Sackets Harbour Battlefield surprised me. I am Canadian and am very proud to call myself such. I am well aware that the USA declared war and attacked Canada (then British North America) wth the hopes of conquering the continent. The War of 1812 was a defining moment in Canadian history and, more importantly, Canadian identity. I have always held the view that the Americans were monsters and were completely and totally vile in this hostile act against the country I love.
I know that Americans today are not the Americans of the past, and they cannot be held accountable for their nation’s desire to seize Canada, and most see Canada as a friendly nation, almost like a cousin. My wife and I visit the USA more often and more safely than we visit our own country.
We have visited sites related to the War of 1812 in Canada. There have been cemeteries where the dead of both sides of the conflict had been buried, the occasional memorial stone or plaque on the side of the road, and we have even visited the site where Tecumseth was slain. At that location, a stone marks the spot where he fell. He is regarded as a hero on our side of the border, less so on the American side. Sackets Harbour would be our first time visiting an American site of the War of 1812. I came with the mindset that we were the heroes of the war and the States were the nasty villains. That changed very quickly.
We first started with a guided tour of the site. It was more of an introduction to the area’s significance, and then we would do our own self-guided tour. Part of the guided tour talked about the fog of war. The British plan was to burn all the ships in the harbour. The Americans did not know this and, fearing those ships would be captured, set fire to them, inadvertently helping the British cause.
Also part of the guided tour was a discussion of how civilians responded. The citizens of the area were fearful for their lives and livelihoods. This is where my view on the evilness of America during this war started to change dramatically. Even though they were Americans, the soldiers, sailors and civilians all reacted and responded the same way as if they were Canadian.
I was impressed that with the slightest amount of education, I had my prejudices changed. Some insight into the situation helped me better understand that, no matter who you are or where you live in a conflict, you are still a human and will react as such. And that those who suffer from a war are very much innocent on both sides of the conflict. Most of the people on both sides of the War of 1812 harboured no ill-will against the other, but rather, having this conflict thrust upon them, brought pain and misery that did not need to happen.
It is a very Canadian attribute to hold some level of anti-Americanism. I originally detested the idea of travelling to the States and held a mildly negative view of Americans and their values. All that changed when we did our West Virginia trip back in the Summer of 2022. I saw how we are all alike, with similar goals and aspirations. Visiting Sackets Harbour eliminated all my final prejudices; prejudices that I did not realize I still held.
Mark Twain said it best:
Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts
- Check our All The Places We Have Been Map to see where Sackets Harbour is and the other locations we have toured.
- There are several 1812-related places in the immediate area. If you are going to visit the Battlefield, be sure to check out the cemetery and the fort, as well as the large memorial park in town.
