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documentary heritage of the War of 1812 is rich. This is particularly
true of the correspondence and reports which form the basis for
the information presented in this display. Selection of this material
involved the examination of many documents, choosing those which
illustrated a particular issue or fact in an interesting way.
This was intended, so far as is possible, to present the war and
its aftermath as it was seen by the participants.
The selection of visual materials was a more challenging task.
During wartime few people had the time or inclination to illustrate
what was going on around them. It was necessary to select images
created before or after the war to provide an idea of how things
might have looked at the time of the conflict. The art work of
Elizabeth
Simcoe,
wife of Upper Canada's first Lieutenant Governor was particularly
valuable in this respect. Thomas Burrowes' watercolours of the
St. Lawrence and Kingston region were equally important as a visual
source. The work of these two artists forms a valuable part of
the Archives holdings. Additional watercolours and drawings of
Elizabeth Simcoe and Thomas Burrowes can be viewed through the
Archives Visual Database.
Other materials were selected to provide an idea of how the war
was viewed by later generations, an issue as important in may
ways as how it was seen by contemporaries. The portraits of Generals
Brock, Drummond and Prevost by Berthon were commissioned by the
Government of Ontario to commemorate the history of the province
and the British connection. A generation later C. W. Jefferys was
creating works of historical imagination which, in their romanticized
view of history, helped shape the attitudes of school children
through history texts.
The documentation of battlefields and monuments through the photographic
record provides interesting information on how these sites looked
before the development of the historical parks system and the
encroachment of suburban development on rural areas. We are indebted
to such early amateur photographers as M. O. Hammond, John Boyd
and Marsden Kemp for a wealth of images of this nature. |
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family correspondence, personal diaries, posters, plans, documentary
art or government records, the Archives of Ontario holdings are
rich of primary sources documenting the effects of the war on
the population of Upper Canada. The materials selected for this
exhibit and listed here reflect the richness of our collections
but is by no means an exhaustive or complete list of the sources
relating to the War at the Archives. In addition to the fonds
and collections listed here, materials from the Archives of Ontario
Library collection and the Archives of Ontario photographic collection
have been used in the virtual exhibit. Additional works of art
are drawn from the Government of Ontario Art Collection.
Most of the private and official records from the early 19th
century featured in this exhibit have been microfilmed for conservation
reasons. Researchers are required to use this microfilm to ensure
the long term preservation of the originals. Click on the reference
code to view a description and for instructions for accessing
the records.
Private fonds and collections
Government records
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list is intended to provide a general introduction to the war
and its many aspects. Your library will hold many other works
on the subject.
- Antal, Sandy. A Wampum Denied: Proctor's War of 1812.
Ottawa: Carleton University Press, 1997. The war in the Detroit
area of Upper Canada.
- Benn, Carl. The Iroquois in the War of 1812.
Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1998. The role played
by the 6 Nations of the Iroquois on both sides during the War
of 1812.
- Gray, William. M. Soldiers of the King: the Upper
Canadian Militia, 1812-1815: A reference guide. Erin:
Boston Mills, 1995. General information on the role of the militia
in the War of 1812.
- Malcomson, Robert. Lords of the Lake: The Naval War
on Lake Ontario, 1812-1814. Toronto: Robert Brass Studio,
1998. A detailed account of the ship building war on Lake Ontario.
- Malcomson, Robert; Malcomson, Thomas. H.M.S. Detroit:
The Battle for Lake Erie. A detailed account of the
naval race on Lake Erie and the Upper Lakes.
- Sheppard, George. Plunder, Profit and Paroles: a
Social History of the War of 1812 in Upper Canada.
Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press, 1994. The impact of the war
on Upper Canadian Society.
- Stanley, George F. The War of 1812: Land Operations.
Toronto: MacMillan of Canada, 1983. Detailed account of all
the campaigns in Canada during the War of 1812.
- Sugden, John. Tecumseh: A Life. Detroit:
Owl Press, 1999. The story of Tecumseh, his half brother the
Prophet and the attempts to forge a First Nations resistance
to the United States.
- Turner, Wesley B. British Generals in the War of 1812:
high command in the Canadas. Montreal: McGill-Queen's
Press, 1999. Brock, Drummond, Sheaffe and others mentioned in
the display.
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Ontario
Historical Society has published many articles relating
to the War of 1812 in its Journal, Ontario History. Much of the
index to Ontario History is available on the Society’s website,
http://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/ohindex.asp. A full run of
Ontario History is available in the Archives of Ontario Library.
The Lundy’s Lane Historical Society has
published many items relating to the War of 1812. Most of these
are available through the Archives of Ontario Library. Please
consult BIBLiON,
the on-line catalogue to the library holdings. |
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Home
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the War
Chronology | Soldiering in Canada
| Important Figures | Important
Places
Glossary | Sources | Links | The
Making of a Virtual Exhibit |
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