The forest closed in around her.
Above her, the dim moon valiantly tried to light her way as an owl call echoed in the distance.
Exhausted, with aching, bleeding feet, she mustered on with resolve.
She had something to deliver, and she was not going to give up.
It wasn’t a package.
It was something much more precious.
Information.
Feeling her way in the darkness she didn’t see the root blocking her path and she fell to the ground.
When she lifted her head, she saw a group of men staring back at her.
One of them extended his hand and smiled.
They would make sure she completed her wartime mission.
I’m Craig Baird and this is Canadian History Ehx!
Today we’re traveling back to journey with a woman that helped change the course of Canadian history.
This is the story of Laura Secord!
Back in 2004 Canadians took part in a contest to help choose the Greatest Canadian.
So, it’s no surprise that I’m focusing on a woman who was honoured across the street from Parliament Hill, next to the National War Memorial. Laura Secord is one fourteen key figures from Canadian military history commemorated at The Valiants Memorial.
The great irony is that although she’s considered one of Canada’s greatest heroes. Laura was born in the United States to a father who fought against the British.
Thomas Ingersoll was one of the leading members of Great Barrington, Massachusetts where he served as both a constable and tax collector.
On Feb. 28, 1775, he married Elizabeth Dewey and seven months later their first child, Laura, was born on Sept. 13.
That same month American efforts to invade Canada began when Ethan Allen and his “Green Mountain Boys “attempted to capture Montreal.
All the while Patriots had control of Massachusetts outside Boston’s city limits, and the Loyalists suddenly found themselves on the defensive with no protection from the British army as the American Revolution wore on.
Laura was born into conflict and by the time she was three Thomas enlisted to fight as a lieutenant in the American militia,
He would serve for the next four years and upon his return he took up another prominent position in the community: magistrate.
Things were good…for a while.
The couple had three more daughters before Elizabeth died suddenly in February 1784. Just over a year later, Thomas remarried.
His union with Mercy Smith lasted five years before she died.
In that time Mercy had taught Laura needlework and how to read.
Four months after the death of his second wife, Thomas married Sarah Buckas.
By this point, Laura was a teenager and had outlived two mothers, along with one sister who had been adopted by another family.
When the American Revolution ended in 1783, the economy suffered, and Thomas was saddled with debts that would take a decade to pay off.
Then in 1793 while in New York City Thomas had a chance encounter with Joseph Brant, the Mohawk leader who had fought for the British during the revolution.
The meeting changed Thomas’ future.
Brant told him there was land in Upper Canada where the British encouraged development.
Believing his best option was to go north, Thomas petitioned Upper Canada Lt. Governor John Simcoe for a land grant and received 27,000 hectares an area roughly the size of Mississauga, along the Thames River.
There was only one condition.
Within seven years Thomas had to establish a settlement with at least 40 families living in it. In 1795, Thomas moved the family north to a new home he gave the very British name of Oxford-on-the-Thames.
Lest there be any doubt of where his loyalties were. That community still exists but now you might know it as Ingersoll.
Thomas ordered the land cleared and roads built while he lived about 160 kilometres east in Queenston. After a year of hard work, the family moved into their log home in 1796.
The family didn’t stay long.
When Lt. Governor Simcoe returned to England that same year Upper Canada turned against those, they called Late Loyalists.
During the American Revolution, British Loyalists left the Thirteen Colonies and refused to fight for the Patriots.
They wanted to remain British and made their way north.
In contrast, Late Loyalists stayed behind and some like Thomas who fought against the British and only left what became the United States when it wasn’t to their liking.
Some Upper Canadians saw them as fence sitters, who waited to see which way the wind blew in the conflict.
That sentiment made it difficult for Thomas to lure settlers to his land and although he did his best by 1802 it was clear he was not going to have enough families to meet the conditions he had agreed to.
In 1805, the family sold their land and moved to Credit River near York, now known as Toronto, where Thomas ran an inn until his death in 1812 from a stroke.
But his daughter Laura never made that trip. She had stayed behind because she had fallen in love and was building a life for herself [BEAT]
Remember how I just talked about the Loyalists who traveled north during the American Revolution?
The Secord family were Loyalists.
James Secord had been born in 1773 in Province of New York or what you may know as New York State.
At five years old he traveled north to British North America to meet his Loyalist father and older brothers.
The family did well and well taken care of when his father died in 1784, and their land went to his uncle.
Eventually, James became a merchant in St. Davids, Upper Canada and around 1796, he met Laura Ingersoll.
The two fell in love and within a year, they were married.
Unfortunately, although James was a merchant the couple was often in debt,
They moved to Queenston to start anew but that didn’t fix things either and eventually, they lost most of their land and holdings through foreclosures.
Their finances weren’t helped by the fact that Laura and James welcomed five children between 1799 and 1810.
While the couple attempted to figure how they would support their growing family, the United States had a thirst for conquest.
On June 18, 1812, President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Britain.
The United States wanted Canada under the stars and stripes.
Feels familiar, doesn’t it? The United States’ population outnumbered Canadians 14-to-one and had the misguided belief that they would be welcomed with open arms and believed it would be an easy victory.
