William " Tiger " Dunlop Dr . William Dunlop ( 19 November 1792 – 29 June 1848 ) also known as Tiger Dunlop was an army officer , surgeon , Canada Company official , author , justice of the peace , militia officer , politician , and office holder . He is notable for his contributions to the War of 1812 in Canada , his work in the Canada Company and later as a Member of Parliament for the 1st Parliament of the Province of Canada , Canada West , Huron . Early life and education . Tiger Dunlop was born 19 November 1792 in Greenock , Scotland , the third son of a local banker Alexander Dunlop and Janet Graham . He pursued his medical studies at the University of Glasgow and in London . In January 1813 Dunlop joined the army as a hospital mate , a month later was posted as an assistant surgeon in the 89th Regiment of Foot . He was first posted to the Isle of Wight , later leaving for Quebec in August 1813 . His Canadian experiences can be read in " Recollections of the American War of 1812 – 1814 " . Origins of the nickname " Tiger " . Dunlop was known under a variety of nicknames , but the one that has lasted and remains with him to this day is " Tiger " . In Upper Canada , he was also known as The Doctor , Peter Poundtext , or Ursa Major and often as The Backwoodsman . The nickname " Tiger " is supposed to have been given to him during his time in India . Some sources describe it as Dunlop participating in a sport ; others describe it as a business trip . The combination of two seems to be more inline with Dunlop ’ s character . The business trip included a cull of the Saugor Island tigers . Stories of the legend . During his time and certainly after William Tiger Dunlop became a legend . It was common for people to seek him out just for the pleasure of having been said to have met Tiger Dunlop . The stories that surrounded him became the stuff of legend ; some verifiable , some not . Impersonating a general . Dunlop and a fellow army friend had been ordered to join their regiment on the Niagara frontier two hundred and eighty miles from their present location in Kingston . Although the road from Kingston to Niagara had many post houses , they were not well supplied and junior officers came in low in the pecking order . It became common for Dunlop and friend to find worn out nags available as their transportation . Being in a hurry , the two men decided to speed up the process and gave themselves instant promotions . Dunlop became a major - general and the friend became his aide . The “ aide ” demanded good horses for his general who had apparently been sent by the Duke of Wellington to instruct Sir Gordon Drummond on how to conduct the campaign . With no shortage of the theatrical in their nature , the imposters pulled off the hoax and rode good horses . Dunlop was twenty - two at the time . Regiment of the Bloody Useless . During the Rebellions of 1837 , William Dunlop , who had become a Colonel , was requested to raise a militia unit that would become known as the 1st Regiment Huron Militia . The Regiment consisted of some 600 badly outfitted and ill - equipped men . The Regiment experienced great difficulty obtaining even the most rudimentary supplies according to the Memorial by Lieutenant - Colonel Taylor 1st Regiment Huron Militia to the House of Assembly of the Province of Upper Canada in Provincial Parliament Assembled . Dunlop nicknamed the militia unit " The Bloody Useless . " Little wonder that the 1st Regiment Huron Militia played no significant role in any of the activities of the Rebellions . Notwithstanding that Dunlop was still an employee of the Canada Company while engaged in this Militia activity , Dunlop took it upon himself to commandeer supplies and food from the Canada Company so that his soldiers could eat and defend themselves . Marriage . William and his brother Robert shared a home near Goderich , Ontario at Gairbraid . Being both bachelors and unaccustomed to domestic work , they sent home to Scotland for a housekeeper . Louisa McColl arrived in Canada to take care of the two brothers . Shortly after , tongues began wagging and it soon became clear that Louisa ’ s situation was insupportable and she would need to either marry or leave the country . Robert and William decided McColl was irreplaceable and tossed a coin to see which brother would marry Louisa . William supplied the coin and Robert lost the toss ; after the wedding it became known that William had supplied a coin with the same face on both sides . Robert never objected . Gairbraid is now known as Saltford , Ontario . Crossing the US border . Dunlop was fond of snuff , a tobacco product . Like any other consumable , Dunlop enjoyed snuff in large quantities . The box in which he carried his snuff , he called The Coffin . Crossing the Canada / US border , a US inspector found it doubtful that the amount of snuff carried with him was just for personal use . Dunlop is said to have tossed a handful of snuff in the air , then snorting it as it fell around him . He said : “ There , that ’ s what I want it for ; that ’ s the way I use it " . Nails in a barrel . Enjoying a good practical joke , Dunlop and a friend were passing the time in a Goderich store . A porcupine had been deposited in a barrel normally used for nails . As each person came into the store Dunlop would request help in getting a few nails . Dunlop ’ s delight in shocking was spontaneous . Life in Canada . War of 1812 . Upon leaving Britain on the 4th of February 1813 , he was appointed assistant surgeon to the 89th ( The Princess Victoria ' s ) Regiment of Foot . The regiment was posted to Upper Canada during the War of 1812 in time to participate in the Battle of Crysler ' s Farm and the Battle of Lundy ' s Lane . Dunlop arrived in Upper Canada during the War of 1812 in time to treat men wounded at both Crysler ’ s Farm and Lundy ’ s Lane . Like other war doctors , he was faced with seemingly impossible tasks . After the Battle of Chippawa , Dunlop worked alone on 220 men from both armies because no other surgeons were available . The story continues that Dunlop worked alone for more than two full days , barely sitting down and stopping only to eat and change clothes . He played a more active role in the assault on Fort Erie on 15 August 1814 , carrying about a dozen injured men out of the range of fire and providing survivors with basic necessities . He served with a road - cutting party near Penetanguishene in the spring of 1815 . Rebellions of 