Our host for the weekend. Notice he is dressed in authentic period clothing.
Drilling! Get those me in ship-shape!
It wasn't all fun and games, the Scouts also had to help prepare dinner, a delicious stew!
Second group learning the British Military authentic drilling commands and techniques
Arial view of Old Fort Niagara.
Finally, Bittle-battle!
Lowering the flag
The French Castle at night - what an awesome sight!
Our guide showing us what was in a typical British Soldier's pack.
Working hard to light that fire the old fashioned way - flint and steel!
The bunk for the boys. Notice the ones still in the bags are the older Scouts!
Time to get going in the morning, flag raising coming shortly!
Tuck in that shirt, Scout - Good example!
Raising the French flag (a white cross on a white field?), our guide providing fife music for the raising.
Raising the Union Jack over the fort.
Raising the American Flag over the Fort.
The Fort's historian arrives to give us an expertly guided tour of the fort.
The Chapel, supposedly the most haunted place in the castle.
An artist's rendition of the Fort in use during the 1800's.
The French were the original occupants of the fort.
The British took the fort from the French.
There is a fascinating connection between the Ft. Niagara flag and the flag that inspired our national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner.
Major George Armistead, from Virginia, was stationed at Ft. Niagara in 1813. Major Armistead loved BIG flags but he didn’t like the cold weather here, so he asked for a transfer.
On June 27, 1813, Major Armistead was happily reassigned to command Ft. McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, where he ordered “a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance.” It was this 42' x 30' 15-star, 15-stripe flag, that gave inspiration to the defenders of Baltimore and inspired a new national song. Ever since, the former Ft, Niagara officer has been known as the “Guardian of the Star-Spangled Banner” which is now on display at the Smithsonian Institution.
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Our host for the weekend. Notice he is dressed in authentic period clothing.
VIDEOS!
Click the image below to see Videos of our Troop's occupation of the fort!
