Ontario History. Scholarly Journal of The Ontario Historical Society since Upper Canada at War, 1814: Captain Armstrong Reports

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Ontario History Scholarly Journal of The Ontario Historical Society since 1899 Upper Canada at War, 1814: Captain Armstrong Reports Colonel C. P. Stacey Ontario History, Vol. 48, 1956, pp.

1 Ontario History Scholarly Journal of The Ontario Historical Society since 1899 Upper Canada at War, 1814: Captain Armstrong Reports Colonel C. P. Stacey Ontario History, Vol. 48, 1956, pp Published by The Ontario Historical Society, 1956 Terms and Conditions for use of this article or book review: The Ontario Historical Society Established in 1888, the OHS is a non-profit corporation and registered charity; a non-government group bringing together people of all ages, all walks of life and all cultural backgrounds interested in preserving some aspect of Ontario's history. Learn more at

2 UPPER CANADA AT WAR, 1814: CAPTAIN ARMSTRONG REPORTS I Edited by Colonel C. P. Stacey N the year 1834 Lieut.-General Hugh Swayne, an elderly and respectable if scarcely celebrated officer in the Army of King William IV, deposited with Cox & Co., the well-known army agents of London, a small metal box of personal and official records. Two years later (on 30 October 1836, his documents in the Public Record Office show) the General died. There were, it would seem, no near relatives to claim the box of records, and they remained in the custody of Messrs. Cox. Years and generations passed. Cox's was absorbed in due time by Lloyds Bank Limited. General Swayne's successors in the service of the Crown fought wars against the Tsar, against Paul Kruger, against the Emperor William II and against a retired housepainter named Hitler. Goering's bombs rained down on the City of London. And through it all General Swayne's little box of papers remained safe in the good hands to which he had confided it. Finally, in the year 1955, just 121 years and six reigns after he left the box with his agents, Lloyds Bank apparently decided, with ample justification, that they had held it long enough to satisfy even the exacting standards of an old-established London financial house; and thought was given to making some suitable disposition of the box and its contents. The latter, on examination, proved to be mainly records relating to the years , during which General Swayne was administering the government of Cape Breton Island (which it will be remembered was a separate colony from 1784 to 1820). Lloyds Bank accordingly approached the Canadian Army Liaison Establishment, London, with an inquiry as to whether the records might be of interest to Canada. CALE asked Ottawa; Ottawa said yes; and in due course General Swayne's little box arrived at the Historical Section of the General Staff at Army Headquarters there. It appeared that the most suitable repository for the lepers would be the Public Archives of Canada. The Dominion Archivist was glad to take them, and the box's contents have now found a final casting-place in the ever-growing collection of manuscripts in his charge. Although most of the papers concern the local affairs of Cape Breton, which was in general not very directly touched by the conflicts with France and the United States which were going on at the time, the collection does contain some documents relating to the War of 1812, and amoung them are the two which are reproduced herewith. They now form folios of the Swayne Papers. Captain R. E. Armstrong of the Nova Scotia Fencibles had been serving as Aide de Camp to General Swayne at Cape Breton. When his regiment which had so far spent the war in Newfoundland, was ordered

