The Red Coats Are
Coming… We headed west for our next
adventure. I had always wanted to experience a re-enactment and Stoney
Creek was my perfect chance. We were running a little late on Saturday
morning, so we decided to go straight to where the battle was being fought,
no detours this time. Our destination was the Battlefield House Museum
and Park and our purpose was to watch the Re-enactment
of the Battle of Stoney Creek - 1813. Stoney Creek is now part of Hamilton, but it has a wonderful
flavour of its own. From the QEW we exited onto Centennial Parkway and
headed towards “The Mountain”. Battlefield Park is located
on the corner of Centennial Parkway South and King Street. The park is
situated right at the base the “The Mountain” or the Niagara
Escarpment. It’s a good size piece of land that includes plenty
of parkland (the battlefield) and two main period buildings. When we arrived,
the part of King Street that runs parallel to the park, was closed for
a Canada Flag Day parade. Park parking was also closed. Fortunately there
was a shuttle service running from the local high school back to the park.
We We found the lot, parked our car and then waited for the shuttle bus.
After quite some wait the bus arrived. As soon as the bus stopped, a greeter,
dressed in period costume, stepped out off the bus. Judi and I were impressed!
We all climbed aboard and settled in for the short drive to the park.
I talked with the greeter and asked how long she had been re-enacting.
She told me about 2 years and that she really enjoyed doing it. The bus
let us off at the corner. Music was coming from across the street, the
parade as well underway. Floats and bands marched by us as we walked along
the street towards the park. We stayed and watched the parade for a while,
but the main event was calling us…
Entering A Time Warp… As we passed through the park
gates, it was like entering a different era. Off in the distance gleaming
white tents were lined up in rows. Settlers dressed in period clothing
milled about their tents, chatting with one another or performing simple
daily chores. Children were running about chasing one another. This was re-enactment at its best! Everyone, adults, children, animals,
settlers, craftsmen, soldiers and natives were all playing their roll.
As we walked the grounds, we realized just how large this weekend enterprise
was. Everywhere we looked there were re-enactors going about whatever
activity they were dressed to perform. The museum and park itself is set
up to preserve the past. The Gage Homestead, built in 1796, was the centre
of the Battle of Stoney Creek. The museum,
the park grounds and the historic building reminds us of Canada’
past and how the people fought to make Canada the great nation it is today.
While walking through the tent area, I had the opportunity to talk with
one of the re-enactors. I asked him if he was hot in the uniform he was
wearing. He said yes, very! I asked him why he did the re-enacting. He
said it was his life, his hobby. During the summer months he and his fellow
re-enactors attend events every other weekend. I naively suggested that
after the battle he could go home or back to his hotel to cool down. He
laughed and told me that for the entire weekend they lived as they would
have back in 1813, sleeping in tents and cooking over an open flame. I
shook my head in wonder and wandered off to find some cool shade! The
people who re-enact as a hobby are very dedicated. Not
only do they have to dress up in hot period costumes, they have to remember
act as people would have in the time period they are portraying and they
have to remember not to wear anything modern, such as a watch. Off in
the distance there were more tents set up. This was the merchant area
of the encampment…
Old Time Craftsmanship… We crossed a small picturesque
bridge into the merchants’ area. Here, again, the tents were neatly
lined up in rows. Everything within the merchant compound was in keeping
with the time period. A seamstress works on a garment. A blacksmith hammers
on his anvil. Popping corn steamed open over a camp fire. Period games
for those who wanted to test their skills. As we walked through the area,
we were filled with a sense of times gone by. There was plenty of merchandise
for sale… clothing, linen, tools and toys. Did I mention toys? My
youngest grandson’s birthday was coming up in a few days. I considered
buying him a toy wooden crossbow as a birthday present. Judi asked me
if I had a death wish. (She didn’t think my daughter would appreciate
it.) But I would have really wanted one if I was a kids. Even the owner
of the merchandise in the tent was having fun with one! He was shooting
an arrow through an opening in the tent at his wife. She looked like she
was having great fun, too! REALLY! After we got home and I told my daughter
about the crossbow, I am very glad I didn’t buy it. She REALLY would
have KILLED me! Judi, always looking for interesting presents, purchased
wooden dice and old fashion fan. How come she gets all the fun!! The heat
of the early afternoon was bearing down on us, so we decided to find a
shady tree near the battlefield. We needed to rest before the big battle…
June 6th, 1813 Remembered… We had all gathered on the
fenced off field to view the Re-enactment of the Battle
of Stoney Creek. Judi and I had arrived to the viewing
area early so that we could secure a front row seat. We watched the re-enactment combatants file out of their barrack area to the battle field.
Soldiers (Canadian, British and American), scouts and natives took their
respective places. The cannons were strategically placed on the battlefield.
The MC, dressed as a British soldier, tested the PA system. Finally he
started to talk. He told us some of the history leading up to the battle.
He spoke of the Gage family were forced to give up their home to the Americans
so that they could use it as their headquarters and how the Gage's were
locked in their home's basement so that they couldn't warn the British.
He told us that the British Army was stationed at Burlington Heights.
He went on to tell us how the Americans decided to attacked the British
troops but, after a short chaotic battle, the British captured two American
generals and their field artillery. During the telling of the story, the
re-enactment of the battle started. Cannons were fired. Soldiers lined
up and fired their rifles, reloaded and fired again. Soldiers lay dying
on the ground. Gun and cannon smoke filled the air. Battles, skirmishes,
parlays were all part of the re-enactment. It was like being on the edge
of history. At the end of the re-enactment, the re-enacters gathered together
and marched off the field. What an end to an exciting day!
The Re-enactment (in photos)… Seeing the re-enactment showed
us how the soldiers of 1813 fought. The strategies we saw were certainly
not the same as the battles we see on TV today, but the results were just
as world changing as they are now, if not more so. The success of the
Canadians and British at this battle and others helped changed the relationship
between Canada and the United States. This successful and prosperous relationship
that has spanned almost two centuries. We left the battlefield and the
park with a new appreciation for "Living History" and the people
who participate each weekend.
NOTE: The Battlefield Monument, shown below, opened June 6, 1913,
one hundred years after the Battle of Stoney Creek.
The Battlefield Cemetery also known as Smith's Knoll
is across from Battlefield Park. This memorial is the
final resting place for the men who gave their lives during the battle.
Both British/Canadian and American soldiers are buried in the crypt. There
is a large stone cairn and lion at this site. Each year during the re-enactment
weekend, the local legion and participants from the Re-enactment
of the Battle of Stoney Creek host a memorial service
at the site on Sunday morning.