1837 . During the Rebellions of 1837 , Dunlop commanded the Huron Regiment in Upper Canada nicknamed The Bloody Useless . The rebellion was short - lived and led by the radical elements of 1837 . The Huron Regiment consisted of approximately 600 men with primitive arms and few resources . Dunlop commandeered supplies and food from Canada Company stores for the benefit of his men , leading to demands from the Canada Company for his withdrawal from militia activities . Dunlop refused , but resigned from the company later in 1838 . Tiger Dunlop was Colonel and 1st Commanding Officer of the 1st Regiment Huron Militia . Dunlop called out the unit in December 1837 . The regiment was made up of Colborne men with the surrounding townships supplying many of the men . Dunlop drilled his men in Read ' s Tavern while scavenging for blankets , coats , boot and more . Colonel Dunlop had five company commanders : Henry Hyndman , Thomas W . Luard , W . F . Gooding , Daniel Home Lizars , and Captain Annand . Late in December the government dispatches orders to the 1st Hurons and on December 25 Dunlop dispatches as follows : Unprepared and poorly managed as the rebels were , the Rebellion of 1837 Upper Canada was quickly over . The Regiment of the Bloody Useless saw no action . Dunlop worked fiercely to ensure that his men were paid for their three months of service . The Canada Company . In 1825 Tiger Dunlop was appointed Warden of the Woods and Forests by John Galt of the Canada Company . The position involved inspecting the company lands to protect them and the selection of land to be sold for profit . This position put Tiger Dunlop as second - in - command to Galt in Upper Canada of 1825 . In 1829 , Galt resigned his position . As was the custom of the day , positions such as that held by Dunlop were personal appointments − he was in some danger of losing his position , but managed to keep it . In 1833 he was appointed the General Superintendent of the Huron Tract . It was at this time that Dunlop published Statistical Sketches of Upper Canada to encourage young people to come to Canada . Tiger was present at the founding of Guelph , the company headquarters for the Canada Company , and built his home north of Goderich . Member of Parliament , Province of Canada . Tiger Dunlop left the Canada Company in 1838 . Three years later his brother Robert Graham Dunlop died leaving his parliamentary seat vacant . The seat was contested both by a Canada Company official , James McGill Strachan and Tiger Dunlop . Tiger was declared not elected . Tiger appealed the election results and won . On the appeal being allowed , he took his seat 20 August 1841 . Tiger was a colourful character and made interesting speeches and wrote direct letters to the newspapers of Toronto . Dunlop ' s short foray into journalism gave him the knowledge of the trade to catch the eyes of the editors in London , England . When Dunlop resigned from the Canada Company the divisions in Huron County became more evident where the Canada Company provided some with a living and others with obstacles to overcome . Dunlop became the natural leader of a group known as the Colbornites , an anti - Company group . In February 1841 Robert Dunlop , who had represented Huron in the assembly since 1835 , died . The union of Upper and Lower Canada took place shortly after Robert Dunlop ' s death . In the subsequent election later that year William ran against the Canada Company ’ s choice , James McGill Strachan , son of the bishop and brother - in - law of Thomas Mercer Jones . Although Strachan had had little chance of winning , he was declared elected . Dunlop ' s subsequent appeal was successful and he was awarded the seat . In the general election of 1844 Dunlop ran unopposed . Despite his flamboyant character and occasional radical stances , in the legislature Dunlop took a moderate tory position . He became notable for his humour . In 1841 he chaired a committee to hear the grievances of the exiled radical Robert Fleming Gourlay . Dunlop ' s report was an even - handed treatment of Gourlay ' s situation Voting record . Dunlop ’ s record as a parliamentarian demonstrates that he did not vote along party lines . This is not an exhaustive list , but a list that is meant to provide some insight into the thought and ideology of a man of contradictions who genuinely spans the Tory to Reform spectrum in the early days of Canada . 1st Warden of the District of Huron . As a member of Parliament , Dunlop was appointed as the 1st Warden of the District of Huron . With his experience as the Canada Company Warden of the Woods , Dunlop was uniquely qualified for this work . However , his methods often left questions in the minds of those around him and he was replaced in 1846 . Resignation . Tiger resigned his seat in 1846 . It is not clear why he did so . However , two reasons are generally cited for the resignation ; health and alcohol . The years spent living in the primitive forests of Canada and the ever increasing use of alcohol appear to have taken a toll . William Tiger Dunlop was a tired and sick man . Tiger was not taken seriously in Parliament or in the newspaper editorials of the day . Unfortunately , the two political concepts of the Parliament of Canada that he could not absorb were responsible government and the concept of group or social liberty . Dunlop firmly believed in individual liberty and in patronage . Moreover , Dunlop was far ahead of his time on other issues , such as education , professional independence , commerce and the rights of French Canadians . Dunlop was tired of the fight and the irrelevant place he had carved for himself in Parliament with his outspokenness . Tory ministers William Henry Draper and Denis - Benjamin Viger apparently wanted their colleague Inspector General William Cayley to have a safe seat in parliament and looked to Huron . Dunlop was offered the superintendency of the Lachine Canal in return for his seat . To the surprise of all , Dunlop accepted the post . Tiger Dunlop died within two years of leaving the legislature on 29 June 1848 , at the age of 56 and was buried first in Hamilton and then in Goderich , Upper Canada . Plaque . Text from the Tiger Dunlop Plaque , which can be found near his gravesite in Goderich , Ontario . Works . Dunlop ' s writing are best known for their depiction of Canadian frontier life in the Huron Tract . Dunlop wrote the following works under both the Backwoodsman and William Dunlop :