Humours of '37, Grave, Gay and Grim: Rebellion Times in the CanadasLizars, Robina
History
Humours of '37, Grave, Gay and Grim: Rebellion Times in the Canadas
Lizars, Robina
Canada -- History -- Rebellion, 1837-1838
young man whose sudden demise from hunger and cold in the woods of
Verchères had spoilt “une brilliante carrière.”
* * * * *
Naturally, Montreal was now in a highly excited state, distracted at
defeat and elated at victory; openly rejoicing or inwardly chafing,
as the case might be. The specie in the Bank found its way for safe
keeping to Quebec, ammunition, arms and soldiers began to arrive,
volunteer battalions were formed; the gaol was crowded with prisoners;
the outlets of the city were barricaded, and a general hum of
expectation was in the air.
Detachments of the 1st Royals under Colonel Wetherall, of the 32nd
and 83rd under Maitland and Dundas, the Volunteer Montreal Rifle
Corps under Captain Leclerc, and a strong squadron of horse with six
pieces of artillery, fully served, under command of Major Jackson, one
sunny day defiled through the streets with colours waving and bands
playing. The field battery, rocket troop and all the transports were
on runners, for it was now the 15th of December and the snow was deep.
The Commander-in-chief, the generally popular and much-feared hero of
Waterloo and a hundred other fights, Sir John Colborne, with his richly
caparisoned staff and escorted by two hundred Dragoons, brought up the
rear of this imposing display.
They proceeded to the western extremity of the island, past the ruins
of two old forts and the smaller remains of a larger one, all telling
of former war times. At the expansion of the river, caused by its
narrow outlets, was the Lake of the Two Mountains, where one of the
hills, in summer clothed with richest verdure to the water’s edge, was
called Calvary. Within its shadow lay St. Eustache, St. Benoit, and
Ste. Scholastique; any of them might have been named Golgotha, so soon
were they to become the place of skulls. “Le Grand Brûlé” was so named
before “le vieux brûlot” was to rechristen it with fire and blood, for
a forest fire had swept it at the end of the last or the beginning
of this century; the “Petit Brûlé” was near Ste. Scholastique--names
significant to the dwellers there of a fate worse than burning by
forest fire.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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