Post 14: The War Of 1812 Ends!

December 24, 1814

The day has finally come! The War of 1812, (As we've begun to call it...) is now officially over! The Treaty of Ghent was signed today, and now it has ended the war. Well, at least in official terms. After the Battle of Lundy's Lane, we really were done fighting because the war in Europe had ended. So, the Crazy Rebels got scared that Britain would send over more troops for us. Not to mention we got rid of the "Blockade" and stopped with the impressing of people. So, there wasn't even a logical reason for them to attack anyways. (But hey, since when did they start using their heads, right?) However, it wasn't officially over. When it's officially over, all of the fancy important people have talked about a treaty and everything for months, and have sat there drinking tea together. So it's officially over now. I have heard all of the terms (Or at least all of the important ones...) and now I will explain some major points!

- All of the borders between us and the Crazy Rebels have now gone back to normal, as in the way they originally were, before the war. I'm happy with that because the border between me and the Crazy Rebels had gotten closer, and I want them as far away as possible thank-you very much!

- We have now dropped the idea of letting the Natives have their own land. So, it's back to square one for all of those guys. I do feel a little bad, I mean, we did promise them that. Oh well I guess. It's their problem, not mine. 

- Another thing about the Natives is now both us and the Crazy Rebels have agreed to never use the Natives in war as allies again. Well, even if I’m not that big of a fan of them, that SUCKS! They did give us an advantage in a lot of fights, and now we can't get their help at all! At least the Crazy Rebels can't either, but it still is really annoying.

- Some things that weren't mentioned in the treaty were the "Blockade" and the Impressment. Why, I don't know. I guess it just wasn't important enough for the government to get their hands dirty over.

So, that's what was in the treaty. I do have more things to talk about concerning the Crazy Rebels and such, but it’s getting late, and I'm exhausted. So, I will be sure to continue writing tomorrow. (This time, I promise I will!)

December 25, 1814

See! What did I tell you! For once I ACTUALLY did write the next day! (Yes, you may clap.) Anyways, the other two important things that I wanted to talk about were the Alien Act and the Recognition for Loyalty. The Alien Act was passed to punish people who had helped the Crazy Rebels during the war. (Which is an insane thing to do if you ask me... Why would ANYONE do something like that?!?) This act says that it's illegal to have gone to Crazy Rebel Land after the War of 1812 began in July. I think that they caught about 15 or something people who did really horrible things against us, and I’m not even going to get into the details of what happened to them...(This is a G rated Blog, or journal, or whatever...) Recognition for Loyalty was something a lot happier. All the people and their families wanted to get something in return for fighting and staying loyal to our own country. (This includes me.) In exchange, we were given land grants, but sadly, most of the grants were near the border. Oh well. One of the conditions of the grant was that the next war, we would have to come back to fight. I was already planning on fighting if there was another war, so that didn't affect me. Widowed women also got something, which I believe was a pension, but I'm not exactly sure. Well, that's all that I know about the Treaty of Ghent, which has both down and upsides to it. I'm just glad that the war is over, and I hope that I won't see another one in my lifetime. So, until more happens, that's all from me for now. Until then.

Post 13: Battles Of Importance

May 21, 1814

I once again have returned from war, since my injury had healed and my nation needed me. (Not to mention Kaden pressured me into going again...) I have now fought many battles, and have learned about many others that have been considered key battles in the war. I have also learned how Overly-confident those dumb Crazy Rebels are. They were all saying, "Oh, winning this war against the stupid British will be like a walk in the forest." (Which is stupid if you ask me, walking through a forest isn’t that easy...) Their reasons for saying such stupid things? Well they say that they have many more people than us (Which doesn't matter if those guys all have less than a quarter of a brain in their head...), That the British are too busy fighting the war in Europe to care about us and send in troops (Yeah, as if.), and they think no one from here will try to fight them. That last one has got to be the most stupid reason I have ever heard. We all rushed to the front lines to defend our precious land, so that was a dumb thing to assume. Anyways, I believe that I was going to tell you about some of the important battles in the war, so, allow me to begin! 

The first battle I will talk about is The Battle of Queenston Heights. This battle started with General Brock on October 13,1812. He heard some gunshots, so he thought "Oh, I'll be fine going into a battle with only a quarter of a force." Needless to say, he died. (*Moment of silence*) Luckily, reinforcements showed up commanded by General Sheaffe, who also brought some native people to help out. Because we had so many people fighting, the Crazy Rebels ran away. Ha! Cowards! 

