Fort Wellington has been restored and refurnished to depict the period when it was garrisoned by the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment, the regiment that was specially created to garrison those posts where desertion rates were highest. In order to encourage soldiers to join this unit, which served exclusively in Canada, better wages and fringe benefits, or privileges, such as being able to work in the community when not on duty, were offered. Only those soldiers who had already displayed their loyalty by serving fifteen years in the army could join this unit. An added incentive was that twelve soldiers in every hundred were permitted to marry; this was double the usual number. For additional information on this unit, consult G. Tylden, "The Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment, 1840 to 1870," Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, 34 (1956), pp.59-62.
