Putting a stamp on Secord’s heroics

Canada Post unveils two stamps honouring Canadian heroes Laura Secord and Charles de Salaberry; the second in a series commemorating the War of 1812.

Secord braved a 30-kilometre walk through the wilderness to warn a British outpost of an impending American attack.   In June 1813, a group of American officers billeted themselves at the home of Laura Secord in Queenston.  She overheard the officers discussing plans to attack a British outpost.  Secord managed to secretly slip away to warn the British.  She found the local British commander, Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon, who used the information to position his men and First Nations warriors to ambush the enemy and capture more than 400 American soldiers.

In the fall of 1813, as commander of a group of fighters in Lower Canada, Lieutenant-Colonel de Salaberry’s strategy enabled his outnumbered Canadian force to fight off an American invasion aimed at capturing Montréal.  He anticipated the invaders would cross the Châteauguay River, 50-km southwest of Montréal.  De Salaberry used the swampland and trees to his advantage, ordering his men to build barricades of felled trees and then spread his troops across the area, giving the impression of a large, hidden Canadian force.  After four hours of fighting, the Americans retreated and Montréal was saved.

”They serve as reminders of the fabric of our past,” said Deepak Chopra, President and CEO, Canada Post. “Today’s commemorative stamps celebrate the bold initiative and determination of two people whose efforts should not be forgotten.”