PART 3

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The Sweet Tale of Laura Secord - First Part

“To give an accurate description of what has never happened is not merely the proper occupation of historians, but the inalienable privilege of any man of parts and culture.” Oscar Wilde

We will perhaps conclude that exaggerating about their great heroes is just another bad American habit. Not so, it is something Canadians can also excel at. In fact, William Foster Coffin convincingly exceeded Weems (see our previous blog), but then Coffin was a lawyer not a minister.

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Laura Secord remarkably well dressed to sneak thorough Military lines.

We all know the basic story of Laura Secord. She is said to have saved Canada by walking many miles through swamps and forest, going  behind enemy lines to warn Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon that a British defensive position during the war of 1812 was about to be stormed by the Americans. She had overheard American soldiers billeted in her home chatting about the plans. She at once realized that the Canadians had to told to avoid being slaughtered. As her husband had been disabled by an earlier war injury, she alone could take on the task.

Historian Coffin takes up the story; ‘She spoke out, she would go herself. Fitzgibbon needed to be warned.’

The next morning, she, we are told, got up at three and like a good wife would, prepared breakfast for the children to have later when they woke. Then as dawn broke, off she started on a circuitous 20 plus mile walk through American controlled territory. She was in  such a hurry she forgot to put her shoes on, and went either barefoot or in slippers, you choose.

Only a woman had any hope to get through the enemy lines. She just might be allowed through if she bettered her chances by taking a cow, and a bucket. If stopped she planned to say she was just out milking, or if challenged further, she would say she was taking Nellie to market for sale.

The first sentry was ‘difficult’ and even after letting her pass kept his eye on her, while she studiously milked the cow. The cow we are told was ‘very contrary’. Somehow, she and that cow edged away and disappeared into the forest.

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Coffin continues;

‘She knew the way for miles, but fear rose within her, in spite of herself, and what scared her most was the distant cry of the wolf- they were abundant in those days; and twice she encountered a rattlesnake…..at length she reached a brook. It was hot, and the water refreshed her, but she had some difficulty in crossing’.

From there she arrived at a British post where the guards warned her to beware of Indians. Sure enough, shortly after, the sound of her footsteps on brittle leaves, aroused ‘from their cover a party of red skins.’

‘Woman, what do you want’ they demanded. She bravely spoke up and was surprised to be offered the Chief’s guidance to the British headquarters. There she delivered her news of the American plans. She saved the British forces! They promptly set up a successful ambush and later caught the advancing Yankees unawares.

Weems, with his story of George Washington and the cherry tree may be accused of putting a little icing on the historic cake, but Coffin was now about to slap it on, with cherries on top. He was writing fifty years after the war ended and had no special knowledge of Laura’s story, only a desire to make it into a moral lesson extolling patriotism and female bravery. He didn’t know the details, nor could he.

Let’s think about it. How, almost fifty years after the event, could Coffin possibly know all the particulars he spouted? Do they even make sense? First off, if you were sneaking though enemy lines, would you leave without shoes?  If her mission were so urgent, would she really prepare breakfast for the family? If you were travelling off-road to avoid detection, would you take the family cow? Pretend to milk it? Then, abandon that valuable animal in the woods? Have a dip in a hot spring on the way? The lady was too smart for all that.

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Laura existed no doubt. She was brave no doubt, small, mighty, and determined. But from there Coffin and others fine-tuned the nonsensical details.  One subsequent raconteur even tried to tie the lady into the namesake chocolate company, suggesting she had used chocolates to bribe post guards to let her pass. More nonsense of course. She came one hundred years before her namesake chocolates. As for Laura herself she reported no cow, both shoes, no sentry, friendly natives, and just a really long hard walk. Other historians have said that it was all in vain as the British knew already the American were coming before she arrived.

…………………………to be continued