BACKGROUNDER - LAURA SECORD (1775-1868)

May 25, 2006

There are few names more recognisable in Canadian history than that of Laura Secord. A committed patriot, she was a renowned hero of the War of 1812, a civilian who walked, alone and defenceless, through occupied and dangerous territory for a distance of 32 kilometres to warn British forces of an impending American attack. This courageous act secured her place in the pantheon of famous Canadians and made her a figure of almost legendary stature. Her exploits took on special importance to the earliest generation of women historians, who sought to broaden the late 19th-century understanding of the Canadian past by incorporating the achievements of females into what was then a primarily male-dominated view of our history.

Until her memorable contribution to the War of 1812, Laura Secord’s life was personally eventful, but historically unremarkable. Born in Massachusetts in 1775, she emigrated to Upper Canada with her family at the age of 20 (the town of Ingersoll, Ontario, was named after her father). Two years later, Laura moved to Queenston, in the Niagara Peninsula, to marry a merchant, James Secord. They had seven children.

The Secords’ life was shattered by the War of 1812. In October 1812, James, a sergeant in the local militia, was badly wounded in one of the first battles against the Americans, at Queenston Heights. He was found on the battlefield, near death, by Laura, who saved his life. The following summer, while the two armed forces struggled for control of the Niagara region, Laura learned of American plans to attack British forces at Beaver Dams. With her husband still too weak from his wounds, Laura undertook a harrowing overland journey on June 22, 1813, to warn British troops of the intended assault. Her information proved decisive, and the American forces were ambushed by an almost entirely Iroquois contingent led by a small British force.

Laura Secord’s remarkable achievements were not given due recognition in her lifetime. She originally became a person renowned in Canadian history and literature largely through the efforts of a group of late 19th-century female authors and historians, who celebrated her bravery and her contribution to a notable military victory. Anxious to add women to the story of Canada’s past, these women sought out figures like Laura Secord and began the process of including them in the narrative of Canadian history. In 1913, Secord’s name and image were adopted by a candy company thus maintaining her presence in the popular consciousness throughout the 20th century. Recent historical research and children’s literature have fixed Laura Secord’s achievements more firmly in our collective memory as both hero and icon. As a result of these efforts, the exploits of Laura Secord have been preserved for the ages.