The second battle Is the Battle of Put-in-Bay. (Nice name, right? Though I’m not sure how the name has to do with any thing...) Anyways, in Amherstburg, we were having problems supply wise because of some people blocking supply ships from getting in through the Great Lakes. Now you might be wondering, "So Alister, why didn't the British come in with their Navy and kick the Crazy Rebels butts?" Well, I'll tell you. Remember that little thing called the "blockade"? Well that was using most of our ships. So when we did take action, we got defeated miserably...

The next battle is a show of how stupid those Crazy Rebels are. The Battle of Chateauguay was on October 25, 1813. In this battle, the Crazy Rebels were trying to invade and take over Montreal to cut off one of supply lines. Thankfully, the Crazy Rebels had horrible communications and bad leadership. I heard that they even accidentally would shot their own men! How crazy is that! They thought they were outnumbered (When in reality, we were the ones outnumbered), and they retreated. How funny is that?!

The last battle I know of that is important is The Battle of Lundy's Lane. This battle has been considered the deciding one. This battle was fought at night, so it was very hard to see. Because of this, there was much confusion, and each side caused injuries on themselves. Eventually, the Crazy Rebels retreated, and we prepared for a second attack. The Crazy Rebels didn't come back for more, so I think we were the ones who won, but the Crazy Rebels think otherwise...

Well, those were the battles that I know of. Most of them showed how absolutely idiotic those Crazy Rebels are, with the exception of Put-In-Bay, but that one was because of the "Blockade". Kaden is finally coming back home, so I really have to go. Me and Jeffery have to go welcome him back, and I'm being called now. I will most definitely keep you posted about the war!

Post 12: There Are A Lot Of People To Talk About...

July 18, 1813

After a year, I finally have come home, and have the chance to sit down and write. Much has happened since my last entry. As always, my instincts were correct, a war has begun! It happened on June 19, 1812, or at least that's when the Crazy Rebels declared war on us. As for when they took real action however, that was on July 12, 1812. I can't believe what they did! They invaded us with some crazy amount of people and took over sandwich! Now they are trying to get people from our side to join them! At least no one I know is joining. The reason that I haven't wrote for a while is because I could not stand back. I joined the fight on the front lines for the past year. Sadly, I got injured and they sent me back home. At least the upside to the situation is that I learned that while in the military, you hear quite a bit of what’s going on, and I have a lot of news about many different people. So, here is what I know about A Few of the different people.

General Isaac Brock is the first person that I know about. He's a General on our side, and from what I've heard, he's a really whiny guy. The whole time he's been stationed here before the war, he's been begging, "Oh PLEASE let me go to Europe. PLEASE! I don't like this place. Let me go! Everything is boring here!" And stuff like that. In any case he's has been doing a lot for us now. The only problem I have with him is something called "The question of loyalty". Let me explain what it is. He had all of his troops running around and questioning the loyalists to see if they are still on our side. The reason why is because a lot of the loyalists have been running back to the Crazy Rebels, and we don't want any more of that to happen. Now that's all fine and dandy, but he went to question JEFFERY. That REALLY got me mad. If there is a Loyalist who would never betray our country, it's Jeffery. They went and gave him a really hard time, when he is one who is extremely loyal and would never go join those psycho Rebels. That's the reason why I don't really like that guy. Oh, and he's a complete coward! 

The next guy I've heard about is Tecumseh. I know, nice name right? This guy is a Native from the Shawnee nation. He is this guy who was really upset about the selling of "His peoples" land. Ha! He's lucky that we're letting him and his "People" continue living there! Anyways, he has made an alliance with us, and we have promised to let him keep the land they own in exchange. Apparently, he's a fan of General Brock over there, though I’m not sure why. His support has helped us win many battles against the Crazy Rebels, or at least that's what others think...

I have to go right now, so I will continue in my next entry. Until then!

July 21, 1813

Okay, so I'm back. I guess there is no point in wasting time, so I'll just get straight to it.

Okay, so where did I leave off? Oh yeah! Next would be Richard Pierpoint. He lived in Bondu, Africa and was made a slave when he was only a Teenager. He escaped during the Crazy Rebel Revolution, and joined a team on our side. However after the war, the Crazy Rebels would send in people to find all of the slaves that escaped during the time. So, this guy got permission to gather all of the former slaves in the area to live together so that they could help each other from being re-captured. Now that this war has started, he's organized a Military group to help fight, which is what they have done.

