Kevin, ready for the War of 1812!

The acquisition of Canada this year, as far as the neighborhood of Quebec, will be a mere matter of marching, and will give us experience for the attack of Halifax the next, and the final expulsion of England from the American continent. Thomas Jefferson, Aug 4, 1812.

Apparently not.


Of course Canada didn't exist in it's present form at the time and the area was known as British North America. The War of 1812 was actually between the United States and Britain, it just happened to take place in areas that are now present day Canada.

The British Royal Navy had a large operation in the city of Halifax at the time, and the big Citadel fort ensured that Halifax was never attacked during the war.

A scale model of The Halifax Citadel.

In 1906, the British handed the Halifax Citadel over to the Canadian Department of Militia and Defence. The Citadel was used and operated by the Canadian Military right through World War II and was used as a temporary barracks for Canadian troops. It would have been their last glimpse of Canada before heading overseas. The Citadel was handed over to Parks Canada in the 1950's and now parts of it have been restored to offer visitors an experience of what life might have been like in the fort back in the 1800's.

The guides in period dress.

There is a small war museum onsite that has displays from the War of 1812, right up to Canada's involvement in Afghanistan.

The Citadel is defended by a lot of cannons!

Grandparent moment! Daughter Lindsey, with grandaughter Sadie. 

Sadie is starting to smile!

The Citadel is located pretty much right in downtown Halifax. So while the city really doesn't have an impressive skyline as such, being on top of the Citadel hill does offer some good views of Halifax Harbor.

View of Halifax from the Citadel.

Boom!

The cannons are mounted on swivel bases.

Do you remember when we were trying to figure out our way to New York City? And one of the options we were looking at was taking a cruise ship from Halifax to New York? Coincidentally, yesterday would have been the day we departed for New York had that option worked out! So standing on Citadel Hill, we could see the huge Caribbean Princess cruise ship in Halifax port...

The Caribbean Princess in Halifax port.

We wandered in to one of the rooms at the fort. It was sunny with cloudy periods, but the high temperature was only 10C (50F) and there was a chilly wind outside! The room we wandered in to was the tailor shop. The fort had it's own tailor on duty to outfit the men in their uniforms. Of course since I had enlisted, they had to fit me for my suit.

I was told to stand at attention and not move!

Ten-Shun!

Ready for duty, sir! 

As one of our facebook fans suggests, the look on my face says that perhaps I was drafted! 

Ruth looks good in her hat though.

There is a "moat" surrounding the fort, however it was never designed to hold water.

The inner courtyard.

The Halifax Citadel is an interesting place to spend a couple of hours. Cost is reasonable at around $20 for a family of four, plus another $3.00 for onsite parking.