Legend Meets Fact - Part 1

Mother and Wife



 


 


 


 

Laura Secord, late in life, as portrayed by her portraitist and sculptor Mildred Peel.




Laura Secord died in her 93rd year. Now you will hear Laura as she looks back at her long life, and as she remembers the reasons why she walked into history on June 22nd, 1813.



"I was a mother, and a wife.

I tried to tell them - anyone would have done the same thing.

If you hear something that's bad - really bad - and you know something is about to happen that could harm your family, your community, your country – and maybe, just maybe you can stop it…. Well what would you do?

It wasn't brave. It wasn't even very clever.

It just had to be done. And I knew I could do it.

It's just that, years later, I saw others being compensated for 'war losses'.

They claimed for everything, from orchards to teapots.

I suppose I hoped – needed – someone to see that we had our losses too.

You fight for your king and country, you suffer life-long wounds, you provide information that does in fact save lives, and maybe your country – well, never mind… It's just that after, when it became hard for us, I suppose I hoped someone would help us a little, in return.

I didn't do it for those reasons. Who would?

I didn't play it.

I didn't stop to think about how everyone would talk about me, or think about me.

Of course not.

It's just that, when my husband and I needed work and income, I think they might have recognized us a little more.

This was our home - this house in Queenston.

It looks a lot better now than it did then.

We worked hard for this.

I had five children then. In 1813. The other two came later.

Four girls and my one boy, my son Charles. He was only four at the time. My youngest, Appolonia, was barely 3. But my eldest girl, Mary, she was 13. And Charlotte was almost 12. They were able to look after the others. Harriet was 10, and helpful with Appolonia. They all had Ingersoll and Secord blood running through their veins. They knew what to do.

If James could have gone – he would have.

Poor James. It was difficult for him. It had only been nine months since the battle at Queenston Heights. James was a Sergeant with the 1st Lincoln Militia.

His musket wounds were not healing well.

But at least he was alive. Unlike his General, Isaac Brock.

But his leg, and his shoulder… James would never be the same. Still, at least I had him. Dear James.

I found him on the hill after the battle had stopped.

Amongst all the dead, and the dying, the other wives, mothers..…

and the cries…

… all hoping.

All those men, those boys. They were our husbands, our sons.

And there he was…

It was a miracle I found him. But I did.

I found James. I think they would have shot him, if I hadn't stopped them. They were shooting anyone that was left. Sometimes it was the only thing to do.

I brought him off that hill, and I got him back to St Davids.

Once the fighting started I had taken the children there… The village was being attacked with cannon fire, and the Americans were everywhere.

We went to James' brother's home. Well… it belonged to his widow then - Hannah. She was running the mill; she had to after her husband died.

She was a good woman; we knew we could stay with her."


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