1808–1813 19th in Ireland—United States declare War—19th ordered to Canada—United States’ plans—Operations of 1812—Mackinaw—Detroit—Armistice—Battle of Queenston Heights—General Brock killed—Montreal threatened—Operations of 1813—Proctor’s victory at Frenchtown—Fort Meigs—United States’ victory on Lake Erie—Battle of the Thames; Proctor’s defeat—York captured—Fort George and Erie evacuated—Stoney Creek: Harvey’s brilliant exploit—Fitzgibbon’s success at Beaver Dam—Arrival of squadron of 19th on Niagara frontier—Engagement on Lake Ontario—Fort George re-occupied—Fort Niagara surprised—Black Rock and Buffalo captured—Abortive attack on Sackett’s Harbour—United States’ operations against Montreal—Battle of Chateaugay—Battle of Chrystler’s Farm—Importance of Kingston and Sackett’s Harbour.
During the following six years the regiment remained at home, and took no part in the stirring events then occurring in Spain and Portugal. At the end of 1808, they moved from Northampton to Norwich and Ipswich, with a detachment at Birmingham, while their recruiting parties were actively engaged in different parts of the United Kingdom. In March 1809, the regiment moved to Romford, and, in December, embarked for Ireland. For two years the regiment remained in quarters at Tullamore, Philipstown and Longford. By an order dated 23rd April 1811, the establishment was augmented from 400 to 570 privates, making the total strength of all ranks 685. In March 1812, the regiment marched to Clonmel, and in June, to Dublin. The regiment was soon to proceed on active service again.
 
KING’S GUIDON.
SQUADRON GUIDON.
GUIDONS OF THE XIXTH LIGHT DRAGOONS.
to face p. 172.
On the 18th June, 1812, the United States declared[173] war against England. The declaration reached the British Government on the 30th July; but, as the British Orders in Council respecting the trade of neutral nations, that had been put forward on the American side as the chief reason for the war, had been rescinded on 23rd June, it was still believed in England that peace would be maintained. In spite of the hostilities that immediately commenced, it was not till October that conditional orders for reprisals were issued, and the formal declaration of war by Great Britain was not made till 9th January 1813. The war party in the States had the upper hand at the time: they were determined on war, and cared little for the pretext. To outward appearance, it seemed, in 1812, that England could not much longer hold out against Napoleon, who had the whole continent of Europe, except Russia, at his feet, while the British armies in Spain seemed to make no progress. In truth Napoleon’s power was already beginning to totter. The British armies in Spain, hardened and consolidated by three years of war under their great leader, were invincible. Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz had fallen, and Wellington had already begun his victorious advance that was to carry him across the Pyrenees. At the same time Napoleon was preparing for his disastrous invasion of Russia which dealt the first deadly blow to his power. But the war party in the United States were unable to discern this. The British troops in Canada were few in number, the colonists were believed to be lukewarm in their loyalty to Great Britain, and the war party promised their countrymen that Canada would prove an easy prey. Under the thin veil of resenting injuries a war of conquest was intended.
On 6th March 1813, an order was issued for three squadrons of the 19th Light Dragoons, completed to eighty rank and file per troop, to be held in readiness to embark for North America, under Lieut. Colonel the[174] Hon. J. O’Neill. The horses of the officers, sergeants and corporals were to be taken, but all other horses were to be left behind. In the same month the regiment reached Cork, and embarked on 4th April, in company with other troops, under convoy of the Sybelle frigate and Cygnet sloop; almost the first reinforcements sent from England to Canada since the United States’ declaration of war. They reached Quebec about the 17th May,[57] and were at once sent to La Prairie on the St Lawrence near Montreal.
The war in which the regiment was about to engage, was one in which cavalry could play only a subordinate part. The country in which they were to operate was a vast expanse of forest and swamp, with a few sparsely inhabited clearings. The chief mode of communication was by boat. The war was one to be fought out by small bodies of men far from their supports, wielding the axe and the oar as much as the rifle: forage was hard to get, and there was little place for mounted men. Under these conditions, the 19th Light Dragoons were only engaged in small detachments, never more than a squadron, seldom more than a troop. Their duties were of a most harassing kind, on outpost and reconnoissance duty. Never once did they have an opportunity of crossing swords with the enemy’s cavalry. The only cavalry charges recorded during the war were those made by the United States’ cavalry that overwhelmed Proctor’s force at the battle of the Thames, and the charge repulsed by the 89th at Chrystler’s Farm.
