Military Re-enactment at Upper Canada Village

Upper Canada Village will see military action again on August 7th and 8th as 75 re-enactors converge to show how Canadians participated in the U.S. Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Infantry, artillery, cavalry and civilian personnel will set up camp in the fields behind Loucks Farm and perform marching drills, musket firing demonstrations and skirmishes. Visiting children are invited to take part in the “School of the Soldier” recruitment and drill activities at 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Battle re-enactments are scheduled to take place on Village fields on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Visitors may also want to check out the Civil War displays inside the Transportation Museum featuring 1860’s militaria, surgery, medical tools and procedures. On Sunday, renowned historian Mark Vinet will present two lectures on “Why Canadians fought – on both sides – in the U.S. Civil War” at Crysler Hall at 1:00 and 3:30 p.m.

The U.S. Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. It’s a lesser known fact that between 40,000 and 60,000 Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick men joined to fight in this conflict, even though they technically broke British and Canadian laws by joining a foreign army. At least 30,000 joined the Northern Union Army and Navy and approximately 10,000 fought in the Southern Confederate Army and Navy. Visitors to Upper Canada Village will have a unique opportunity to discover for themselves what daily life and military routines were like for soldiers at the time. The public is encouraged to take a tour of the camp, talk to the re-enactors and find out why 19th century Canadians joined up by the thousands.

The event is sponsored by Upper Canada Village and the “Grays and Blues of Montreal”, a living history association whose members portray the 21st Virginia Company (the Grays) and the 2nd Vermont Company (the Blues). The association preserves the memory of those Canadians who volunteered to serve in the Army or in the Navy, of either the Union (North) or Confederate (South) troops. In addition, re-enactors from Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener-Waterloo, Brantford, Cambridge, St. Catherine’s, St-Donat (Quebec), St. Albans and Burlington (Vermont), and Massena and Tupper Lake (New York) will fill out the ranks for the weekend.

Gabriele Thomas, Upper Canada Village Site Supervisor commented “We are pleased to present a lesser known aspect of military history which greatly affected Canadian politics and economics in the 19th century” said Site Supervisor Gabriele Thomas, “Visitors to Upper Canada Village will get an immersive experience with 1860s warfare, rations and weaponry while finding out more about this tragic and divisive conflict.”

UP NEXT
Slated for Sunday, August 15th, is the Antique Car Show, co-hosted with the Cornwall Olde Car Club. Car enthusiasts will have a chance to see a wide variety of antique and classic cars exhibited in front of Upper Canada Village. On the program on August 22nd is the grand 1860s Crysler wedding at the Village.

• Upper Canada Village is an award-winning, authentically re-created village of the 1860s. The Michelin Travel Guide recognizes the site as highly recommended and as "among the finest restoration projects in North America". The site's attention to detail is second-to-none, evident not only in its forty-plus 19th century buildings, but also in its landscaping, pathways, boarded sidewalks and fences, in its heritage livestock, and in its numerous heirloom gardens, making it the ideal location for a enriching and fun summer outing.

•• Upper Canada Village is located at 13740 County Road 2, Morrisburg, approximately 30 minutes west of Cornwall, 90 minutes west of Montreal and northwest of Watertown, New York and 75 minutes southeast of Ottawa and east of Kingston, Exit 758 off Highway 401.

www.uppercanadavillage.com.

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