Laura Secord, who is my personal favourite, is who I will talk about now. The reason I like her so much is because not a lot of women really get recognition. Not to mention she was very brave to do what she did, which is something I admire. Laura Secord was forced to live in a house with Crazy Rebel soldiers, and one night, she heard them talking about an attack they were planning on us. Where they were going to attack would give them a huge advantage in the war if they won, So Laura knew she had to take action. She walked 32 Km through a FOREST until she ended up meeting with some Native people. They took her to the General of the area, to who she explained the situation. Because of what she did,  we won the battle. Not bad, right?

Okay, so the last person I've heard about for now is John Strachan. I don't see why he's so important but, oh well. John was a Chaplin for our troops. In a battle against the Crazy Rebels, we were forced to retreat, and those Crazy Rebels were running all around town doing Crazy Rebel things. This Strachan guy went to the leader of the Crazy Rebel troops and negotiated with him. In the end, the Crazy Rebels got York, and apparently it was better terms for the people living there, but that's still pretty stupid to just give up York.

Anyways, that's all that I heard about while I was in the Army. It's not much, but it's more than I would have known before, if I didn't join. Kaden is still out there fighting, and Jeffery is too, so I'm a bit lonely. Thankfully, I heard that Jeffery is coming back soon. That's all I have to write at the moment, but I will write again soon. It's important to write now, while so much is happening. So, when something else happens, I'll be sure to write! 

Post 11: I Have a Bad Feeling About This...

May 9, 1812

I can't believe what I have done! I haven't written in years, and I suppose there is simply no excuse I could give to make up for this. I do know that lately, I have been quite anxious, and at first, I couldn't figure out why. However, in the last few weeks, I believe that I may have come up with the reason. I have been very worried about the Crazy Rebels seriously thinking of declaring war on us! Now, before you say, "Alister, you have gone completely and utterly insane, and you are way too paranoid. Maybe you should go see a doctor." Hear me out. I have some reasons why I think such a thing, and it's NOT just because they're Crazy Rebels.

First of all, I think that the Crazy Rebels are simply very angry with us, and anger is an emotion that can cause people to do things without logically thinking it through. One of the reasons that they must be very angry is the "Impressment" as they call it, that our Navy has been committing. Mainly, the conditions on all of our ships are very horrible, and because of this, many of our people run off to join the American Merchant Navy, who have much better ship conditions than us, and are used for trade, not war. We have started to stop these ships to try to find the runaways of ours, and also try to force the Crazy Rebels to join us too. If I was a Crazy Rebel, I would be angry too!

The second reason that I think the Crazy Rebels are angry is the "Blockade" that we created. Because of the war raging in Europe, (Oops... did I forget to mention that?) we sent out our Navy to block France from trading with The Crazy Rebels and such. (Hence the name, "Blockade") By doing this, we were trying to give the French army a hard time, but it also had a negative effect on those Cray Rebels as well. Since they aren't being traded with as much, their Economy isn't doing so hot. Oh well. I used to trade with someone who traded with them, and now he isn't coming around. So I guess this isn't exactly helping me either...

The next factor is our alliances with the Natives. We have influenced the Natives greatly, and the Crazy Rebels aren't too happy about that. Actually, they are down-right furious about it. We apparently have encouraged the Natives to be very un-friendly with the Crazy Rebels and we apparently told the Natives to keep a large amount of land for themselves and to stop selling their land to the Crazy Rebels. Because of this, the Crazy Rebels are unable to expand, and they are extremely upset about it.

The last reason that I have to explain is those imbecile War Hawks. I don't care what anyone says, these guys are completely INSANE. I'm not joking. They are all going, "Crazy Rebel Land is meant to expand and take up this WHOLE continent." The WHOLE continent? Are they Crazy? Actually, as I mentioned before, they are. I say they can take their "Crazy Rebel Land" And shove it where- oh. I really shouldn't say stuff like that... *Ahem* As I was saying, we live here too you know Crazy Rebels! If you think that we don't deserve too, well neither do they! The problem is, the Crazy Rebels actually like these guys. They are all saying, "Yeah! War Hawks are SO smart, because I am a complete Idiot with less than a Quarter of a brain in my head!"

I guess I'll just have to deal with it. However, now that I think about it, some of these reasons have negative factors on us British too! That's got me thinking, does the government even care if we are having a hard time too? I wonder... Oh well. I have to go, and I PROMISE that this time I won't forget about my journal for years.

Post 10: Fur and Farming and Wood: Huzzah!

