Our resident Revolutionary War expert takes a look at the historical Capt.
Simcoe, known as the villain on AMC’s Turn.
So far the most villainous villain inTurnis Capt.
Simcoe, played by Samuel Roukin.
Imagine how dangerous hell be when hes free again!
There was a real Capt.
John Graves Simcoe in 1776, who later came up againstthe Culper Ring.
In fact, the historical Capt.
Simcoe was a respected, forward-looking British officer.
After the war he became the first governor of Ontario.
That doesnt sound so scary, does it?
All during that time, Capt.
Instead of the standard army drill, Simcoes training emphasized physical fitness, speed, and bayonets.
His corps also included a company of hussars, or light horsemen.
Maj. Simcoes men stabbed up to twenty Continental soldiers as well as the houses owner.
Americans called that a massacre, but it was within eighteenth-century rules of warfare.
According to the spy, the rangers fell upon my father and plundered him in the most shocking manner.
Later Woodhull wrote that hed like to kill Simcoe for his usage to me.
Given that history, it makes sense for Simcoe to be one ofTurns main antagonists.
The Queens Rangers were especially effective at fast strikes and reconnaissance.
For more on that event, see Todd Braisteds essayThe Calamitous Captivity of John Graves Simcoe.
In the early 1790s Simcoe lobbied for a high post in North America.
Maj. Simcoe was appointed Lieutenant Governor, moving to the Niagara region with his wife and youngest child.
Veterans of his ranger corps laid out roads leading west into the vast territory.
All the way back in Boston in 1775, Simcoe had suggested forming an army company from freed slaves.
Simcoe asked the legislature of Upper Canada to end slavery in the province.
At least six out of those sixteen lawmakers already owned slaves, and they resisted change.
So far, weve seen only a one-sided caricature of the historical Simcoe inTurn.
To explore the real Maj. Simcoes Revolutionary War adventures from his point of view, check outhis book.
