1w ago

July 20th, 1812: US General William Hull makes a war proclamation on Canada, and begins his invasion.

www.loc.gov The Western Intelligencer, Extra. Monday, July 20, 1812. By this morning's mail, we have received the proclamation of Brigadier-General Hull, to the inhabitants of Canada, which is here presented to our readers in an extra sheet: By William Hull

Available also through the Library of Congress web site in two forms: as facsimile page images and as full text in SGML. Printed Ephemera Collection; Portfolio 228, Folder 9.

I thought this was relevant in the wake of all this annexation talk…it’s good to remember history.

Of particular note: the Americans under Andrew Jackson were already running red hot from Tecumseh’s Rebellion and other various wars with Native Americans. There was a big racial sentiment at this time as noted by the line in the second column of the first page: “No white man fighting by the side of an Indian will be taken prisoner; instant destruction will be his lot.”

Makes you proud to think about the Canadians that fought in the War of 1812 in places like Fort Erie.