November 12, 1793

I recently discovered that the fur industry is something that I could really get into. At times they can keep some of the furs that they trade for, and I could sell them for a lot of money back home. So, because I was interested in the fur trade, I decided to do a little bit of research on it. So here it is:

- The Hudson's Bay Company set up the first trading post in 1670.
- There are now two systems of fur trade.
- The HBC's system is to wait at trading posts for Natives to come with fur to trade.
- The North West Company use Montreal as their base, then travel west to find fur to trade for.
- At the Moment, The NWC has dominated the market.
- The NWC are the ones who have the very high quality furs that everyone wants.
- Another reason that NWC has been so successful is because they have the Métis. The Métis have trader fathers and Native mothers. They have connections with the Natives and usually work with the NWC, so they get all the good furs.

I consider The HBC's method the "Lazy method" and the NWC's method the "PLEASE GIVE US FUR!!" method. I haven't decided who I should consider yet, maybe I will ask my friends for advice. Until next time.


December 2, 1793

After a long time and many discussions with my family and friends, Jeffery and Kaden, (Yay! He's back!), I decided (Or, they convinced me...) that the fur trade industry isn't a good idea. Kaden said that he thinks that the fur trade is eventually going to die down, and when that time comes, I'll be left with no supply of income. Both him and Jeffery think that agriculture and timber will soon become the main industry. I reluctantly chose to believe them. After all, they are usually right... I already have been farming since I was a child, and my family and I farm now too. So, agriculture won't be much of a problem. I didn't get why they thought timber would be a main industry at first, but then they told me all of their reasons. They said that everyone is going to need wood, they already do! To build boats and houses and make paper. Also, it's used for shoes, furniture, wagons, and forks and knives, you get the picture. They think that I should continue farming, and then work half of the time in the lumber industry when everything turns around. I suppose that their idea is a good idea, and joining the fur industry would result in me having to leave my family often, and if I can avoid that situation, by all means count me in. That's all for today, I'm meeting Kaden and Jeffery, and I don't want to be late.

Post 9: York again!

September 4, 1793

York has been quite the topic for conversations lately. Everyone I talk to has brought it up, and because of this, I have learned more than I knew before. One thing that has been mentioned very often is Elizabeth Simcoe, John Simcoe's wife. Because of her enthusiasm, many have been convinced that York is a good place to live. As a matter of fact, many of my neighbors or people I know in general have packed their bags and left for York. It has my town feeling a bit empty, so I’m not sure what to think of it. I myself have briefly thought of moving there, but after thoroughly considering the good and bad, I decided to stay, and my family fully agreed. Anyways, back to the topic of Elizabeth, She has been doing everything she can to create the image of York being an okay place. Hah. She might as well be begging on her knees going "PLEASE COME!!! PLEEEAAASE!! I BEG OF YOU!!" The funny thing is, it actually works. She just disguises it as painting or letters. I have heard that people die there, and that many become very sick. Me and Jeffery spend many nights with a smaller party than we'd like, and York is to blame. One of my friends, Kaden, left for York and I haven't heard from him since, despite his promises to write. I truly hope he's alright. I have to go; Jeffery and I are going out for the night.


September 28, 1793

I have very good news! I got a letter in the mail today addressed from York, and at first I was confused. Then I thought that it was another invite to come live there. I've gotten those before, they say "York. It's a new place with new opportunities BLAH BLAH DE BLARGH DE BLARG." Or something along those lines. Anyways, so I was GOING to throw it out, but someone (*COUGH, COUGH* My wife *COUGH, COUGH*) told me that "It might be something important, you should always check." So I opened it. I am SO happy I listened to her. (Don't tell her I said that by the way...) It was a letter from my friend Kaden! (Remember him?) I guess he really wasn't dead! I have recorded the letter here.

My good friend Alister,

I cannot express my apologies enough for not keeping my promise. Though I can't stop myself from making excuses. Things up here in York are very different than I thought they would be. My original impression of York was that things were already going well there, and that there would not be very many problems to deal with. Of course I didn't think there wouldn't be any problems at all, but I thought that most would have been resolved by now. I was dead wrong, and I would pay for my mistake later. When my family and I arrived, things were in disarray. We settled into a tent for the night, as I began to worry that this was not the best idea. Weeks passed as we tried to settle in and the days grew colder and shorter. We all struggled in our new home with new surroundings, and I tried to keep faith in my decision. It was later into the winter when disaster struck. My young son Joseph caught a horrible fever that refused to cease. One week later it got worse and three days after that he could barely take the pain. That night the moans from his bed suddenly stopped. I went to check on him to find that he had left us for good. My son was taken from me because of this place! I should have listened to your protests Alister. Needless to say, I will be moving back to our settlement next month, where we are at least safe. We have to leave, before this land claims another of my family. I hope all is well with you, tell Jeffery I say hello. That is all to say for now good friend, until I return.

