 The Battle of Queenston Heights by James Dennis (RiverBrink Art Museum). By Tom Fournier
In the archives of the United States of America government, there is a file called: Department of State File for Miscellaneous Intercepted Correspondence 1789 – 1814, British Military Correspondence, “War of 1812 Papers”. In this folder can be found the personal papers of British Major General Henry Proctor captured in his baggage at the Battle of the Thames (Moraviantown) in 1813. It is because of this folder that we have the Mess Rules of the 41st Regiment, found here and also posted on the wall of the Officers’ Mess in the Officers’ Quarters at Historic Fort George in Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario. Also to be found is this letter from the Adjutant of the 41st Regiment to then Lieutenant Colonel Henry Proctor, the commanding officer of the 41st Regiment. In October of 1812, Proctor was still in the area of Fort Malden, Detroit and Sandwich along the Detroit River after the capture of Detroit. However, the headquarters staff of the 41st Regiment were still at Fort George.
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 By Tom Fournier
These are excerpts that I thought of interest from Reminiscences of Niagara, No. 11. Niagara Historical Society. As a number of these are given decades after the war or are passed along by subsequent generations, it is to be assumed that there are some distortions whether it be from distant memories or endeavours to portray the witness’ participation in the best possible light. All the same, taken with this perspective in account, they still provide fascinating insights! I would like to offer a sense for the location for many of these reminiscences. Modern day Niagara-On-The-Lake was first know as Butlersburg and then Newark. At the time of the War of 1812 and for some time afterwards it was known as the Town of Niagara. |