Pondering Children and Medicine in Pioneer Times

By Kim Vojnov

As I entered the Lang Pioneer Village Museum collection of artefacts, I was instantly swept back in time, imagining my life as a pioneer. Carving out an existence in this country would be difficult enough in terms of dealing with climate, housing and agriculture; I struggled to imagine what the medical practices would have been like, especially in terms of trying to raise healthy children. As a mom myself, I can’t express the immense gratitude I feel when it comes to our modern medical system meeting the needs of my own kids. Imagining the already existing hardships, I tried to wrap my head around how it would feel to have a sick child in this time period.

We are all aware of how many diseases killed early settlers, yet I found myself wondering how often the herbal remedies, bloodletting practices and bottled remedies that contained alcohol, cocaine, or opium were used and successful on children. Questions flooded my mind: What if my child needed a valuable type of medicine? How realistic would it be that with the barter system, I would actually have the ‘equity’ available to attain that medicine? Would all doctors offer similar treatments and what options did I have if one didn’t work? What would the side effects be-or would they even matter? Perhaps you simply had blind faith and just did your best to treat your sick kids.

  

            

One thing that caught my eye as I strolled through the fascinating collection of artefacts was a little orange and black box in the medical section. In big white letters the words Diatussin Syrup jumped out at me. It turns out that a company, Bischoff, produced this, along with many other patented medicines in order to treat the most serious health maladies during the time period. Doctors prescribed a dosage of a few drops of Diatussin for pertussis, otherwise known as “whooping cough”. This illness was, and still is, one of the most contagious ones out there as it spreads through the air by incessant coughing. So many lives have been lost due to its brutal side effects and unfortunately, it almost always seems to affect young children.

While this bacterial infection still exists today, a major difference is that babies are now immunized against it and as a result, many lives are saved. As I examined the Diatussin bottle on the shelf at Lang, I hoped that whoever used it to treat their child all those years ago had been successful. I decided that I was going to let myself imagine that they had been. I left Lang Pioneer Village with a feeling of incredible thanks to those before us who have created and tried medicinal practices and treatment in order to better future lives.

Kim Vojnov is a faulty member at Trinity College School and a guest writer for the Museum.

The Invasion of Canada – May 31st, to June 3rd, 1866

By Joe Corrigan

During the years from 2011 to 2015, the United States commemorated the 150th anniversary of their Civil War by re-enacting the many major battles that took place during those four years of conflict. Not without good reason. The Civil War was the bloodiest of all the wars fought by our southern neighbours and marked a major turning point in the social history of that country. From the attack on Fort Sumner (1861) through the major battles of Bull Run (1861), Antietam (1862), Gettysburg (1863), The Wilderness (1864) to the surrender of General Lee and the Confederate Army at Appomattox (1865), this episode of American history was brought back into focus through the medium of living history thanks to thousands of Civil War re-enactors.

This coming weekend, people in the Niagara Peninsula around Fort Erie, Ontario will get to witness a similar re-enactment spectacle based on an invasion and battle involving several thousand combatants. These events took place over the course of four days 150 years ago this week. A little known and under-appreciated fact of Canadian history, a raid by around 1,000 Fenians leaving from Buffalo, New York, lead to the Battle of Ridgeway (also known as the Battle of Limeridge) on June 2nd, 1866. Ridgeway was the last battle fought on Ontario soil (Canada West at the time), the first battle fought solely by Canadian troops in defense of our country and a major factor leading to the Canadian confederation just slightly more than a year later.

IRA

The Fenians crossed the Niagara River in strength on the night of May 31st to June 1st and took over the Town of Fort Erie. Local residents were greeted with gangs of armed men dressed mainly in civilian clothes and Civil War surplus uniforms waving a green and gold harp flag and posting the following proclamation:

To The People of British America

We come among you as foes of British rule in Ireland. We have taken up the sword to strike down the oppressor’s rod, to deliver Ireland from the tyrant, the despoiler, the robber. We have registered our oaths upon the altar of our country in the full view of heaven and sent out our vows to the throne of Him who inspired them. Then, looking about us for an enemy, we find him here, here in your midst, where he is most vulnerable and convenient to our strength … We have no issue with the people of these Provinces, and wish to have none but the most friendly relations.