-Kaden


When I read that his son Joseph died, I couldn't believe such a thing. At least his daughter Mary and his eldest son Alexander are all right. I am glad to here he is alive though, he was always a good friend of mine. I have to go, my nights have been busy lately and today is as well.

Post 8: New Governor, New Rules

March 8, 1792

I have a big piece of news! There is a new governor here in Upper Canada, and his name is John Graves Simcoe. He arrived in Newark a few days ago, and thanks to some of my friends, I was able to find out quite a bit about him. He had led a loyalist unit by the name of "The Queen's Rangers" during the war against the Crazy Rebels, but was injured in 1781 and had to return to England. When he came here, he still had mental scars from the Crazy Rebels, so he happened to be very concerned of future wars between them. He thought that our capital, Newark, wasn't a good one because it was too close to the border between us and the Crazy Rebels. I have to say that I totally agree. Those Rebels are NOT to be trusted. They are bound to attack again sometime soon for another stupid reason. Maybe this time it will be because we accidentally looked at their cows funny or something. Well THEY threw all of their tea into the harbour. HOW COULD THEY!!! THE TEA!!!! I STILL can never forgive them for doing such a thing! Oh, back to Simcoe. In any case, I also heard that he wants to build a city called London to be our capital, but first, we need a military base. According to other people, he wants the new base to be in York, because it is further than Newark is from the border. I haven't heard much about York, so I am going to do some studying on it. I will write again soon.


August 4, 1793

I am so horrible at keeping up with my Journal, but I have done much studying about York and the recent events. It seems York used to be a very important part of the Natives transportation routes, and a small French fort was built there in 1620. In 1787, we bought it from the Natives. It doesn't seem like much to me, but I guess Simcoe thinks other wise. Speaking of Simcoe, he travelled to York five days ago to make sure that the fort was built right. He also had some town plans made because he was going to live there I guess. I also heard that Sir Guy Carleton (You remember him right?) doesn't like Simcoes choice, so he isn't supporting him. I couldn't believe that when I heard it. We are all part of the same proud country are we not? Why couldn't he put his preferences aside and think of what is best for the country instead? Because if this, Simcoe has to convince other governors to live in York, which is basically the wilderness right now. I wish him luck in that. However, protecting the city was easy because Simcoe has The Queen's Rangers. They also help build some of the buildings and roads. I also heard that he needs people to come and live at his settlement, but due to a war going on in Europe, no one from there is moving here. So even though he doesn't trust the Rebels, he is trying to get them here with tempts of more land. I think this is a horrible idea, but oh well. He is also trying to create an upper class, like in England, by giving some people more land than others. I rather liked it here without an upper class, and trying to add one isn't such a good idea in my opinion. One thing that I actually liked from his plans was that he is continuing to let "Late Loyalists" in and giving them land. At least that was a good idea! That is all that is available to me right now, I will try to write again soon, but I can't make any promises.

Post 7: The New Act: More Changes?!?

January 13, 1791

I can't believe this. The British government has passed ANOTHER act! I mean, how many of those can they pass anyways? They called this one the Constitutional act, and its purpose was to respond to the complaints from some of the loyalists about not completely owning the land that they farm. I am happy that the government is paying attention to the loyalists and trying to help them, but MORE changes? I'm getting a bit annoyed by all of the changes. Anyways, here is what they changed:


- Quebec is now divided into two parts, Upper Canada and Lower Canada

- Every colony now has an assembly that will be elected by the people. This assembly would have the power to raise taxes.

- Upper Canada now has a new land ownership system called the English Freehold system. This system lets the farmers fully own their land. Lower Canada however, still has the seigneurial system. (I feel bad for them!)

- One 7th of the land in Upper Canada has been reserved as "Clergy Reserves". These pieces of land were for the Anglican Church only! Another 7th of the land has been called "Crown Reserves". This land is controlled by the lieutenant-Governor.


This is all the information I have been able to gather so far. I will try to find out more and write again the second I do.


