Pomp and circumstance at Fort George
Fort George was filled with pomp and circumstance Saturday as War of 1812 re-enactors showed what life was like in the colonies for the “upper class.”
The officer’s quarters, which is traditionally an empty building filled with period pieces and decor, was buzzing with activity as cooks and servants prepared for a gala event for officers and dignitaries at the Niagara-onthe-Lake fort.
“This gives us an opportunity to show a different kind of lifestyle that you wouldn’t normally see here,” said Peter Martin, special events co-ordinator at the Parks Canada historic site.
While soldiers survived on a basic diet of bread and boiled beef, officers and other highranking military members and their families enjoyed lavish three-course meals complete with extravagant desserts.
“Officers were upper class, most came from wealth,” Martin explained. “Back then there was a really big divide between the classes.”
The re-enactors, all volunteers, host an Officer’s Day each May.
Abel Land, the mess sergeant, was responsible for making sure the 24-seat formal dining table was set up accurately. He used a ruler, an original from the 1800s known as a butler stick, to make sure the distance between each place setting was the same.
“The place settings and the table had to be symmetrical,” he said.
Saturday’s event was a lead up to the fort’s Napoleonic re-enactment set for June 9 and 10.
“Instead of the British versus the Americans during the War of 1812, it will be the British versus the French,” Martin said.
There will be an army of reenactors from France attending the two-day event, which will include various demonstrations and battle re-enactments.