Laura Secord - Legend

Legend

Secord's account of her trek changed throughout her life. Pierre Berton noted that she was never entirely clear on how she learned of the impending attack. She told FitzGibbon that her husband had learned it from an American officer, but years later told her granddaughter that she had overheard plans directly after being forced to house and feed, i.e. quarter, American soldiers in Queenston. Ironically, the issue of forcible quartering of British soldiers is held to be one of the major bones of contention which led to the American Revolution. Berton has suggested Secord's informant could have been an American still resident in the United States, who would have been charged with treason had Secord revealed her source.

Secord's story has been questioned by a number of writers. William Stewart Wallace, in his 1932 book, The Story of Laura Secord: A Study in Historical Evidence, concluded her story was mostly myth, and that she played no significant role in Beaver Dams' outcome. In 1965, historian George Ingram contended that Secord's debunking had been taken too far in The Story of Laura Secord Revisited. Ruth MacKenzie also responded with Laura Secord: The Legend and the Lady (1971), burnishing Secord's reputation.

Historian Marsha Ann Tate notes that retellings of Secord's account have diverged significantly in everything but the most basic details of the story. In the 1860s, as Secord's story gained prominence, historian William Foster Coffin invented new details including the claim that Laura had brought a cow with her as an excuse to leave her home in case of questioning by American patrols. Other versions hold that she left under the guise of visiting a sick relative in neighbouring St. David's, and that she walked barefoot for much of the journey.

The question of Secord's actual contribution to the British success has been contested. In the early 1920s, historians suggested that Native scouts had already informed FitzGibbon of the coming attack well before Secord had arrived on 23 June. Later still, two earlier testimonials by FitzGibbon (written in 1820 and again in 1827) were found which supported Secord's claim. FitzGibbon asserted that Laura Secord had arrived on 22 June (not 23 June), and that, "in consequence of this information", he had been able to intercept the American troops.