3 to Canada, 1 he joined it there, arriving at Kingston late in August, 1814, when Sir James Yeo's great three-decker, H.M.S. St. Laurence, was nearing completion in the dockyard on Point Frederick, and in the Niagara Peninsula Sir Gordon Drummond was besieging Fort Erie. Armstrong had evidently promised his former chief an account of the situation in. Upper Canada, and he fulfilled the promise by writing the letter printed here and the note on recent events in the province which accompanied it. The two together constitute a graphic contemporary record of the happenings in Upper Canada during that hot summer of 1814, which witnessed the most desperate fighting that ever took place in Ontario, if not indeed in Canada. It is evident that Captain Armstrong went to considerable 111 trouble to collect the facts concerning the recent engagements on the Niagara. Presumably his chief informant was General Drummond's A.D.C., who is referred to. This was no doubt Captain Jervois, who carried to Sir George Prevost Drummond's dispatch concerning the great fight at Lundy's Lane. 2 Armstrong's letter underlines once more a fact that has been clear to every student of the war: that the integrity of the British communication by water up the St. Lawrence from Montreal to Kingston, and thence up the Lakes, was the foundation of the security of Upper Canada and therefore the most significant factor in the whole military situation. We get here a glimpse of the functioning of the St. Lawrence transport facilities in the last period of the war, when they were grievously overstrained by the tremendous expansion of the naval establishment on Lake Ontario. Luckily, the Americans failed to concentrate their resources " for a decisive blow at the St. Lawrence lifeline; although they had a plan to do so had there been an 1815 campaign. It was this vulnerable feature of the British military position in Canada that led directly to the building of the Ottawa-Rideau canal system at British expense in the years following the war. 3 At the moment when Armstrong wrote, the situation west of Kingston was greatly aggravated by the Americans' temporary naval superiority on Lake Ontario. This was a serious embarrassment to General Drummond's army operating on the Niagara symbolized by the dreadful predicament of the general's dinner guests, reduced to drinking raw Canadian whisky out of a broken teacup. The Right Division was short of many things more important than mess wines that summer before the completion of the St. Lawrence in October sent the American squadron scuttling back to Sackets Harbor and restored Drummond's waterborne communications. 4 The accounts by Armstrong reflect the excitement caused in Kingston by the building of the great ship, which was launched on 10 September 1814, nine days after Armstrong wrote his letter. They reflect also the scorn felt locally for the idea of bringing out ships in pieces from eland and assembling them on the Lakes. The frigate which Armstrong mentions as being brought up the river in this manner was H.M.S. Psyche. which was launched at Kingston on Christmas Day. Another frigate and two brigs were sent out to Montreal in the same way. but only the Psyche was brought up to Lake Ontario. Since the Psyche was constructed of fir timber, it is quite possible that, as Armstrong said, she was made of Canadian wood which had crossed the Atlantic twice. 5 Although the advent of the Sr. Lawrence did lead the Americans to withdraw to their base at Sackets, they did not abandon the idea of retaining control of Lake Ontario. Armstrong and his informants underrated their resources and their resourcefulness. In spite of the apparent inadequacy of Sackets Harbor for shipbuilding, they contrived to lay down there and at another place close by two ships the New Orleans and Chippewa which were even larger than the St. Lawrence and were probably the largest vessels in the world at that time. But the news of peace arrived before these monsters could be launched. 6 Captain Armstrong's account of the Niagara battles in general accords with what we know from other sources, though his statistics of strengths and casualties are not beyond question. It leaves us with a powerful impression of the singularly bloody nature of these fights, particularly the unsuccessful assault on Fort Erie on 15 August. In 1814 his days of easy victories over the American Army were past. The reference to the poor behaviour of British troops in Lt.-Col. J. G. P. Tucker's ill-starred operation of 2 August 7 has its own somewhat grim interest. General Drummond's drastic order calling upon officers (it would seem) to shoot men who turned their backs on the enemy is not in Wood's or Cruikshanks collections of documents, nor apparently in the Public Archives of Canada. It was of course an improper order, and it was probably withdrawn and suppressed. It may doubtless be taken as reflecting the strain under which Drummond was working that summer. In justice to the 41st Foot, of which Armstrong here gives such a bad impression, it is important to remember, first, that the 41 st was not the whole of Tucker's force; and secondly, that this regiment had saved Upper Canada, almost single-handed, in the decisive opening campaign in By 1814 it was decimated and war-weary; it had been cut to pieces at the Battle of the Thames and had not had a chance to recover properly. But its victories are more memorable than its misfortunes; and it was the only regiment of the British Army to receive four battle honours for the War of [TRANSCRIPT] Kingston September 1st 1814 My dear General My first halt in Canada except a few hours at Quebec, was at Montreal where I had the honor of delivering- your letter to The Commander of The Forces. After being: detained a week at. Montreal I set out and arrived at this place on the 22nd of last month. The travelling from Quebec to Montreal is either performed in the steam boat or by land either of which methods is expeditious the time being but two days, large vessels come up to Montreal which is situated at the head of the Navigation of the St Lawrence, here the rapids commence and the only water carriage is in batteaux which are towed along shore where the current is strong, but generally rowed, three of the worst rapids are avoided by means of Can-Us with locks if the rope breaks in passing these rapids the boat is lost and those on board perish, such accidents sometimes happen; a batteau is generally eight days in going from Montreal to Kingston, a distance of 200 miles, but if the wind blows fresh ahead they are much longer. All the Guns and Stores for the Ships of War must be brought up in these batteaux it is not an unusual thing for an hundred to arrive hero together as they wait, for a Convoy of Gun boats to protect them from the enemy. THE Timber for a frigate is now coming up the river which was cut in this country, taken to England and there framed! "Kingston is situated at the head of the St. Lawrence, it contains about an hundred and fifty houses it has a barrack for Troops, a house for the Comg. officer. "an hospital, store houses, an Episcopal church, a Romish Chapel, a gaol and court house. A cove upon which the Town is situated affords a good harbour for shipping. "Large vessels seldom go below Kingston although the river is navigable as low down as Osweigatchie 70 miles lower down". Opposite the town is Pt. Frederick on which is a Fort hardly finished, without the Fort is the Dock yard, and our squadron lies under the Guns at the Fort which are 32 pounders taken from the Enemy at Oswego, A little further to the South* ward is Point Henry, where there is a Martello tower and strong fort situated on high ground commanding Pt. Frederick and even the Town of Kingston round the town is a chain of Blockhouses. The 90th and 104th Regiments are now the only troops quartered at Kingston. The Canadian [Fencibles], at Pt. Henry The Nova Scotia at Point Frederick guarding the new ship, round which we have four sentries by day and six by night, not-' withstanding which I am convinced I could burn her with fifty determined fellows we are of course very anxious to get her launched and out of our hands. Our own! Subalterns have got some credit since the Regiment came here, one picked up

