Battle Re-enactment Weekend - July 11 - 12, 2009

The Friends of Crysler's Farm will be staging the 196th anniversary re-enactment of the battle that halted the November, 1813 invasion of Canada as part of the War of 1812 Grand Tactical on July 11 and 12, 2009.

Re-enactors portraying American and Anglo-Canadian armies and His Majesty's Mohawk Allies will take part in three battles during the weekend of July 11 and 12 - Saturday afternoon and evening and Sunday afternoon - on the grounds of Crysler Memorial Park and inside Upper Canada Village. Many of the units taking part are re-creations of the actual regiments that fought on John Crysler's Farm on November 11, 1813. The rattle of musketry will be punctuated by the roar of cannons as the two armies depict engagements from the troubled times of the War of 1812 when armies from the new republic to the south invaded British North America seeking to make it the newest state.

The Friends of Crysler's Farm are honoured to have been chosen to host the 2009 War of 1812 Grand Tactical, the largest war of 1812 re-enactment in North America. The Grand Tactical, organized by the Crown Forces in North America and U.S. re-enacting umbrella groups, alternates each year between sites in Canada and the United States to encourage wider participation in 1812 living history and to highlight the different regions in which the war was fought.

The "armies" will be accompanied by civilians portraying the camp life of those who accompanied armies of the period while they were on the march. The tented camps of both armies, crafters, artisans and suttlers will combine to bring the largest-ever display of living history to an area that is no stranger to the heritage of this country.

Upper Canada Village, immediately adjacent to the Battlefield Memorial, is a re-creation of a typical settlement along the shores of the St. Lawrence at the time of Confederation and in 2000 was named the top visitor attraction in Canada. The site also includes a memorial to the Loyalist settlers who carved the province of Upper Canada from the wilderness after having lost their homes and possessions for their loyalty to the Crown during the American Revolution.

So circle the dates of July 11 and 12 2009 now on your and watch as history comes alive at Crysler's Farm Battlefield Memorial.