Canada and the Canadians

Richard Henry Bonnycastle (1791-1847) was an officer of the British army active in Upper Canada. As commanding royal engineer in Upper Canada, he rendered very important services during the Canadian rebellion in 1837-39, particularly in February 1838, when, at the head of a force of militia and volunteers, in the absence of regular troops, he defeated the designs of the insurgents at Napairee, and the brigands at Hickory Island, for an attack on the city of Kingston. For these services he was knighted. In his capacity as a military engineer, Bonnycastle oversaw the fortification of Fort Henry in modern Kingston, Ontario. He was afterwards commanding engineer in Newfoundland.