4 American spy, another kept a half pay Lieut Colonel of the 28th all night in the-guard house, another confined an Assistant Engineer who happened not to be known- I never experienced such hot weather as we have had since we came to Canada, we are obliged to sit in our tents with the walls up and our Coats off. We have now 90 men sick out of 400. The Dysentry is the common complaint. At night the dew falls so heavily that everything is wet through our tents. I frequently put on cloaths quite damp. Yet we have but one officer sick, I never enjoyed better health. At this place we have every thing we could wish for by paying very high for it further up the Country the greatest scarcity prevails, Gen Drummond's Aide de Camp told me that the General on the anniversary of his Wedding day invited a small party of friends to dine with him: their only liquor was whiskey made in the country which they drank out of one broken tea cup. J have not been able to ascertain the Force at present in Canada, and the object of the Campaign is a secret, it is however the general opinion that we shall attack Sacket's harbour as soon as the new ship is ready for sea; if we take the place it will cost us a great number of Men being Now rendered very strong. 8 The account I have given of the late affairs in the upper Country is collected from officers who were on the spot, and I think is correct. Sir James Yeo is living on shore and is in a bad state of health. I met Capt Hickev a few days ago he commands the Prince Regent the largest ship now afloat. It is quite uncertain how long I remain at this place, Regiments are obliged to be in constant readiness to march at a few hours notice if Sacket's is to be attacked I would certainly prefer remaining here until the expedition goes against it. I have been told that it is very likely a General Officer will be kept at Cape Breton in time of peace in which case a Brigade Major will probably be allowed there also, should a good opportunity offer you would confer the greatest favor by obtaining the appointment for me. When any thing occurs here worth mentioning I will not fail to give you as correct an account of it as can be obtained. I have the honor to be My dear General, with the highest respect. Your obedient and most humble servant R. E. Armstrong On the 25th July the Enemy in number about 5000 under Generals Brown and Scott advanced from their lines at Chippewa and attacked General Drummond in the night who had with him less than 2000; our Troops behaved with great gallantry particularly the 89th. The Enemy succeeded in taking and turning against us four pieces of our Artillery notwithstanding which the Infantry kept their ground until reinforcements arrived making up our force to 2500 and although much confusion arose in consequence of our Troops mistaking each other for the Enemy, the Americans thought it prudent to retreat taking with them one of the Guns they had captured for which they left us two of their own) above 200 prisoners and all their wounded. The Enemy lost above 300 in killed & 100 prisoners their wounded we cannot ascertain. They retired to their old position unmolested in their retreat. The action was fought at a place called Lundy's lane near the Falls of Niagara our casualties amounted to 898 of whom only 84 were killed. 9 Shortly after the affair at Lundy's lane a Detachment of the 41st was crossed to the right bank of the river to intercept some supplies coming to the Enemy; the expedition failed in consequence of the cowardice of the men who lay down or ran away in spite of the efforts of their officers. This conduct produced from General D the most severe order I ever read, directing officers to punish with death on the spot any men misbehaving before the Enemy. I have not been able to learn the particulars of the Attack on Fort Erie. We attempted to take it by storm in the night but unfortunately the 103rd and Flank companies of the 104th instead of attacking at different points mistook their way and entered the works together in great confusion at the same time a mine was

