Quote:
Originally posted by PM_Mama00
Ohhh maybe you can answer this for me. On our way to Sarnia/Grand Bend from Detroit, we were passing through the Native, um, Canadian? land. There was a tiny building that could have been one of their houses, that had spray painted on the side "Canada: Where were you in 1812?" What is that?
|
Native Canadians (more often called First Nations up here) fought on the side of the British/Canadian forces... under the leadership of Techumseh - the Native Canadians were praised for their actions and promised numerous consessions from the British Crown... but these were ignored by the Canadian government and much of the land granted to the defenders taken by settlers. It is one of the major legal issues regarding land-claims in that area of Southern Ontario that has been brought to courts during the last 2 decades... including some "hostile" confrontations over "Native Lands" that led to the death of Dudley George over the occupation of a Canadian Forces Training Base.
Hoosier - of course your textbooks don't say you lost
but I know that they can't say the US won - after all the US declared war on Britain and it's North American colonies and invaded what is now Canada in order to annex it... however the US forces were repusled in battles that served to unite the English and French, and while York (now Toronto) was breifly captured and burnt - it was Canadian and British forces that captured Detriot and burnt Washington DC.
DeltAlum - Canada didn't exist as a nation or dominion then, just the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada (Ontario and Quebec)... and while obstensively the US was fighting British troops, however more than half of the British forces were Canadian militia.
Take a gander at this site listing the forces of each side
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812
I consider it a victory for Canada and Britian simply because they sucessfully defended British North America from a force roughly 6 times there size and strength - and even launched successful counter-attacks
.... and of course for your reading pleasure
The Bold Canadian
Come all ye bold Canadians,
I'd have you lend an ear
Unto a short ditty
Which will your spirits cheer,
Concerning an engagement
We had at Detroit town,
The pride of those Yankee boys
So bravely we took down.
The Yankees did invade us,
To kill and to destroy,
And to distress our country,
Our peace for to annoy,
Our countrymen were filled
With sorrow, grief and woe,
To think that they should fall
By such an unnatural foe.
Come all ye bold Canadians,
Enlisted in the cause,
To defend your country,
And to maintain your laws;
Being all united,
This is the song we'll sing:
Success onto Great Britain
And God save the King.
written in 1813