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Wacousta is John Richardson's most famous work. Written in 1832, it is a story of revenge, hatred and tragedy. The powerful, angstridden behemoth that is Wacousta is an antagonist that might make Lord Byron himself tremble. His actions seem driven by the ancient hatred he harbours towards De Haldimar, the governor of the Fort of Detroit. The story is set in the 1760's, and begins with one of the garrison members being put on trial, as he, Halloway, is suspected of conspiring with the enemy. Wacousta comes into the story as the execution is ready to take place. He is immediately portrayed to the reader as a mighty, enigmatic, almost regal sort of antagonist, who seems almost invincible. He even takes the late Halloway's wife as his own after the execution. We are left with many questions about Wacousta's motivation during the story. Why does he hate De Haldimar so much? His very existence seems based on this hatred. Some of the question is answered when we find that Wacousta was once betrayed by De Haldimar. His hate is fueled by this betrayal, for it seems that Wacousta once loved the wife of De Haldimar. Wacousta, or Reginald Morton, as we come to know he was once called, has come to Canada to assume a new lifestyle with the Pontiac - This allows him to get his revenge in a way that simply would not be possible in Europe, for here there are freedoms available that allow him to become Wacousta.

The story of Wacousta was the first novel ever written by a native-born Canadian, and it speaks volumes about the attitudes of Europeans towards the natives in Canada in the 1800s. It is quite seriously canonized among universities across the country as an important part of Canadian literature as a whole. It was the only truly famous work of Richardson's, the only other work often ever mentioned by critics is The Monk Knight of St. John which I will discuss later on. Wacousta is also the sole surviving novel of Richardson's.

Richardson was born in 1796 in Queenston, Upper Canada. He died in New York in 1852. He was the son of a medical officer in the British army, and was educated in Detroit and Amhertsburg. He was a gentleman volunteer in the war of 1812 and fought next to Tecumseh. In 1813 at the disaster of Moriaviantown Tecumseh was slain and Richardson was taken to a Prisoner Of War camp. He was released at the end of the war and commissioned by the army and stationed in the West Indies. He spent the next twenty years in Paris and London, where he enjoyed a somewhat frivolous lifestyle of gaming and sexual intrigue. This produced the work The Salons of Paris in 1829. It was in 1832 that Richardson composed the Legendary Wacousta; or, The Prophecy: A Tale of the Canadas. In 1838 The London Times sent Richardson to Upper Canada to cover the rebellions that were happening at the times. This post was short-lived however, as Richardson was dismissed for his political views on these very rebellions. Richardson remained in Upper Canada, forming a newspaper called The New Era in Brockville. This too was short-lived, as the journal was closed in 1842. In the meantime, however, Richardson had written The Canadian Brothers in 1840, as a sequel to Wacousta. This work also incoporated some of Richardson's Prisoner of War experiences. During his time as an editor, Richardson also took on a deer as a pet - This seemed a true testament to his character. Richardson was also commissioned at this time to write a series of volumes about the war of 1812. However, after completing the first work of this would-be series, Richardson decided he was being insufficiently compensated, and no more installments were written. Another failed endeavour of Richardson's was the newspaper The Canadian Loyalist and Spirit of 1812 which ran from 1843-44. He was then appointed as the superintendent of the Welland Canal Police force, but was dismissed when the position was abolished, and as a result of his gestapo attitude towards the position. He had been married for thirteen years when his wife died in 1845. He continued to write in the years remaining before his death, including The Monk Knight of St. John: A Tale of the Crusades in 1850. This piece, however, was infamous for its pornographic nature. When Richardson died in 1852 he had been working on an exploitive account of the life of Lola Montez, who was an internationally regarded sex object at the time. He no longer seemed to be the same gentleman who fought alongside the valourous Tecumseh on the battlefields in 1812.

A news bulletin from the Royal Military College of Canada - This link speaks of a presentation that took place early this year on Canada's historical responses to war, concerning the war in Iraq. It was an interesting find as Wacousta is mentioned as one of their topics of discussion.

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