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John Graves Simcoe
As Duncan Campbell Scott indicates in 1905 book "John Graves Simcoe," the outstanding characteristic of Simcoe’s personality was his unswerving uprightness. As a natural sequel, he was sincerely and unselfishly devoted to whatever he conceived to be his duty, and so completely identified himself with what appeared to him to be the proper line of action that he could neither understand nor treat with patience any other view of the matter.
This of course is in stark contrast to Simcoe's portrayal in AMC's television series TURN: Washington's Spies, where Simcoe is described as: "Ruthless and bloodthirsty, a blunt instrument of war, Simcoe harbors an intense dislike of most colonists. Simcoe's lack of restraint is his undoing." Simcoe is portrayed as a brutal and sadistic villain, and this characterization might find moderate support in certain historical evidence such as the 1778 massacre of sleeping Americans which he commanded.
However, Scott's portrayal is far different than that of TURN Series. In this volume Scott has presented in simple and rather pleasing literary form the chief incidents of Governor Simcoe’s career. Although, as a matter of fact, the personal characteristics of the first governor of Upper Canada and his visionary schemes of autocratic paternalism do not afford much comfort to any one seeking to deal seriously with him as a maker of the country.
As Scott recognizes, Simcoe was essentially a soldier and not a statesman, nor even a practical politician. And yet even as a soldier his career during the American Revolution was anything but fortunate. We have it, indeed, on his own authority that this was the fault at once of incompetent superior officers, and the wretched character of the enemy, supplemented by the mysterious workings of Providence. Still, when he made his second trial of America, as LieutenantGovernor of Upper Canada, he was once more the victim of an adverse fate, for the numerous and picturesque military projects, to the planning of which he devoted so much time and imagination, were invariably treated with heartless indiff'erence by his superior, Lord Dorchester, the Governor-General. But if Simcoe’s military projects were extravagant and impracticable, much more so were his schemes of civil government, which brought him into conflict alike with the assembly, the ablest men in his council and once more with Lord Dorchester. As is the case with some modern imperialists, it was the hard fate of Simcoe to be blindly devoted to the British Government in the abstract, and at the same time so utterly exasperated with the British Government in the concrete as to feel compelled to seek relief in language suggestive of sedition if not of open rebellion. Such outbursts on the part of Simcoe, when crossed in some of his most fanciful schemes, were commonly treated by Lord Dorchester and the home government with a calmness and indulgence which were anything but flattering to the personal importance of the Lieutenant-Governor.
Though Simcoe’s projects were for the most part so extravagant as to be quite harmless, yet many of them were for that reason most interesting in themselves, several indeed charmingly picturesque and romantic, and Scott might have added considerably to the interest of his volume had he given us a few of them in greater detail. But whatever may be said of the wisdom of Simcoe’s measures, there can be no doubt whatever of the transparent honesty of all his intentions and of the self-sacrificing devotion with which he applied himself to whatever he conceived to be for the good of the new province.
About the author:
Duncan Campbell Scott (1862 – 1947) was Canada's deputy superintendent of Department of Indian Affairs, honoured for his writing.
This of course is in stark contrast to Simcoe's portrayal in AMC's television series TURN: Washington's Spies, where Simcoe is described as: "Ruthless and bloodthirsty, a blunt instrument of war, Simcoe harbors an intense dislike of most colonists. Simcoe's lack of restraint is his undoing." Simcoe is portrayed as a brutal and sadistic villain, and this characterization might find moderate support in certain historical evidence such as the 1778 massacre of sleeping Americans which he commanded.
However, Scott's portrayal is far different than that of TURN Series. In this volume Scott has presented in simple and rather pleasing literary form the chief incidents of Governor Simcoe’s career. Although, as a matter of fact, the personal characteristics of the first governor of Upper Canada and his visionary schemes of autocratic paternalism do not afford much comfort to any one seeking to deal seriously with him as a maker of the country.
As Scott recognizes, Simcoe was essentially a soldier and not a statesman, nor even a practical politician. And yet even as a soldier his career during the American Revolution was anything but fortunate. We have it, indeed, on his own authority that this was the fault at once of incompetent superior officers, and the wretched character of the enemy, supplemented by the mysterious workings of Providence. Still, when he made his second trial of America, as LieutenantGovernor of Upper Canada, he was once more the victim of an adverse fate, for the numerous and picturesque military projects, to the planning of which he devoted so much time and imagination, were invariably treated with heartless indiff'erence by his superior, Lord Dorchester, the Governor-General. But if Simcoe’s military projects were extravagant and impracticable, much more so were his schemes of civil government, which brought him into conflict alike with the assembly, the ablest men in his council and once more with Lord Dorchester. As is the case with some modern imperialists, it was the hard fate of Simcoe to be blindly devoted to the British Government in the abstract, and at the same time so utterly exasperated with the British Government in the concrete as to feel compelled to seek relief in language suggestive of sedition if not of open rebellion. Such outbursts on the part of Simcoe, when crossed in some of his most fanciful schemes, were commonly treated by Lord Dorchester and the home government with a calmness and indulgence which were anything but flattering to the personal importance of the Lieutenant-Governor.
Though Simcoe’s projects were for the most part so extravagant as to be quite harmless, yet many of them were for that reason most interesting in themselves, several indeed charmingly picturesque and romantic, and Scott might have added considerably to the interest of his volume had he given us a few of them in greater detail. But whatever may be said of the wisdom of Simcoe’s measures, there can be no doubt whatever of the transparent honesty of all his intentions and of the self-sacrificing devotion with which he applied himself to whatever he conceived to be for the good of the new province.
About the author:
Duncan Campbell Scott (1862 – 1947) was Canada's deputy superintendent of Department of Indian Affairs, honoured for his writing.
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2007
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