February 2, 1791

I have been snooping around as much as I can, and I finally have found out as much as I could about the new Constitutional act. In my last entry, I simply wrote the things that were obvious to see, and were announced to all. I spent a lot of time and have found out a lot of things that were not mentioned, and were hard to see. I noticed that back in Crazy Rebel land, all of the citizens had been very active in the way their government worked, while here, the government is the government and that's final. So, naturally, when the loyalists came here, they weren't used to our type of government. They complained to the government and so, the government changed the way it worked. Now, male property owners can vote for people in the "Legislative Assembly", who propose laws and approve taxes. Other than that, there is the Executive Council, The Legislative Council and The Governor. Those three are appointed by the Sovereign. Even though they have given use influence, it still is barely any. That is all I was able to find for now. I will see if I take a liking to this system, I guess I will have to let you know next time.

Post 6: Studying and More Trouble from Natives

October 6, 1782

The days once again grow short and cold. I haven't been able to write as much because of this. With so much prepareing to do, writing is one of the less important things to do on my list. Anyways, lately I have been spending most of my free time studying the topic of loyalists in general, and I have learned many interesting facts in the process. I found that both in both Quebec and Nova Scotia the loyalists who settled there have had to face many different problems, leading to difficult times. In Nova Scotia, they would first have to receive a land grant, which takes much time to obtain. Once they finally receive the grant, they would need to clear the land. You can imagine how long and hard it would be to do that! After that they have to plant crops and build a house. Only then do they finally get a house to live in. How's that for tough times? In Quebec however, things are abit different. There are temporary refugee camps for the loyalists to stay in untill they recive their land, which is given out through a system like a lottery. Even so, both Quebec and Nova Scotia had shortages of food, clothes and tools, making living in either place hard. There are also black loyalists, who have to go through even tougher times than the other loyalists. They are the last to receive supplies and are treated much worse than the already badly treated loyalists. I have to go, there are more preperations to be made for the winter, and time is running out.


March 12, 1283

It seems that the natives are on the verge of another stupid revolt. Ever since the Treaty of Paris, I have heard rumors of hostile Natives. From what I have heard, they are angry because the Treaty of Paris gave all of the land west of the Mississippi river to the United States, otherwise known as the crazy Rebels. I think I'll start calling them that from now on. Crazy Rebels. It has a nice ring to it... Oh! I'm getting off topic! Anyways, the Natives had been the ones taking up most of that land, so when they found out that we, the British, had simply given their land to the Crazy Rebels, they were very angry. They had though that we "didn't have the right to give their land away like that." Honestly? They really think that? Who do they think they are anyways?! We OWN this land! We can do WHATEVER WE WANT with it! If they don't like it, that's TOO BAD!! They can just live some where else for all I care if they don't like it but this land is ours to control, so how DARE they think they have such power over the place they live, which is on our property. I also heard that there is this guy who is going to go to London with a petition requesting their land back. Hah! Good luck with that. The higher ups will not give in, and I have faith in the fact that they won't. Untill next time.


October 25, 1784

THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!!! I can not BELEIVE  the news I have just heard. The higher ups have AGREED to the natives request! They WILLINGLY gave up some of our land to a grant!!! HOW COULD THEY! I don't think I have EVER been angrier than this... I heard it just a little while ago. That guy with the petition, whos name happenes to be Thayendanegea, (I know, what kind of name is that?) went with the petition and the governer Fredrick Haldimand granted them their land! It's been called the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and me and many others are VERY upset about it. I still can't beleive that the government has let our country down like that. Now the Natives will have it in their heads that they can get whatever they want from our cowardly government. It just makes me so angry! Too angry to write... I will have to continue later, when I am cooled down. Untill then.

Post 5: New Interests?

July 14, 1782

It seems I was able to write my new entry earlier than I thought I would, especially since they are usually months apart. In any case, I have realized that I have a strong passion for helping the loyalists. Though some of my friends and neighbors disapprove of my kindness to them, my beliefs stay the same. After all, Jeffery is a loyalist, and we spend a lot of time together laughing and discussing the news of the day. He is a great friend, and it doesn't matter where he came from. Not to mention they were on our side, weren’t they? Anyways, at times where loyalists come to our settlement in search of a place to rest for the night, I am the first to offer my house. Despite the dirty looks from the other settlers give me, I still give them a hand. I have tried countless times to convince the others against it but they refuse to listen. I guess that's just the way life is, not everyone will always agree with you... I must go; there is a loyalist in outside asking for help. Until next time.

August 3, 1782

My friend Jeffery has recently told me some of the stories of some of the other loyalists he has met. I have recorded some of them below.

James Robertson came to the Thirteen Colonies in 1766 from Scotland. His brother, Alexander, came as well two years later. Together, they created and published the Royal American Gazette, a newspaper. They had chosen not to support the rebels in the revolution, so they were forced out of their homes. They moved 4 times in their struggles, and eventually settled in Shelburne, Nova Scotia when the war ended.

