It's sad to think that the best way to commemorate the War of 1812 here along the Niagara River is for a group of politicians to set fire to pile of old pallets. What's worse is that it took place on both sides of the border. And to think that this was just a rehearsal of what's to come.
During the War of 1812, on the Niagara Peninsula, and around all of Western New York and Southern Ontario, there were battles fought, won and lost, by both sides of the conflict. I guess I could best describe it as a 13-round heavyweight boxing match, where either side might win a round here and there, but neither had the knock-out capability, and the fight ended in a draw. Back and forth across the River, and up and down the frontier, armies were led in decisive battles and insignificant skirmishes, with no great gains for either the British or American cause.
Fingers could be pointed in either direction as to who might have set the first fire in "victory" or "withdrawal". This kind of tactic was often used during their prior argument of the 1770's. At that time, the loss of military provisions and supplies, through plunder and destruction, was not unusual. And, during a conflict where "citizens" were fighting "soldiers", their homes might have been considered military depots or supply stations or even forts. Yet, during the War of 1812, defined military and civilian structures had to have been more easily recognizable; stone walls and turrets versus painted clapboard houses with roofs.
So, when there came a time that American forces left the area of Fort George (Niagara-on-the-Lake), and ended up setting fire to more than just the Fort, the gauntlet was thrown. The British responded by chasing the American forces across Western New York and burning everything from Fort Niagara down to 18-Mile Creek, including Lewiston, Black Rock, and Buffalo. This left many farmers and residents without shelter in the middle of winter, which in turn led to many freezing to death.
So, my question is, does the "celebration" of the War of 1812 need to include such petty and irresponsible activities like burning bonfires along the Niagara River? Is that what we want our children to learn? "Hey! Let's celebrate innocent people freezing to death. Let's remember the burning of houses and farms."
Or, is this just a cheap and unimaginative way to "do something"? Rather than what the great State of New York has planned and budgeted for...... Nothing. No wonder Sam Hoyt was there amongst them.