 
Walker & Boutall sc.
THE CANADIAN FRONTIER
in 1812.
Immediately on landing, one troop, taking with it only ten horses, was dispatched to Upper Canada. With it went Lieut. Colonel O’Neill and a convoy of ammunition. The three hundred horses, that were to have been ready by 1st July, had not been obtained. A fortnight later, a second troop followed, with sixty-five horses, most of[175] which had been brought from Ireland with the regiment. The squadron was destined for the Niagara frontier, where it was engaged, under Captain Lisle, till the end of the war.
Meanwhile, in spite of the belief in England that war would not be prosecuted by the States, when the rescinding of the orders in Council was known, hostilities had been in active progress from the first declaration. The British regular troops in Canada, in June 1812, were about 4500 in number; of which 3000 were in garrison at Quebec and Montreal, the remainder being scattered along the Upper Canada frontier. Their small number was effectively supplemented by the Canadian militia, who fought for the protection of their homes with a gallantry and devotion that could not be exceeded. Their numbers were however liable to constant fluctuations owing to the frequent necessity for their presence at their homes for agricultural purposes. A considerable number of Indians also, at times, co-operated; allies of doubtful value, who could never be relied on, and whose numbers varied from day to day. In population and resources the United States were in the proportion of more than ten to one compared to Canada. On the British side therefore the war was necessarily of a defensive character. The points on which Canada was most vulnerable were, 1. on the Detroit frontier between Lake Huron and Lake Erie; 2. on the Niagara frontier between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario; and, 3. on the line of the St Lawrence between Kingston and Montreal. The United States’ plan was to invade Canada on all three points, and three separate expeditions were prepared for the purpose. The first attack was made on the Detroit frontier, where, under pretence of punishing some Indians, troops had been assembled before the declaration of war.
Before noticing the more important operations of 1812, it is necessary to mention the capture of the United States’[176] fort and island of Mackinaw, which was effected by a party of regulars, militia and Indians, under Captain Roberts, on 17th July, and retained till the end of the war. The capture was of some importance, as the island commanded the navigation between Lakes Michigan and Huron.
On the 12th July, a United States’ force of 2500 men, under General Hull, crossed from Detroit, and occupied the small village of Sandwich. On the same day Hull issued a proclamation that struck the keynote of the war. In it he called on the Canadians to seek his protection, threatening them with a war of extermination should they venture to take up arms against him. Acting in the spirit of this proclamation, the United States’ troops throughout the war committed excesses against the non-combatant population that had long been condemned by all civilized nations, and effectually alienated any sympathy they might have found among the Canadians. The reprisals, that are inevitable in such cases, followed, and the war was marked by a rancour on both sides, that contrasted strongly with the more decorous but not less deadly warfare that was being waged by French and British troops in Spain.
The small British force of 350 men in the neighbourhood of Detroit, consisting mainly of militia, and not counting Indians, were gathered at Amherstberg under Lieutenant Colonel Proctor. Hull, instead of advancing at once, and overwhelming it, remained at Sandwich, indulging in petty outpost affairs. Proctor passed a small force across the river, and cut off his supplies, which forced Hull to withdraw his force, on the 7th August, from the Canadian side, and retreat to Detroit. On the 12th, Major General Brock, commanding in Upper Canada, reached Amherstberg with three hundred men, and, three days later, crossed the river, and advanced on Detroit. On the 16th, Hull capitulated with his whole force. Over fifteen hundred prisoners, thirty-three guns,[177] 2500 stands of arms and the Michigan territory passed into the hands of the British.
