to Kingston, Proctor marches/floats up the Thames River Valley. Only God knows where this clown was headed. It certainly wasn’t Fort York. At the battle of the Thames we of course have the disgusting battle involving three American Generals along with Proctor and Tecumseth. Only one ran away and abandoned the battle after only a few minutes. Guess who? You know, the guy born in Boston. After that the Americans simply walked into Fort Amherstburg, which by the way was also named after Lord Amherst just like the village in PEI, the Americans renamed the Fort, Fort Malden. Proctor’s reputation was so bad that the Americans said they wanted nothing to do with him even if they did catch him.
7. Fort St Joseph. This regrettable story actually starts and finishes on July 16, 1812. This Fort lies between Fort Malden just to the west and which is part of the HM Schooner NANCY saga and what was later called Fort Drummond on Drummond island just to the west. All three were situated on an archipelago of individual islands at the western tip of Grand Manitoulin Island all of which belonged to the Grand War Chief and now General Blackbird of the Ojibwa Nations. He was the primary and chief spokesman for the Three Fires Confederacy during the war including the Grand War Chief of the Michigan/Wisconsin Sauk and Potawatoni nations, one Chief Blackhawk. The third Grand war Chief of the Three Fires Confederacy was Chief Blackbear. These were their sacred meeting islands.
In any event, a rather young British commander by the name of Captain Charles Roberts withdraws the entire command at the Fort included his Indian allies, who should have known better, to attack Fort Michlimacquinac on the main land which is just opposite Fort Mackinaw across a short body of water on an island. Roberts was so noisy about his intensions that the Americans knew about it long before he set out and arrived later the following morning and took over an empty Fort St Joseph. At which point the Americans simply torn down the fort and blew up the fortifications and magazine. They also knew that this was a sacred meeting island of the Ojibwa and likewise proceeded to destroy the Indians operational base and sacred cemetery there as well. Hence the unanimous support of the Three Fires Confederacy for the rest of the war all because what happened from July 16 1812 to July 19, 1812. Such is history.

Such is the history of the War of 1812 in Upper Canada. It was all down hill from the fall of 1812 onwards. There were no forts, or “fleets for that matter” west of Fort Henry other than the rubble left behind by the Americans. The only thing left was the very effective North West Company executive schooner NANCY now HM Schooner NANCY, her crew of professional royal navy gunners from the naval base at Fort Amherstburg and her six foot bronze “rifles” and new her new “baker rifles” to replace the old worn out Tower Muskets and all the “non-paroled” men and officers who could make it north in time, and of course her allies with the Three Fires Confederacy.

One point here is that the Indian leaders of the Three Fires Confederacy said that they would never serve with any British officer above that of Lieutenant ever again. But that is another story for another time.

The one and only major story is that of the NANCY, she never lost a running engagement, and more often that not, against a superior enemy force. Any nation worth its salt would be proud to have the NANCY as part of their history. When all the senior officers failed, the junior officers won the day. She served in every major water borne engagement and from Fort Erie to Fort Meigs, Detroit, Amherstburg, Malden, Michlimacquinac, St Mary’s, Fort Joseph and deep into Saginaw Bay, and her Indian allies loved her as their “great and proud war canoe”. She, along with her commander Alexander MacIntosh, her owners Richardson/Astor never failed their Indian allies in nearly 25 years of service and they in return acted as her ears and eyes on land from the Niagara Peninsula all the way to the Saint Mary’s River and her mid-operational base in Matchdash Bay at the east end of Georgian Bay. But that too is another story for another time.

The return of the NANCY was set for the Bi-Centennial in 2012 and we had raised a commitment of $2.9 million from developers in Toronto for her reconstruction. We asked for a small Federal shipbuilding grant of 5% to 15% to unlock our private sponsorship but they, from the Conservative Government Caucus down were unimpressed. In the end we asked to seek approval from the local government appointed Bi-Centennial group who after we called in 2009 never returned our call. As it turns out our project was simply too large and they felt threatened by it. I am sure we are not the only private group to be ignored. The Toronto developer was even less impressed and who may very well have bailed before I was aware of it. However we thank him for his interest while it lasted. It was great fun.

Like major General Sir Isaac Brock and Chief and Colonel [General had he lived] Tecumseth of the great Shawnee Nation, we did what we could. Enjoy the Bi-Centennial for what it will be and for what it won’t be.