Strong Henry

The historic site Canadian of Fort Henry is with Kingston in Ontario, on the point Henry, a strategic point close to the mouth of the Rivière Cataraqui which flows at this place in the Fleuve the St. Lawrence, at the high end of the Thousand Islands.

Origins

The original fort was built during the Guerre of 1812, at time when this zone was included/understood in the area of the High-Canada. The British wanted to anticipate the possibility of an American attack on the Henry point, due to the proximity of the shipyards of the Royal Navy (current site of the royal military Collège of Canada), at the end Is Lake Ontario. The loss of this vital sea route would have indeed cut the provisioning towards the town of Kingston and the remainder of High-Canada.

The current fort was built between 1832 and 1837. The goal was to protect the access to the Canal Curtain which had been dug to be an alternative to the sea route passing by the St. Lawrence. It was envisaged to build a whole defensive system but the goings beyond of budget at the time of the realization of the channel limited constructions with four turns Martello and a extremely. At that time, these fortifications represented the defensive system most important in the west of the town of Quebec. Among the historical regiments which stationed in this fort, there were the Black Watch , the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Royal Welch Fusiliers . It should be noted that the fort had never to undergo any attack.

The British army gave up the fort in 1870, shortly after the creation of the Canadian Confédération. It was occupied by the Canadian troops until in 1891. The fort was the witness of the creation of Canadian royal artillery ( Royal Canadian Horse Artillery ), one of the first units of the Canadian army, whose battery B was stationed in the fort. As the relations with the United States improved, the needs for defense along the border decreased. Besides its use as camp of prisoner of war (for the Ukrainian prisoners during the First World War and for the German soldiers of the Luftwaffe and the Kriegsmarine during the Second world war), strong Henry was given up by the soldiers and fell in ruins. Under the impulse of Ronald L. Way in the Thirties, the restorations started, belonging to a programme of use of the government at the time of the great depression. Strong Henry became a alive Musée with the introduction of the guard of the fort, and was open the 1938.

The fort today

At present, the fort represents a major tourist attraction in the area of Kingston. The turns of the fort can be used within the framework of programs of education or simply be visited. The fort as such is used as quartering by the guard which, equipped with uniforms copied on those used at the time, made demonstration of the military life which was that of the soldiers occupying the fort. They also guide the visitors on the site. Many activities are carried out on the site: the historical Reconstitution operations and tactics, the parade of the garrison and parades with young visitors, equipped with uniforms and guided by a qualified member of the guard. There is also a ceremony each Wednesday of August and July, with a complete program operations, of music and artillery.

A restoration is currently in hand and should be supplemented in May 2009.

Internal bonds

List of forts, fortifications, citadels and fortified towns in America

External bonds

Strong Henry
Seen zoomables of the surroundings of Kingston

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