Brigadier General Sir Isaac Brock would become the Hero of Upper Canada, because he only had 1,600 troops to defend a border that was almost 2,000 kilometres long.
Former President Thomas Jefferson was so confident he said that conquering Canada was a mere matter of marching.
But we Canadians can be a tough bunch, as the Americans discovered during the War of 1812.
As soon as the conflict began, James Secord enlisted as a sergeant with the First Lincoln Regiment who would be primarily responsible for moving field guns and ammunition during battles.
For the next few months, he travelled to various skirmishes until he was at the intersection with history.
On Oct. 13, 1812, the Americans crossed over the Niagara River and reached Queenston. As James and the militia went to meet the invaders, Laura and her children traveled to seek shelter further inland at a farmhouse.
The Battle of Queenston Heights proved to be a watershed moment as Isaac Brock led 1,366 British, Canadian and First Nations troops against 3,550 Americans.
Poor planning kept the Americans from getting most of their forces over the river in time and the British fired against the inexperienced militia which panicked as they tried to form an offensive. At the same time, the First Nations troops, led by Chiefs John Norton and John Brant, pinned down the American army.
Eventually, Lt. Colonel Winfield Scott took command from the injured American Captain John Wool and waved a white handkerchief to signal their surrender.
It was an incredibly important victory as about 1,000 Americans were taken prisoner, and 300 were killed or wounded.
The British-First Nations-Canadian force only suffered 28 dead and 77 wounded.
But one of those casualties was nothing short of catastrophic.
Sir Isaac Brock had died while leading a group of men into battle up a slope for a frontal attack.
He was hit in the wrist by a musket ball.
Despite his injury, he continued his charge.
His bravery and bright red uniform made him a target and an American stepped out of a thicket and shot Brock from only 46 metres away.
He was struck in the chest and was dead within seconds.
According to legend Brock said “Push on, brave York volunteers” before he died, but it is more mythology than fact.
Meanwhile, Brock’s body was taken to a home across the street from where the Secord family lived, while the British continued their attack.
There are claims that James Secord helped carry Brock’s body off the battlefield, but there is no evidence to support this.
In fact, James was shot by a musket ball in the shoulder and knee during the battle and would’ve been incapable of carrying much, let alone a body.
After the battle, Laura returned home with her children only to find that it had been looted by retreating Americans.
Then she heard the horrible news that her husband had been wounded so Laura immediately ran to the battlefield to find him.
With the help of a couple of men, she brought him home so she could tend to his injuries.
James lived, but it was touch and go for a few weeks.
Under Laura’s watchful eye James recovered and was well enough to make the journey to St. David’s, to spend the winter with the family.
The war had reached their doorstep and they had survived, but this would not be the last time it would come knocking.
As the snow melted in St. David’s, the Americans made their move.
They marched north and won the Battle of Fort George on May 27, 1813.
Queenston and the Niagara area were now in their hands.
Most men of military age were taken prisoner, but James was still recovering from his wounds, so he was spared.
As enemy troops surrounded them, the Secords were forced to host American soldiers in their home.
Laura Secord was a guest in her own home, but American soldiers whispered in the next room about their planned attack on British troops led by Lt. James Fitzgibbon.
She heard as they hoped to overwhelm the British in a surprise attack as they drove further into the Niagara Peninsula.
They had no idea Laura was listening in.
But she knew she was the only person that stood in front of the Americans conquest of Upper Canada.
She had to warn Fitzgibbon.
Under the cover of darkness, Laura slipped out of her home and began her journey.
According to legend, she took a cow with her in case she was stopped.
She could just claim that the cow was loose, and she was returning it back home.
A good alibi for her brave mission, if you believe the story. Regardless she had to cover about 20 kilometres if she took a direct route but doing so would guarantee her capture by Americans who were patrolling the area.
Instead, she took a winding 32-kilometer journey through forests and fields.
When she reached St. Davids, she enlisted the help of her niece Elizabeth.
The two women continued on their mission, and eventually arrived at Shipman’s Corners, now St. Catharines.
By now, Elizabeth was too exhausted to continue so Laura went on alone.
Under the light of a half moon Picture yourself in Laura’s shoes.
She knew she had to reach the British by morning and although she knew the area well, the dense trees made it difficult to navigate in the darkness.
There would be no sleep. No water. No food.
No time to stop before reaching her destination.
32 kilometres could take the average person five or six hours to walk.
But at night while avoiding being discovered it could take all night and there was no certainty of success.
But Laura Secord never faltered.
She knew well what was at stake. In the pitch black she crossed a creek on a fallen tree and stumbled into a First Nations camp.
She saw shocked faces and imagined their surprise at seeing a woman in a dress, covered in scratches and bleeding and in soaking feet and stockings.
She was so covered in mud she blended into her surroundings. Laura shared her mission with the chief, who guided her the rest of the way towards Fitzgibbon.
As dawn broke over the horizon she had delivered her message.
And her success would have a wide-reaching effect.