At this time a lull in the war took place through the action of Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, Governor, and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, who, throughout the war, was the evil genius of the British cause. In the United States’ manifesto the British Orders in Council had been put forward as the chief cause of the war. On hearing that the orders had been repealed, Sir George Prevost believed that the war would not be persevered with. He accordingly, in spite of the hostilities that had occurred, proposed an armistice to the United States’ commander of the force threatening Montreal, till the latter should receive further orders from Washington. But the United States’ government were determined on war, and hostilities were resumed on 8th September. The armistice was of much advantage to the States, as, while it lasted, they were able to convey without hindrance, by water, the supplies collected at Oswego for the use of their troops destined to act on the Niagara frontier, at a time when the British had an undoubted superiority on Lake Ontario.
The United States’ force threatening the line between Lakes Erie and Ontario numbered 6300 men, under General Van Rensselaar. To oppose them, Major General Brock had but 1200 men (by one account 1500), a large proportion of which were militia and Indians. These troops were posted at Fort Erie and Fort George, the two extreme points of the line, with a few companies at Queenston and one or two other points to command landing places. Early in the morning of the 13th October, about 1600 United States’ troops crossed at Queenston, and made good their footing. In the course of the fighting General Brock fell at the head of his men, and the United States’ commander was badly[178] wounded. Reinforcements coming up, in the afternoon, from Fort George, under Major General Sheaffe, brought the British-Canadian force on the spot up to about 1000 men including Indians. An attack was made on the enemy’s position: they were driven into their boats, and the United States’ General Wadsworth, with 958 officers and men were made prisoners. One gun and a colour were also captured. The loss on the British side cannot be exactly stated. Besides the General, one officer was killed and two wounded. Among the rank and file there were about 16 killed and 70 wounded, and about a dozen Indians: but the success was dearly bought with the death of Sir Isaac Brock.[58]
At one in the morning of 28th November, another attempt was made to cross, about two miles below Fort Erie. But the crossing was mismanaged, and the whole attempt carried out in a half-hearted way. After inflicting and sustaining some loss, the United States’ troops re-embarked, and thus ended for the year all serious operations on this part of the frontier.
The United States’ force intended to operate against Montreal was equally unsuccessful. Assembled at Plattsburg on Lake Champlain, about 7000 strong, under General Dearborn, it advanced to the frontier on 15th November. On this being known in Montreal, the available troops, about 1900 strong more than half of which were militia, advanced to La Prairie. Nothing however occurred beyond an unimportant skirmish between small detachments, after which, Dearborn retreated to Plattsburg, and went into quarters for the winter. Thus ended hostilities for the year. At every point the United States’ forces had been foiled by inferior numbers. Fort Detroit and the State of Michigan, together with the island of Mackinaw, commanding the navigation between[179] Lakes Michigan and Huron, remained in British hands. The only real success gained by the United States was in the naval strength they had been able to develop on the Lakes, owing to superior resources, and to the absence of any assistance to Canada from England. The superiority thus bloodlessly established had important results on the subsequent course of the war in Upper Canada. By sea, successes were scored by the United States in five frigate duels, mainly due to the superior size and armament of the United States’ ships. Effectual measures were then taken in England, and the United States’ flag practically disappeared from the high seas for the rest of the war. The complete mastery of the sea by Great Britain caused the U.S. government to direct their naval resources to the Canadian lakes, a result that had an important bearing on the succeeding years’ warfare.
The United States’ plan of operations for the following year was, as before, to invade Canada with three separate corps. The first was destined to retake Detroit, and acquire possession of Amherstberg. The second attack was to be made from the eastern end of Lake Ontario, to capture Kingston and Toronto, then known as York, and then, in co-operation with a force collected at Buffalo, to act against Forts George and Erie on the Niagara frontier. The third was to operate against Montreal, by a combined advance from the neighbourhood of Plattsburg, and from the eastern end of Ontario.
On the Detroit frontier the Canadian forces numbered about 2,300 men, more than half of which were Indians, under Colonel Proctor; opposed to a U.S. force of double that number, under General Harrison.
