For the sixth year, the Fort La Présentation Association offers a varied set of lectures April 25-26, 2014 for those with broad interests in the War of 1812. As in past years, this event will utilize the banquet hall and rooms of the Freight House Restaurant, 20 Market Street, in Ogdensburg, adjacent to part of the February 22, 1813 battlefield.
The event begins Friday evening with a family friendly concert of period music by Don Woodcock, the Grand Champion Fiddler of New York State, who is recognized for having one of the greatest repertoires of traditional fiddle tunes. Saturday there are seven seminars by speakers from Maryland, Connecticut, Ontario, Quebec and New York. A dozen tabletop exhibits with a regional theme will look at archaeology, battlefields, local authors, museums, the sailing navy, re-enactment photography and an active demonstration of Regency quilting.
There will be two documentaries on hand, which will be shown outside the scheduled proceedings: “Losing Ground: The Race to Preserve War of 1812 Battlefields in New York State”, produced by WCNY, and “A Desert Between Us & Them: Raiders, Traitors, and Refugees in the War of 1812” which concerns the American ‘scorched earth’ of Southwestern Ontario and was produced by the Living History Multimedia Association.
Friday, April 25, 7 p.m. concert by Don Woodcock; $5 per adult. Pay at the door. Youth 17 and under free.
Saturday, April 26 7:30 a.m. doors open for continental breakfast, included in registration fee. Also included with registration is a buffet lunch.
More information is available online, along with a printable registration form at http://www.fort1749.org/, or contact the Fort La Présentation Association at 1-315-394-1749 or via e-mail at fort1749@yahoo.com.
Speakers on Saturday will include:
Ralph Eshelman PhD. “The British Campaign in the Chesapeake”
Gregory Kloten MA. “Captain George Howard United States Army: The Chronicles of a Connecticut Yankee on the Northern Frontier of the War of 1812”
Horst Dresler “The Canadian Voltiguers and the Battle of Chateauguay”
Richard David Feltoe “The Upper Canada Militia in Peace and War, 1808-1815”
David Murray “The American Infantry Uniform from 1811 to 1815”
Bryan Thompson “Lt. Col. Thomas B. Benedict, the Accidental Commander of the St Lawrence County Militia”
Dennis McCarthy “The US Navy support for the Wilkinson Campaign and the Battle of French Creek”
Leave a Reply