As with any legendary figure, Bill Johnston's history has been embellished with misfacts. This post aims to correct the commonest errors.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Ada Burleigh Helps Uncle Bill Evade Capture
The legend of Bill Johnston includes a cast of interesting
supporting characters. In 1838, while Bill hid in the Thousand Islands from two
armies searching for him, his niece Ada spent the summer aiding her family in a
time of trouble. She consoled her aunt Ann Johnston and often helped her
cousin Kate Johnston run supplies to the family fugitive.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Samuel Snow: An Everyman Freedom Fighter
During the
Patriot War, tens of thousands of Americans pledged money and materials to help
the Canadian rebels win political freedom in Upper Canada. A smaller number—I
estimate between 1000 and 2000—actually took up arms and risked their lives by
invading Canada. Most of these were the so-called "ordinary guy"—farmers,
laborers, and tradesmen. Samuel D. Snow was one of these. The only difference
being that he wrote about it.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Robert Marsh: Unrepentant Freedom Fighter
Robert Marsh
participated in three of the nine raids into Upper Canada during the Patriot
War, including the first and the last. In his 1848 memoirs—the short title is Narrative of a Patriot Exile—he
demonstrated an unflinching belief in American-style democracy and an unbending
dislike of British colonial rule. Despite seven years of hard times, he never regretted
his actions.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Edward Theller: Friend to any Underdog
Irish-born Edward Alexander Theller (1804-1859) arrived in Montreal in 1826. Though there less than a year, he learned about the deep animosity the French-speaking populace had for the English government—a feeling any Irishman understood. That exposure set the stage for his later actions.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Thomas Jefferson Sutherland: Lots of Feathers But Not Much Chicken
The story of Thomas Jefferson Sutherland's (1801-1852) exploits in the Patriot War reads like a comedic adventure. As an idealist, the plight of the poorly governed Canadians drew him to their cause. As a writer and one-time sergeant in the US Marines, he had both the power of the pen and sword at his disposal. His skills at oratory brought him to center stage in the pro-Canada movement in Buffalo, New York. He looked like a winner.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Benjamin Lett: 3. The Last Patriot Warrior
By the end of 1839, the Hunter and Patriot movements had atrophied into a pathetic club of old men who schemed and dreamed of impossible glories. With Bill Johnston either in jail or avoiding jail, one Patriot warrior kept Upper Canada on edge: Benjamin Lett.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Bill Johnston: 15. No Prison Can Hold Him
After Bill Johnston skipped bail in mid-April 1839, he returned to the Thousand Islands. As they had in the summer of 1838, the Canadian and US military launched joint patrols to find him.
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