(no subject)

[raincitygirl]

Happy two-days-after-Thanksgiving to the Americans on my f-list/dwircle, and happy Saturday to the rest of us. Speaking of America, I found a hilarious video about the War of 1812. That's the one where the Americans tried to invade Canada, it ended in a stalemate in 1814, but not before the Canadians burned down the White House. Yes, that really happened. And we've never forgotten it, even though it happened two centuries ago.

In other news, it's only November 26 and Safeway is full of Christmas junk. Ritz crackers in the shape of snowflakes, all kinds of stuff like that. At least they have eggnog. I bought some, because I adore eggnog, even though it gives me stomach pain if I drink too much of it. I will ration it out slowly, because it's delicious!

How are you guys doing?

Comments

[twistedchick]

Ok, then who burned the Library of Parliament? I remember that someone did... never was quite sure who. And, btw, if you want better info on the attempted burning of the city of Washington, D.C., you might read the journals of Harry Smith, who was one of the commanding officers there (and at the Battle of New Orleans, and in Buenos Aires, and in Africa...) Smith said that they were ordered to torch the city, but he refused to allow it because of the great suffering that was there -- people starving and cold -- and that he argued against burning the presidential mansion because it was not an official building. They were going to burn the Capitol instead, but he was overruled.

[raincitygirl]

The Library of Parliament burned in 1916, during WWI, and nobody has (yet) accused the Americans of being the ones behind it.

Thanks very much for the tip re: Sir Harry Smith. I have just bought his autobiography, which was available on Kindle at Amazon.ca at $7.51.

[twistedchick]

One of the many things I love about Harry Smith is that he was not a bigoted jerk in a time when many British officers were. He got in trouble, more than once, for treating the local people fairly and not lording it over them.

Of course you've probably met him before -- in Georgette Heyer's The Spanish Bride.