Amherstburg, under Colonel Proctor,' and, disappointed in receiving no welcome from the inhabitants, withdrew again to Fort Detroit.

Brock in the meantime, having control of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and therefore being able to move his men by water across them, had been approaching with a small force from York to oppose him, and on August 16, by a daring passage of the Detroit River, succeeded in compelling Hull to capitulate at Fort Detroit. Here about 2,500 men, 33 guns, 2,000 stand of arms, and a brigof-war were surrendered to Brock, and the Michigan territory passed under British control.

In addition to advancing against Fort Detroit, Brock had also, upon his own responsibility, ordered the officer commanding at St. Joseph's, north of Lake Huron, to sail for Mackinac and endeavour to seize that post. This was successfully carried out, and the passage between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron was thus secured.2

Then, crossing Lake Erie, he established posts along the Niagara frontier, and strengthened Fort George with heavy guns from Fort Detroit.

On October 12, 1812, an attack upon the Niagara frontier was made by General van Rensellaar, with about 4,000 men, a body of whom, effecting a passage of the river in boats, succeeded in gaining the heights of Queenston; but in the battle which ensued they

1 Colonel Proctor distinguished himself at this period of the war (early in 1813), and was promoted Brigadier-General.

2 The importance which Brock attached to the possession of Fort Detroit and Mackinac strikingly evinces the correctness of his military judgment. As to their strategic value, see pp. 69, 72, and 82.

were attacked by reinforcements under General (afterwards Sir Roger) Sheaffe, brought up from Fort George and elsewhere, and defeated with severe loss. General Wadsworth, Colonel Scott (afterwards for many years Commander-in-Chief of the American Army), and several hundred prisoners were taken, many of the assailants being driven over the cliffs into the river below.

Brock, with his Aide-de-camp, Colonel Macdonell, had been killed early in the day, "having died to preserve what Wolfe died to conquer "; but these fresh victories of the war gave breathing-time to Canada.

The advance of the American force upon Montreal was but weakly pushed, and was driven back near La Colle,' north of Lake Champlain.

Possibly these successes produced overconfidence, for although, in December, 1812, about 30 seamen and 120 shipwrights had arrived in the Upper Province, having been engaged at Quebec, and shipbuilding was then carried on at Kingston, York, and Amherstburg, the Americans built far more strenuously at Sackett's Harbour.

Brock had before his death been anxious that that post should be attacked, with a view to the destruction of the buildings and plant there; but the enterprise was not approved of, and Sackett's Harbour was left unmolested. On the American side, however, the Secretary of War, General

1 Battle of Queenston Heights, by Ernest Cruikshank (1890). Brock's monument on Queenston Heights marks the scene of this battle. Some colours captured at Fort Detroit and Queenston Heights now hang in the chapel and hall of the Royal Hospital at Chelsea.

• Sometimes spelt Lacolle.

66

Armstrong, had clearly recognized the importance of that post and of naval ascendancy on the lakes; for before the war broke out he had written thus: Resting, as the line of Canadian defence does in its whole extent, on navigable lakes and rivers, no time should be lost in getting a naval ascendancy on both; for, cetaris paribus, the belligerent who is first to obtain this advantage will (miracles excepted) win the game." Brock had also desired to attack Fort Niagara, although this he was less anxious for, as the work was commanded by Fort George, and could therefore, he considered, be taken whenever necessary.

Unfortunately, it was at this time the policy of Great Britain to avoid every enterprise of an active -i.e., offensive-character, as the Government still clung to the hope that, the Orders in Council having been repealed, peace would be soon arranged, and this policy was pressed upon Sir George Prevost in Canada, who urged it upon his subordinates.

It was a natural policy, and from the highest point of view a right policy in intention, but it failed in its chief object (peace), and in its effect became injurious to the interests of Canada. Preparations for war were, in consequence of it, carried on after Brock's death in but a half-hearted manner; and no naval officers, mechanicians, or seamen were promptly sent out to Canada to organize and strengthen the naval flotillas on the lakes. Too much reliance was placed upon a peace being arranged, and this had its reflex in a lesser degree and unfortunately so-in Canada. War had commenced, and that being so, no cessation in

the preparations for continuing the contest should have taken place, and no measure bearing vitally upon the control of the lakes deferred.

Making full allowance for all the difficulties— and they were many-surrounding the Home and Canadian Governments, the criticism of historians seems justified-viz., that supineness at this period characterized and condemned the operations of the British; and that the importance of maintaining ascendancy on the water, if theoretically admitted, was not at heart, or thoroughly, understood.

CAMPAIGN OF 1813.

During the winter of 1812 the American naval commander, Commodore Chauncey, had organized at Sackett's Harbour a flotilla, which came out upon the lake in April, 1813, in strength superior to the British flotilla, which then took refuge in Kingston, and Lake Ontario passed under American control. The American plan of campaign for this year much resembled that for the year before.

One Western force, between 7,000 and 8,000 strong, under General Harrison, assembling at Sandusky on Lake Erie, was to reoccupy the Michigan territory, endeavour to retake Detroit, and capture Amherstburg.

A second, about 10,000, under General Dearborn, from Sackett's Harbour, with a force from Buffalo and the fleet on Lake Ontario co-operating, was to take York, Kingston, Fort George, and Fort Erie.

A third, under General Wade-Hampton, was to move from the east of Lake Champlain against Montreal, in concert with the second, which it was

anticipated would very soon be able to combine with it in that enterprise.

In the end it was resolved not to attack Kingston, but to feint against it only, while moving upon Montreal.

The events of this year opened with a gallant British enterprise against Ogdensburg, above Montreal, on the American side of the St. Lawrence, carried out by Major George Macdonell (afterwards distinguished also at Chateauguay), with a small force as a reprisal for raids on the Canadian shore.

The St. Lawrence was frozen hard, and, crossing on the ice with field artillery, Macdonell succeeded in taking a battery, capturing some guns, and destroying three or four vessels with a quantity of stores.1

2

Next, a joint American naval and military expedition, under Commodore Chauncey and General Dearborn, sailing for York, took that town, then the capital of Upper Canada, on April 27, 1813. The small defending force made a most creditable resistance, and heavy loss was caused to the Americans by the explosion of a magazine; but the defence was totally inadequate in strength to protect the place; the public and some private buildings were burnt, a vessel on the stocks was lost to the British, and General Sheaffe, in command, fell back with the small regular garrison to Kingston.

The expedition next sailed for the western end

1 This affords one illustration of how the water frontier of Canada to the south becomes, at certain points and at times in a military and defence sense, a land one (see Chapter II.).

2 Now Toronto, the capital of the province of Ontario.