Our weapons are for the oppressors of Ireland, our bows shall be directed only against the power of England; her privileges alone shall we invade, not yours. We do not propose to divest you of a solitary right you now enjoy … We are here neither as murderers, nor robbers, for plunder and spoliation. We are here as the Irish army of liberation, the friends of liberty against despotism, of democracy against aristocracy, of people against their oppressors. In a word, our war is with the armed powers of England, not with the people, not with these Provinces. Against England, upon land and sea, till Ireland is free … 

The document was signed by T.W. Sweeney, Major General commanding the armies of Ireland followed by:

Erin Go Bragh!

Long Live Ireland!

The telegraph wires soon came alive with news of the invasion. Militia battalions from all over Canada West were mobilized and began to move towards Fort Erie. The 2nd Battalion (Queen’s Own Rifles) from Toronto made their way across Lake Ontario to Welland by steamer and then by rail to the shores of Lake Erie just west of the Town of Ridgeway where they joined up with the 13th Battalion (Royal Hamilton Light Infantry) from Hamilton. Lacking food and proper campaign equipment and wearing heavy wool uniforms on one of the hottest days of that late spring they were poorly prepared for the challenge they faced against battle hardened Civil War veterans. Many had never even fired their weapons in training. These were, for the most part, parade ground soldiers with no military experience. The two militia units proceeded north from Ridgeway on the early morning of June 2nd, 1866. The Canadian troops, under the command of the 13th Battalion’s Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Booker, intended to join up with a column of British garrison troops and then moved on to meet the Fenians at Fort Erie. Just on the outskirts of Ridgeway the Canadians ran into a group of Fenian skirmishers and deployed in battle formation. They seemed to be gaining the upper hand, driving the Fenians back but, in fact, they were being lured into a trap with the skirmishers drawing the 850 Canadian troops ever closer to the main body of Fenians. As they engaged the Fenians main line, the Canadians saw some Fenians on horseback. Mistaking this for a cavalry attack, the Canadians formed a square, the traditional defense of infantry to protect themselves against cavalry charges. In fact, what the Canadian troops saw were a couple of Fenians on stolen horses. Unfortunately, the square formation made the troops easy targets for the Fenian rifles and, upon Booker’s attempt to correct his error, the withdrawal of some troops caused the inexperienced Canadians to break ranks and flee the field with the Fenians charging after them with fixed bayonets. The two battalions fled through the town of Ridgeway, which was briefly occupied by the Fenians, in a rout that became known as “Booker’s Run” and was made into a song by the Fenian brotherhood.

Realizing that the British column was advancing on them, the Fenians withdrew back to Fort Erie where they encountered another group of Canadian militia that had landed by steamer at the dock at Fort Erie in an attempt to retake the town. After another skirmish the Fenians withdrew to the old Fort, at that time in a state of abandonment and disrepair. It was from this redoubt that they made their retreat to the US side of the river the following day.

Funeral for Fenian Raid Casualties

The Fenian Raids are often thought of as a comical charter in our history given the bizarre nature of the Fenians’ efforts to end British rule in Ireland by invading Canada. The Battle of Ridgeway was far from minor or comic in nature. The battle involved over 1,600 troops. The casualties were 5 or 6 dead and 16 wounded for the Fenians and 9 dead, 37 wounded and 22 who later died of their wounds or disease for the Canadians. Several of the dead, including the battle’s first mortally wounded soldier, were members of the Queen’s Own Rifles and students at the University of Toronto. The government erected a statue in honour of these men and the others who served at Ridgeway. The monument is on the grounds of the University, just west of Queen’s Park, the Ontario legislature building. Another note for trivia buffs, Alexander Muir, author of the song “The Maple Leaf Forever” fought with the Queen’s Own at Ridgeway and penned what would become the “unofficial” anthem of English Canada just over a year later. Up until the mid-1930’s, June 2nd, the date of the Battle of Ridgeway, was Canada’s Memorial Day until it was superseded by Remembrance Day, November 11th, following the Great War of 1914 to 1918. 

Battle of Ridgeway Memorial at the University of Toronto 

Dedication of Fenian Raids Monument at U of T, west of Queen's Park

An excellent book to read for those wishing to learn more about the Fenian Raid of June 1866 is “Ridgeway – The American Fenian Invasion and the 1866 Battle That Made Canada” by Peter Vronsky published by Allen Lane Canada. This book, first published in 2011, became a major resource for Lang Pioneer Village in developing its Fenian Raid re-enactment which traditionally takes place every July 1st at the Historic Dominion Day event. This year, in honour of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway, the Fenian Raid Re-enactment will be a separate event unto itself to be held on Sunday, July 3rd, 2016.    

Fenian Raid Re-enactment at Lang Pioneer Village Museum 2012

Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007.