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The Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry, commonly known as the Canadian Regiment or the Canadian Fencibles, saw service in Upper and
Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...
during the early 19th century, notably during the Anglo-American
War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
.


History

The regiment was originally raised in Scotland amongst highlanders keen on emigrating to Canada in 1803–4. The unit was to see service only in British North America, however, misunderstandings regarding the terms of enlistment and rumours that the regiment would be sent to India caused the recruits to mutiny in Glasgow. In response, the men were all discharged in the fall of 1804. Subsequently, the commissioned officers and a skeleton crew of other ranks were sent to re-raise the regiment in the Canadas. Initially, the commissioned and non-commissioned officers were Scottish while the core of the regiment would be French and
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
-speaking
Canadians Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
. Of the English-speaking Canadians who enlisted, many were the sons of Loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies, or were themselves 'late Loyalists' who had come more recently from the young United States. The regiment also had significant numbers of English, Irish, and German-born troops, most of whom had likely emigrated permanently in the years leading up to the outbreak of the war. Intriguingly, the regiment also had a
Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
drummer-boy born in Riga in its ranks, and evidence from an honourable regimental discharge paper has suggested that there was also one soldier among them who had been born in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. The Scottish roots of the regiment are evident in the regiment's coat of arms with a thistle. The regiment was reestablished in
Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...
in 1803, but did not begin recruitment until 1805.Robert Henderson, Brief History of the Canadian Fencibles
/ref> By the start of the War of 1812, the regiment's strength was at 600 men. The regiment was involved in several battles, including the
Battle of Châteauguay The Battle of the Chateauguay was an engagement of the War of 1812. On 26 October 1813, a combined British and Canadian force consisting of 1,530 regulars, volunteers, militia and Mohawk warriors from Lower Canada, commanded by Charles de Sal ...
,
Battle of Crysler's Farm The Battle of Crysler's Farm, also known as the Battle of Crysler's Field, was fought on 11 November 1813, during the War of 1812 (the name ''Chrysler's Farm'' is sometimes used for the engagement, but ''Crysler'' is the proper spelling). A Brit ...
, Battle of Lacolle Mills. The Canadian Regiment was disbanded in July and August 1816 at Kingston and Montreal. The Canadian
Fencibles The Fencibles (from the word ''defencible'') were British regiments raised in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the Frenc ...
first received scholarly attention when Scottish popular historian
John Prebble John Edward Curtis Prebble, FRSL, OBE, (23 June 1915 – 30 January 2001) was an English journalist, novelist, and screenwriter. He is known for his studies of Scottish history. Early life He was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England, but in 1921 ...
featured the regiment's 1804 mutiny in his 1975 book ''Mutiny: Highland Regiments in Revolt''. Canadian historian Robert Henderson also explored the history of the unit in a series of articles, several of which appeared in ''Military Illustrated'' in 1991. Most recently, Eamonn O'Keeffe authored a book chapter on the regiment's fife and drum corps and band. In an article for ''Canadian Military History'', O'Keeffe also shed light on the inner workings of the regiment through analysis of the court martial of Canadian Fencibles Lieutenant John de Hertel, who was tried for assaulting a fellow officer in
Fort York Fort York (french: Fort-York) is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used to house members of the British and Canadian militaries, and to defend the entrance of t ...
's Blue Barracks in 1815.


Perpetuations

The lineage of the unit is perpetuated by the
Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also res ...
's Royal 22e Régiment. The Royal 22e Régiment carries the battle honours awarded to the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry in commemoration of the unit.


Reenactment

Reenactments of the unit began in 1984, with both military and civilian displays, across Canada and the United States. Participating in recreated battles, youth events and festivals across the country, the group's membership continues to grow with new elements, such as civilian portrayals, artillery and naval elements, being added and expanded, regularly. The Friends of Fort York now hire students to recreate the regiment at
Fort York Fort York (french: Fort-York) is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used to house members of the British and Canadian militaries, and to defend the entrance of t ...
in Toronto, Ontario during the summer months. This group is known as the
Fort York Guard The Fort York Guard is an historical animation unit based at Fort York in downtown Toronto. The Guard recreates the Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry, stationed at the fort in 1815. Several versions of the Guard have existed since it was fi ...
. At the Scout Brigade of Fort George each September, the sub-camp for youth of the Cub Scout program also recreate the regiment.


Sources

* * * *


See also

* Canadian units of the War of 1812


Notes

{{reflist Infantry regiments of the British Army Military units and formations disestablished in 1816 Infantry regiments of Canada Military units and formations established in 1803 Canadian military units and formations of the War of 1812