5 sprung by one of our deserters, our Troops were obliged to retreat with the loss of about 900 men!! of whom 300 were killed. Lt.-Col Scott 103rd and Lt.-Col Drummond 104th lost their lives on the occasion. The 103rd had five officers killed and thirteen wounded. De Watteville's Regiment which had been ordered to attack Snake Hill near Fort Erie at the same time behaved extremely ill. The Enemy lost only fourteen men. 10 Michilimackinac is so closely invested by the Enemy who have the superiority on the upper Lakes, that we cannot throw in supplies, and it is feared that the Garrison amounting to 700 men will be forced to give up a fortress which were they supplied with provisions and ammunition might bid defiance to any force the Americans could bring against it. 11 Reinforcements are constantly moving up and there is no doubt but that we shall eventually drive the Enemy out of our territories. The Indians on all occasions behave in the most cowardly and shameful manner and undoubtedly murder many of our wounded Officers for the sake of plunder. The American Squadron now sweeps the Lake While our ships lie snug at Anchor; 12 our present force is a ship mounting near sixty guns on two decks a frigate and two

6 sloops of War. 13 The Enemy have four ships superior to ours and two brigs. 14 We have a ship to mount 110 Guns 15 which will be launched on the 8th September and ready for sea very early in October, when it is the intention of the Americans to lay up their vessels and mount their Guns at Sacket's. They have nothing on the Stocks, no money, nor any harbours where they can build a large vessel. NOTES 1. Prevost to Liverpool, IS May 1812, Public Archives of Canada, Series Q. Vo.'. i 117, Pt. 2. Cf. General Order, 21 June 1814, William Wood, ed., Select British Documents of the Canadian War of 1812 (Toronto, ), III, Drummond to Prevost, 27 July 1814, ibid., C. P. Stacey, "An American Plan for a Canadian Campaign", American H i s torical Review, XLVI. January, On shortage of provisions, see eg. Drummond to Prevost, 18 Augusty 1814 Wood Documents, III Stacey, "The Ships of the British Squadron on Lake Ontario Canadian Historical Review:

7 XXXIV. December Draught of H.M.S. Psyche in National Maritime Museum. Greenwich. England. 6. Stacey "The Ships of the British Squadron". 7. On this operation, see documents in Wood. Ill, No further attack on Sackett s Harbour was attempted. 9. Drummond s return gives the total casualties as 878 with 84 killed (Wood, Documents, III, 156). 10.Certainly an understatement of the U.S. loss, even if the figure is intended to refer only to the killed. See E. Cruikshank, Documentary History of the Campaign on the Niagara Frontier in 1814 (Welland, n.d.), Michilimackinac was successfully re-supplied and was held. 12.This needs qualification. The main British squadron was blockaded in Kingston, but a detachment of smaller vessels under Capt. Alexander Dobbs was maintaining Drummond's communications with York. 13.Presumably H.M. Ships Prince Regent, Princess Charlotte, Montreal date Wolf e) and Niagara (late Royal George).

8 14.Presumably U.S. Ships Superior, Mohawk, General Pike, Madison, Jones and Jefferson. 15.H.M.S. St. Lawrence.

Sir Walter Raleigh ( )

Sir Walter Raleigh ( ) Sir Walter Raleigh (1552 1618) ANOTHER famous Englishman who lived in the days of Queen Elizabeth was Sir Walter Raleigh. He was a soldier and statesman, a poet and historian but the most interesting fact