We very naturally ask ourselves who these troops were for whose welfare
General Brock was always so solicitous. There were of course some
British regular troops in Canada, noticeably the Forty-ninth, Brock's
own regiment, but during the earlier stages of the war, and while Brock
lived, the men of the Province, militia and yeomanry, had to be relied
upon mainly; these chiefly were the men of the York, Glengarry, Norfolk
and other militia regiments; every loyal man capable of bearing arms in
the Province turned out to fight, or to help those who fought. The York
and Glengarry militia served with great distinction, and I may perhaps
be permitted to refer to the fact that forty-three gentlemen of my own
name and family connection held commissions in the various regiments in
that war. In connection with this I might further mention a somewhat
curious incident. My own grandfather, Colonel Alexander Macdonell, was
taken prisoner by the Americans at the Battle of Niagara, and was
confined as a prisoner at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in the very same
prison in which his own father, Captain Allan Macdonell, had been
confined by the Revolutionary States as a prisoner of war during the
Revolutionary War, 1776-83.
Now, happily, all is peace; we have enjoyed one hundred years of peace
and we thank Divine Providence for it. We have had preserved to us by
Brock and those who fought and fell with him a rich kingdom; we possess
it in peace and happiness and great prosperity. This is an age of peace,
and in this age and generation it is fit that we should advance all the
works and arts of peace; a very great trust in this respect has been
handed down to us and confided to our safe keeping. In these days of our
prosperity we must protect and defend and develop this great country,
this rich heritage which the heroism of our forefathers has preserved to
us. We must not only conserve it, but we must better it and develop it,
and make useful to man all these possessions which have been given us.
Our ideals and ambitions must always be high, and if we find ourselves
faltering let us look upon this splendid monument and think of the hero
in honour of whom it was raised; and let us at all times remember that
now as in 1812 in unity we possess our strength; we must become one
people if we are to be a great people, with one great common country. We
have many Provinces but only one Canada.
It has been well said by one of Brock's biographers that "it remains for
the youth of Canada to profoundly cherish the memory of Isaac Brock and
to never lose an opportunity to follow the example set for them by his
splendid deeds." It has also been truly said that "he fell ere he saw
the star of his country rise," and, although the sky over this
battlefield upon which his eyes closed forever one hundred years ago was
cloudy and overcast, yet because he lived and died those who came after
him enjoy the cloudless sunshine of peace and happiness.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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