The Crown Forces Form Square to fend off cavalry at The Battle of Chippewa/Lundy's Lane event in 2014.
Life in the encampment... a respite from battle and a place to rest, chat, and relax...
Marching steady onto the field for another battle. The Incorporated Militia is on the way!
As night falls in Fort Erie, the line fires a volley at the dreaded invaders in the fort!
At the Annual Mess Dinner, there's always time to have a dance and create memories...
Our Unit History
Early in the War of 1812, it became apparent that the existing militia system was woefully inadequate for the defense of Upper Canada. To rectify this situation, the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada passed an Act creating the Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada. Volunteers from throughout the Province were to be formed into Battalions, and to serve for the duration of the war. The men received...
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e-mail: admin@imuc.org
Women And the Incorporated Militia of Upper Canada (IMUC)
“Campfollowers” are the women, children and men who did not fight, who were part of the military and militia life of the War of 1812.
We portray a militia unit and by the nature of that we do have more women and children than some other units. The role of Campfollower is to support the men and the camp life of the unit. Just as during the war, the Campfollowers cook, mend, sew, nurse wounds, launder and live an existence in a field camp. The Campfollowers with IMUC do all of these and more.
Campfollowers were not usually high in social standing and our clothing and lifestyle aim to portray this social position. During this time period women wore Empire Regency style dresses. The style of clothing in camp is usually suited to campaign life and cooking over an open fire all day. It was also appropriate for women to wear skirt and vest options with a Shortcoat. Women in this time period were modest in attire and attitude. Women were also in the background of many well run camps and our unit is not any different. Our Campfollowers take an active role in cooking historic, period receipts (recipes) using traditional open fire field methods. We have other members who demonstrate needlework, quilting, laundry, calligraphy, child rearing, and everyday camp life. We provide opportunities to learn and develop these skills. We attempt to portray the women of the time including period footwear, outerwear, jewelry selection, and head coverings. At some events where we portray women of a higher social station, such as at a Ladies Tea, and we dress accordingly.
Our Campfollowers today come from diverse backgrounds, professions and interests. Please enjoy the attached photos of our members in camp life.
Camp Life photos can be found at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10209916@N05/sets/72157641284152873/
Or as a slideshow at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10209916@N05/sets/72157641284152873/show
Do not hesitate to contact us via “Sign Up” or “Contact us” on our site.
Darlene Kingstone Camp Coordinator, 2014
For 2022:
A Campfollower is a civilian who follows the army. They are the wives and children of the soldiers. In our militia unit we have a diverse group of campfollowers with skills ranging from cooking, sewing, needlepoint, laundry, calligraphy, documentation, childcare to name a few. We work together to honour our history, reenact in a manner to educate the public and to continue our love of learning about our past. We strive to be authentic, to support each other and have some fun while portraying the life in Upper Canada in and around 1812.
We come from different backgrounds and share a love of history. We have some people who like to learn and portray the basics and others who find interesting directions to learn more about society, clothing, mannerisms and norms of the day. We welcome all inquiries about what we do and potential membership.
Please enjoy this updated set of photos of our members at events.
Campfollower Rep Darlene Kingstone June 2022
Our Campfollower's Rogue's Gallery can be found at...