On the 18th January, a force of 1000 men under General Winchester, advancing from Sandusky, drove in the British picquets at Frenchtown, forty-five miles from[180] Detroit. On the 22nd, Colonel Proctor advancing from Detroit with four guns and 950 men, half of whom were Indians, attacked General Winchester in front of Frenchtown, and gained a complete victory. Winchester with 538 men were taken prisoners. In consequence of the greatly superior numbers of the U.S. troops in the neighbourhood, Proctor then withdrew to Detroit and Sandwich. Little further occurred till 23rd April, when Proctor led a small expedition against a U.S. work on the Miami river called Fort Meigs. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Proctor returned to Sandwich about 12th May. The only noteworthy incident was the severe punishment inflicted on the U.S. force in a sortie on the 5th May, in which nearly 500 were taken prisoners. The British loss was comparatively small. On the 2nd August, Proctor made a similar attempt on a fort newly constructed at the mouth of the Sandusky river. After an attempt to storm, which was repulsed with the loss of 100 killed and wounded, he retired. After this no further movement on either side occurred till September, when a change in the situation was wrought by a success gained by the U.S. navy on the lake. On 10th September, a naval action was fought on Lake Erie, between six British and nine U.S. ships, in which the latter were completely victorious. This rendered Proctor’s position extremely critical. He at once evacuated Detroit and Amherstberg, and, with a force of less than 1000 men, not counting Indians, retreated along the river Thames, closely followed by Harrison. On the 5th October, he decided to make a stand. Attacked by a greatly superior force, he was at once overwhelmed by charges of cavalry, of which Harrison had 1200 in the field, and the greater part of his men made prisoners. Proctor, with some 200 men only, made good his retreat to Ancaster, eighty-five miles distant. The celebrated Indian Chief, Tecumseh, was slain on this occasion, and the state of[181] Michigan passed again into United States’ keeping. Harrison, after destroying Moravian town, in the neighbourhood of which the action had been fought, returned to Detroit and Amherstberg, and, shortly afterwards, embarked with a portion of his force for the Niagara frontier.
Active operations at the eastern end of Lake Ontario commenced in April. Early in that month, a United States’ force of about 6000 men was collected at Sackett’s Harbour, which was the United States’ chief naval depot on the lake. On 27th, the U.S. lake squadron with 2000 troops on board appeared off Toronto,[59] and at once began to land under the guns of the fleet. Major General Sheaffe, who had 500 regular troops and militia and some Indians, after ineffectually opposing the landing, was forced to withdraw towards Kingston, and the town was occupied by the enemy. General Pike, commanding the U.S. troops, was killed, and both sides suffered considerable loss by the explosion of a magazine. On the 8th May, after burning the public buildings, the U.S. force withdrew, and were conveyed to the mouth of the Niagara river, where they landed, with a view to joining in operations against Forts George and Erie. The vessels were then employed in bringing further re-inforcements from Sackett’s Harbour, for the contemplated attack on Fort George.
The British force on the Niagara frontier consisted at this time of 1800 regular troops, 500 militia, and 40 Indians, under Major General Vincent. On 27th May, the U.S. force, numbering 6000 to 7000 men, under General Dearborn, crossed under cover of the guns of the flotilla and of Fort Niagara. After a stubborn contest, in which they suffered a loss of 445 killed and wounded, the British troops evacuated Fort George, and retired to Burlington Heights at the head of Lake Ontario. Fort Erie was also[182] evacuated. Four days later, Dearborn detached 3500 men under Generals Chandler and Winder to follow Vincent, and, on 5th June, the U.S. force encamped at Stoney Creek, seven miles from Vincent’s position. In this critical position Vincent resolved on a night attack. At 2 o’clock in the morning, 700 men of the 8th and 49th regiments, led by Colonel Harvey, penetrated the U.S. camp. Four guns were captured; the greatest confusion was caused in the surprised camp, from which the enemy were driven. In order to conceal the smallness of his force, Harvey withdrew before daylight, taking with him two guns and 123 prisoners, among whom were the two United States Generals. In this spirited affair the British loss amounted to 23 killed, 136 wounded and 55 missing. The U.S. force, after burning its tents and stores, fell back precipitately to Forty-mile Creek, 11 miles in rear of the field. Two days later, a small British squadron from Kingston, under Sir James Yeo, bringing some reinforcements for Vincent, appeared and drove the U.S. force from their camp which was taken possession of. Harvey’s gallant exploit had saved t............