Michael Casper has been on both sides of the war that brought American and Canadian forces into conflict more than two hundred years ago.
The 57-year-old from Iowa, who also goes by the name Eggs, has done historical reenactments for nearly three decades. The passion to actively portray history started when he was young watching Daniel Boone on television.
That interest eventually led him to Fort William Historical Park where he participated in the bicentennial salute of the War of 1812.
Casper has participated in the weekend long event, which started on Saturday, for a number of years and has portrayed Americans and Canadians during the conflict although he said he usually plays a voyageur.
“This war has come along and has upset the trade something fierce,” he said staying in character. “I’m trying to stop the war and get back to normal fur trading and the normal way of life."
"I like the ideas of the French because all they wanted to do was get the trade going again," he said. "I guess I don’t see the War of 1812 as we won it or Canadians won it. It was just a controversy of things trying to get straighten out.”
The war between America and Great Britain lasted about 32-months. The United States declared war in 1812 for several reasons, which included economic sanctions imposed by both the British and French against the US as part of the Napoleonic Wars.
The war officially ended on Dec. 24, 1814.
Jim Keigher, who is portraying an official on the American side, said the battles at the Old Fort are interpretations of real battles that took place elsewhere during the war.
Although no battles happened at the Northwest Company’s fur trading headquarters during the war, Keigher said voyageurs who worked for the company were heavily involved in the conflict.
Peter Boyle, manager of program development and implementation at Fort William Historical Park, said the whole event is a what-if scenario if the Northwest Company and its allies were drawn into the conflict.
Boyle said the event gives a glimpse of what the ramifications would have been if Fort William had been attacked.
“We explore those different themes through a number of different reenactments,” he said. “It’s a part of our history that doesn’t get a lot of press. In recent years it has but in schools, it isn’t taught that regularly. The War of 1812 did have a very big impact on the evolution of Canada.”
Boyle added what’s not stressed enough regarding the history of the War of 1812 is the role First Nations played.
He suspected that thousands attended the event throughout the weekend.
