The Undead @ Fort Henry

Nils Von Schultz was the leader of an 1830's attack on Canada in an attempt to free Canada from the perceived oppressive reign of the British Empire. He was given a failed Military trial and represented by future Canadian Prime Minister Sir John A MacDonald. At 8:00AM on December 8th, 1838, Nils Von Schultz was hanged at Fort Henry for his crimes against the crown.

On a stormy day in 1846, twenty three men were working on Cathcart Tower, a part of the Kingston Fortifications Network and located on Cedar Island directly across from Fort Henry. They noticed that a storm was coming in quickly and decided that they would all try and row ashore in a boat made for twelve people. Seventeen of the men drowned on that day including Mr. Robert James.

One of the seventeen men killed in Deadmans Bay in 1846, Robert was engaged to marry Elizabeth before his death. When Elizabeth heard of the death of Robert, she would not believe that he was dead and would not eat or sleep. Every night she waded into the waters of Lake Ontario gazing out into the water, waiting for the return of Robert. She died shortly after Roberts's death and the two are believed to be together finally in the afterlife.

The Artillery on the walls of this Fort Henry has been the foe of many a soldier stationed at the Fort. Gunner Marsh was a gunner assigned to firing the noon gun and the 5PM gun for evening retreat. After firing the noon Gun, gunner Marsh decided to save himself some time and load the gun that he would fire that evening. He however did not allow sufficient time for the gun to cool down and began to ram the powder into the barrel with a ram rod. The heat of the gun ignited the powder and shot the Ram rod through the head of Gunner Marsh. In 1838, a gunner named John Smith suffered a similar fatal injury when he tore the paper cartridge of a charge. Holding the ramrod, he was blown off the inner wall and smashed against the outer wall in the dry ditch. He died six hours later.

Fort Henry has been used as an internment camp for prisoners of war on three occasions. During the 1830's rebellions, John Montgomery and 15 men were being held at the fort and it seemed likely that they would be hanged for their roles in the rebellion. The fifteen devised and performed an escape from the Fort through the reverse firing tunnels during an incredible storm. During the escape John Montgomery fell from the carronade chamber into the ditch and suffered a broken leg, but still managed to escape to the United States. During Montgomery's trial he was quoted as saying "I have not had a fair trial. There are witnesses here who have sworn my life away. These perjurers will never die a natural death; and when you sir, and the jury shall have died and perished in hells flames, John Montgomery will yet be living on Yonge Street".

Fort Henry like many other military establishments of the time was host to a hospital and infirmary grounds. This stone house is located at the eastern advances of the Fort and is visible in the distance from the ramparts level. This house would have been home to the bodies of many of the men who have died in and around this area before burial and is said to still today have hosts of spirits near by.