Photo credit: George Howse
Photo credit: George Howse
Since the onset of the American rebellion in 1775, the Northern Department in Canada played a vital role in controlling the front of the New York frontier. From Niagara to Quebec, governors of Canada sanctioned campaigns and raiding parties to be sent against rebel communities.
The organization of these deadly raids consisted of Provincial Regiments of Loyalist partisans, fearsome war parties of Six Nations Iroquois and Seven Nations "Canada" Natives. In addition, they included experienced regular regiments sent from Britain and Germany, as well as special outfits such as the Indian Department and Select Marksmen. This composition of brave, hardened and tactically superior troops proved to be too much for the rebels of northern New York. By the war's end, the Continental Congress had great difficulty in keeping the New York frontier under strategic control.
Since 1992, The King's Royal Yorkers, Col. Campbell's Indian Department and the Company of Select Marksmen have acted as hosts for annual, week-long historical trekking expeditions in the Adirondack wilderness. In conjunction with a number of associated living history groups and museums, we have participated in these simulated raids living the hard life of a soldier on the march. By retracing historic trails, with nothing but issued period equipment and rations, we meet objective targets and follow-up by marching proudly (and very dirty) into the Brigade of the American Revolution's annual Grand Tactical Exercise. We finish with a bang as we put our tactical skills into practise, carrying away the laurels and satisfaction of victory over the course of several simulated war games. This intense Living History experience opens a new window on the reality of the 18th century frontier war.
By keeping journals and having discussions, we cross-reference our experiences with historical documents in a process we call "Experimental Archeology." This assists us in truly coming to understanding the world we are attempting to portray, and gives Living History a purpose beyond guns and battles. Although we recognize that we are only touching the tip of the iceberg of the 18th century world, we firmly believe these historical experiments allow us to understand our past and apply these contributions to modern historical study.
Naturally, we cannot ignore the fun and friendship that historical trekking provides. Nor can we limit ourselves to just portraying the American Revolution. As a result, we have experimented with various time periods of Adirondack history such as Seven Years War tacticals, and have even considered experiments with 17th century Adirondack trekking and peace-time regency period trout fishing expeditions. In addition, we have come to learn and love the Adirondack State Park itself and strive to respect her beauty and environment as keepers of her history.
If you would like to talk to us about more information on Historical Adirondack Trekking, please advance to the Event Schedule section of the website.
As mentioned, the Col. Campbell's Indian Department and Company of Select Marksmen simply serve as hosts for these expeditions. Many sister organizations have participated and any individual or organization is welcome to try the experience. The following are associated organizations that have participated in Historical Trekking:
P.S. We're always looking for a few good Rebels to take us on in the bush! Any takers out there?
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