On Saturday, Mom, Dad and I went to Fort York to see the Battle Reenactment of of the Battle of York in 1813. On April 27th 1813 the Americans, commanded by Brigadier-General Zebulon Pike, attacked Fort York. Canada was still under British rule then, so the British soldiers and militia tried to defend against the attack. The British, headed by Major-General Roger Hale Sheaffe, didn't know which direction the Americans were going to attack from so they divided their troops. The British lost the battle that we watched.
When the war ended neither the British nor the Americans got any territory and a peace treaty was signed in 1814.
Here are some pictures that we took from the festival.
The first thing we noticed when we came in was the musicians practicing.
This was the Surgeon's table! You can see the alcohol that they used for drink since the water wasn't clean. They had laudanum which they used for pain (It's the white stuff in the bottle.) You can also see the bone saw and the instruments that they used to cut off limbs and the things they used to bleed people.
Here is a picture of the regulars and militia.
The York Regency Dancers demonstrated period dances.
I got to pose for a picture with the 19th Light Dragoons. They are cavalry but they fought dismounted in this battle.
Here is some information about the battle that we watched.
After the American landing, the British retreated from where they were.
You could see how the Americans were organized in their fighting. When they all fire at the same time it's called "volley fire".
You can see the smoke of war!
Here you can see the muzzle flash!
(Dad is a great photographer!)
We didn't have a good view of the British.
But the Americans kept advancing.
The British retreated.
There were casualties.
Some died fighting for their countries.
These men weren't able to go back home to be with their families.
After the reenactment, we met Peter Twist. He narrated so that people like us could understand what was going on.