Jacob Waggoner was a German man who immigrated to the Thirteen Colonies. When the war started, he felt that the British had helped him come to North America in the first place, so he was more loyal to them. He joined the war on the side of the British. When the war ended, he and his family moved to Quebec.

Though these people haven’t been through nearly as much as Jeffery did, I still fell quite bad for them. If those crazy rebels had thought for a moment about what they were planning to do, so many loyalists could have not had to go through such things. The thought of it still makes me sick. That is all I have to write for now, I have work to do.

Post 4: The Journey of a Loyalist

July 3, 1782

I have recently befriended a loyalist by the name of Jeffery Roberts, who was forced out of his home with his family consisting of himself, his wife and his daughter. He recently told me the story of his journey, and I have recorded it here. When I asked him why he wouldn't tell me about it earlier, he told me that he was trying to forget such times.

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(As told by Jeffery Roberts)

It was horrible! They came to our house at night, even my good friends and our neighbours had come as well! I awoke in the middle of the night due to a nasty headache that I had from all of the insults that people had been screaming in my ears. Those voices still rung in my head even in the dark twilight hours. I had gotten up to get a drink of water when I smelled the smoke. The Patriots had set our house on fire! I quickly ran to get my wife and daughter out of the house, then grabbed as much as I could carry to help us on our journey. We loaded our wagon and left our home forever. I remember my daughter looking up at me with wide eyes and asking "Daddy, where are we going?" I hesitated for a moment then replied, "To a better place. That's all that matters."

Soon we had been on the road for quite some time. Maybe 7 months? The time we spent those months weren’t very interesting, we were all still shocked that we were leaving our home. Eventually we reached Lachine, which is near Montreal. We had to wait for boats to take us up the river to the Johnstown settlement. The whole time we were on that boat my daughter’s eyes were wide with fear. All I could do was hold her close to me. Imagine how confused and frightened she must have been!She was young, only 8, and we were fleeing from our home! I hope she realized that this was for the better.

The camp that we have been staying in for now is quite the mess. The food that we have is bland, but I guess I should be happy that we have any food at all. My daughter has made friends with other Loyalist girls that have been through things much like her, and I am glad to see her smile. Natives have been coming to trade for flour, but we hardly have enough for our selves. Sometimes they leave food for us anyways, and everyone appreciates that greatly. We and some others will be leaving for Johnstown tomorrow.

We arrived at last! I have decided to continue up the river, despite my wife’s pleas. I believe that we should find a place better than here to live, and eventually my wife agreed. We leave next week. For now, we are staying here to re-stock on supplies and prepare.

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John told me that his journey to where I live was very un-eventful, so he didn't bother to record it. I was completely disturbed by the fact that their house was burned to the ground. Those stupid rebels! I must go. I hope that my next entry will be sooner than later.

Post 3: War?!

March 14, 1775

It seems my worries all were for a good reason; the Thirteen Colonies have gone to war against us British! I could hardly believe the news when I heard it, after all we have done for them this is how the treat us?! They say that they want their freedom, yet it is obvious that they already have it, and now by doing this, their "freedom" is long gone. The officials have asked me to join the fight, but I refused. Though I would do anything for my great country, I have a family with children who need me very much. If I were to die, they would be in ruins, and I would be at fault. In any case, I heard that the ones from the Thirteen colonies who still are sided with us are being treated horribly, and that they have been given the name "loyalists" by our people. I can't believe that they are treated like that just because they have more than half of a brain in their heads and realize that we aren't the enemy, but the ones that have been helping them THE WHOLE TIME! The Loyalists have been forced out of their homes, leaving with none of their possessions or money. The rebels doing such things are completely barbaric, and I am completely appalled at such acts. That is all the time I have for now, until next time.

May 5, 1782

After 7 years the war is over at last! Though I am glad it is, I am not too happy with the outcome. As a matter of fact, the outcome thoroughly embarrasses me. The fact is, we lost to the Thirteen Colonies, who now call themselves the United States. In the end, I joined the fight, and I’m lucky to be here, but still, we lost, and I wasn't excepting the bitter taste of defeat. That was a taste that I hated, yet the States refuse to let me stop tasting it. The loyalists have been coming to use for a place to live, since they have been token from their homes and labelled traitors by the rebels. I am one to take pity on these people, since it is unfair for such injustice to occur. Though some of my neighbours disagree with my point of view, I say that they already came from people treating them like outcasts, so why do we need to treat them the same way when they have come here for the better? I have work to do, so this entry will have to end here.