Two days later Fitzgibbon, with 50 of his men and 400 Indigenous warriors, ambushed the American force led by Colonel Charles Boerstler near Beaver Dams.
A brief battle ensued, Boerstler surrendered, and the battle was over.
The British force suffered 10 dead and 20 wounded, while the Americans lost 25 men and had almost 500 were taken prisoner.
The ambush caused the US forces at Fort George to become demoralized and over the next few months, they rarely sent out patrols.
By the end of 1813, they had abandoned the fort.
Laura Secord had saved Upper Canada, but no one knew what she had done for decades.
While Lt. Fitzgibbon did not mention Laura’s name in any of the reports of the battle
He wrote,
“At [John] De Cou’s this morning, about seven o’clock, I received information that … the Enemy … was advancing towards me …”
There may have been a reason for that.
If his reports got into the hands of the Americans, Laura and her family would’ve been in danger.
Once the war ended in 1815, the Secord family struggled. James’ store was in ruins, and despite his war pension, they lived in poverty.
They only had their 200 acres of land to support them, and then two more children born in 1815 and 1817With their finances stretched, they were able to get some breathing room when James was appointed as a judge in 1833 in the Niagara Surrogate Court.
Things had improved and then two years later he became a customs collector.
He died in 1841, but that left Laura without income.
All her requests for a pension were denied despite Fitzgibbon’s written testimony of what she had sacrificed during the war.
To survive she was forced to convert part of her home into a school where she taught children.
In 1853, she wrote her first account of her part in the nation’s success during the War of 1812.
No one took notice and for years, recognition eluded her.
Seven years later, she would be one of the War of 1812 veterans to address Albert Edward, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII.
The prince heard her heroic tale and realized she was now a woman in her mid-80s, struggling to make ends meet.
Impressed by her patriotism he sent her £100, which is about $12,000 today.
This one-time gift from a prince was the only recognition Laura received for her bravery.
The following year, Laura wrote another account of the trek through the woods to warn Fitzgibbon which also went unnoticed.
She lived the last years of her life quietly, until her death on Oct. 17, 1868, at the age of 93.
Unsung in her lifetime, she has since become an icon of Canadian patriotism.
As women’s suffrage took shape in Canada twenty years after Laura Secord’s death, they took inspiration from her efforts and pointed at how women could shape the destiny of a nation.
In 1887, Sarah Anne Curzon wrote the first play about Laura.,
Titled The Heroine of 1812, the play was a catalyst for interest in Laura’s story and over the next ten years her name began to appear in textbooks as historians dissected her story.
it inspired Emma Currie to write a biography about Laura titled The Story of Laura Secord.
It was the first of its kind and it helped fuel Currie’s efforts in in getting a 2.1-metre-high memorial erected in Laura’s honour at Queenston Heights in 1901.
Her name was slowly becoming well known as word of her heroism spread.
By 1905, her portrait was prominently displayed in Parliament.
Her story helped us shape our identity because early in our history, and only decades after Confederation, Canadians wanted stories to help distinguish us from Americans.
As Pierre Berton said her story was,
“Used to underline the growing myth that the War of 1812 was won by true-blue Canadians.”
Her myth grew as did the claims that she made the journey in her bare feet.
Oftentimes, the role that Indigenous people played in her success was unfortunately left out entirely.
We don’t need to add or subtract ANYTHING from Laura’s story to make it great.
She may have been described by Fitzgibbon as someone with a slender frame and delicate appearance.
But underneath she had an iron will and immense bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.
She saved Canada, which is more than enough.
She’s a Canadian icon and as such many schools are named after her.
In 1971 her original homestead was turned into a museum.
By 1992, she had been commemorated by a stamp and a decade later she was declared a Person of National Historical Significance by the federal government.
One of the greatest honours came in 2006 when her statue was unveiled at the Valiants Memorial in Ottawa where she stands near the bust of fellow War of 1812 hero, General Sir Isaac Brock.
And if you want to walk in her footsteps, you just need to follow the 32 km journey through the Secord Legacy Trail that follows her route and is now part of the Trans-Canada Trail.
It was opened on June 22, 2013, on the 200th anniversary of her famous walk.
But I can hear you asking.
Why her name most associated with chocolate?
In 1913, Frank O’Connor opened a chocolate shop on Yonge Street in Toronto.
He wanted to give his chocolate shop a name that would resonate with Canadians, and at the time Laura’s story was the toast of the country.
It had been 100 years since her war time efforts and so he borrowed her name.
Thus, Laura Secord Chocolates were born.
She was an icon of courage, devotion and loyalty and chocolates packaged with her image were snapped up by Canadians.
By the time the O’Connor family sold the business in 1969, Laura Secord Chocolates was the largest candy retailer in Canada.
A delicious post-script, to a fascinating story, about a truly great Canadian.
[OUTRO]
*sources*
- Canadian Encyclopedia https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/laura-secord
- Parks Canada https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/caf/militaryhistory/wars-operations/1812/laura-secord.html
- Valour Canada https://valourcanada.ca/military-history-library/laura-secord/