Post 2: New Laws

December 3, 1763

Slowly I have realized more of the goals from the royal proclamation. In order to further integrate the French, we have closed off Ohio Valley from all settler expansion, so that the settlers will have to move to Quebec rather then settling elsewhere. Even so, almost all of the land in Quebec is already token, so there truly is no point to this, and I am disappointed with such a poor decision from my rulers. Many of our merchants are also becoming annoyed with our governor James Murray, since he seems to be favoring the French more than the British. I believe that such an act should most certainly not go un-punished! If he is to be disloyal to his own people, he should not be ruling over them, only to treat them like dirt! I can only hope that my opinion will be expressed in others that have a say in what happens to our great country.


October 7, 1774

I have recently noticed that I haven't written in 11 years! I guess I should pick up from where I left off. It seems that more people then I had thought agreed with me, Murray was recalled to England! He was replaced with Guy Carleton, who at first gave me hope that he would be better than James. My hope was eventually worn down and crushed, as he proved almost the same as James Murray, and for that, I am in ruins. Today, I heard that he has views very different than many others of us. He believes that if there was every a war between us and the Thirteen Colonies, we would need the French to help us fight, therefore, we must keep them as happy as possible. He proposed to let them keep their language, civil laws, and religion. I of course, am very against this movement, and am beginning to wish that our governor was still James Murray. But, that's not all; He recently passed the Quebec act, which cancels all efforts to integrate the French from the Royal Proclamation, as well as has made the Ohio Valley part of Quebec. I am too angry to write, until next time.


December 4, 1774

I am beginning to get worried that the Thirteen Colonies will soon revolt against us since over time; they have become angrier and angrier about all of the laws affecting them. For example, we passed the Stamp Act in 1765, which has the people pay a tax for each piece of printed paper they use. The money was used for something very important, yet still those simple minded fools became angry with the tax, forcing us to cancel the act. There were many more such as a tax on all imported tea, causing them to dump it all in Boston harbor. How dumb is that!? They just wasted all of that perfectly good tea for nothing!! Over all, they think that we are being unfair with everything that we are taxing them for, when in reality, everything we are taxing them for is for their own benefit. The most recent thing that angered them was the Quebec act, which has made me quite angry too, but for different reasons. They are upset because we gave the Ohio Valley to Quebec, while supposedly they need it more, and have been wanting it for years. Ha! Like that’s a valid statement! We’ve been helping them so much, and this is what we get? Stabbed in the back, betrayed and unappreciated are words to describe the way I feel now. Oh well. I guess all that is left to do now is wait, but I’m anxious and waiting isn’t something I like to do. I guess I’ll have to deal with it; after all, patience is a virtue.

Post 1: Peace at last?

February 11, 1763

It has been seven long years since the war started, and I am glad that it is finally over. I have been trying to convince myself that everything is finally at peace, but I have the feeling there is still much to endure for peace to occur. I have heard that the British, my people, have been trying to find a way to control the many French settlers here in Quebec, as well as the Thirteen Colonies further down south. The Colonies want to move to Ohio Valley, even though there are still Natives living there. I say to let them move there! I don't recall the Native people ever benefiting us at all, so why should we give them the right to stay? I truly hope that the ones in power see things in my perspective.


April 26, 1763

Much has happened since my last entry. The natives had been upset with us, so they took over many of our forts close to the Ohio frontier! It didn't last for very long, since winter came, and we have made peace with them. I say that they should have been punished for doing such a thing! They took over our forts simply because they didn't like the way they were being treated?! What kind of an excuse is that? My neighbours seem to have the same ideas, but some people think that there is no reason to be angry over such rubbish. Rubbish? If we keep letting them get away with smaller things, it will eventually become large things! In any case, I have to get to work. I will try to write my next entry soon.


October 8, 1763

Once again I have failed to write in my journal for months. In any case, yesterday, Britain (my country) announced a new Royal Proclamation. Though they never said it straight out, even I can tell what their goals are. It seems that they want to integrate the France into our society, and to avoid conflict with the Natives. We are forcing the French to give up their own laws and follow ours, with a few exceptions, such as allowing them to continue following their religion. As for the Natives, we are reserving an area of land for them, and only them. We are not allowed to build anything on this land, and now there is no trading with any Natives unless we have a licence to. These laws are ridiculous, and I am beginning to wonder who my country cares more about, its people, or the Natives living on it's land? Until next time.