as a thank-you to my fellow “Living History” reenactors, with and against whom I’ve “fought” for so many years.
Finally, as a legacy for my grandsons, Anthony, Lawrence, and Daniel.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As I detailed in the first part of this series, no publication is realistically the work of a single individual, or the author in isolation, and this series is no exception. As such, I can only hope to assure all those who have given their support and encouragement that their efforts are deeply and gratefully appreciated by me, but page space forbids their individual mention. Therefore, I must restrict myself to naming and thanking but a few, whilst saluting the many.
To my wife, Diane, my social, book signings, and speaking appointments coordinator, marketing manager, chief accountant, and communications secretary. Thanks for putting up with all of this … Two down and only four to go! Until the next ones…
To my friend and fellow historian Pat Kavanagh…Once again, your generosity in providing me unrestricted access to your vast resource collection of American records, official documents, and personal letters on the war has brought forward a treasure trove of historical information. Without your aid and resources, this work could not have been created. I thank you, sir.
To my fellow author and staunch Canadian nationalist, Donald Graves… Your example of meticulous and comprehensive research, as well as your efforts to have the service and sacrifice of the Canadian regiments involved in the War of 1812 recognized, is a lesson and example that I can only hope to emulate in my modest works.
To the many dedicated staff members of the numerous museums, archives, and libraries that I visited to undertake the research for this work and who cheerfully assisted my searches to fruition… Your dedication and expertise is a National treasure that cannot be measured or underestimated.
Penultimately, I cannot fail to acknowledge the guidance and support provided by my editor Cheryl Hawley, my designer Jennifer Scott, as well as the whole creative team at Dundurn Press in turning this idea into a reality.
Finally, to Karen, my friend and guide, whose combination of fierce editorial and literary criticism, backed by an equally dedicated and unequivocal support of the value of my writings, helped to create the work that is now evolving in these pages…You may not have lived to see this work completed, but your spirit and love of our history and heritage lives on within it.
Thank You!
Richard Feltoe
PREFACE
VARIATIONS
As more fully outlined in the introduction to the first part of this series, the historic material included here includes variations in spelling, jargon, and place name changes that have occurred over time. As a result, the following standards have been applied.
Where variations on spelling in quotes are found, the material has been repeatedly checked to ensure its accuracy and is presented just as it was found in the original documents and without the term [sic].
While generally recognized military terms are presented as is, some of the more archaic or jargon-type words are either followed by a modern equivalent word or referenced in a separate glossary of terms. In a similar manner, maintaining the differential identification of military units from the two principal combatant nations, (when both used a system of numbers to designate their regiments) has been achieved by showing British Regimental numbers as numerals (41st Regiment, 89th Regiment, etc.) and where required with their subsidiary titles (1st (Royal Scots) Regiment, 8th (King’s) Regiment), whilst the American Regiments are expressed as words (First Regiment, Twenty-Fifth Regiment, etc.).
Where place names appear with a number of variants (e.g., Sackett’s Harbour, Sacket’s Harbour, Sakets Harbor, or Sacket’s Harbor) I have adopted a single format for each case, based upon a judgment of what I felt was the predominant version used at the time. Where names have changed entirely, or would cause needless confusion (Newark becoming Niagara and currently Niagara-on-the-Lake), I have generally gone with what would clarify the location and simplify identification overall or included a reference to the modern name (Crossroads becoming Virgil).
Finally, in including images where there is both a period and modern image combined for a then-and-now effect, I have tried, as far as possible, to obtain the same relative perspective — subject to the limitations imposed where the physical landscape and property ownership make it possible to do so.
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
On June 18, 1812, United States President James Madison signed a declaration of war against Great Britain. Ostensibly, this war was to redress America’s long-standing grievances over Atlantic maritime trading rights and offences against U.S. citizens being “press ganged” into the Royal Navy. However, it also had the underlying goal of eliminating the presence and influence of Great Britain on the North American continent — a situation promoted by a group of militant U.S. nationalists (“War Hawks”), pressing an expansionist cause that in later decades would be referred to as manifest destiny. Publicly, this war was promoted as simply requiring U.S. troops to march into the welcoming heart of Britain’s Canadian colonies and evict the veteran colonial power without significant difficulty or complications before the end of the year. However, once it began, the reality of the war in 1812 to conquer Canada turned out to be something else entirely, and a nasty surprise to boot — one where the Americans lost every major engagement in which they fought.
This earlier part of the story is recounted in the first book in this six-part series, The Call to Arms. This work, The Pendulum of War, takes up that story in order to trace the course of the war into the first six months of 1813 on the “Northern” frontier. For those who have not read the first work, the following timeline should provide a background to the events that are documented here.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
November 4, 1811: [Washington] In U.S. congressional elections, anti-British War Hawk representatives dominate the new electoral body of Congress.
December 6, 1811: [Washington] U.S. War Hawk Peter B. Porter, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, reports to the Senate, advocating his committee’s position of declaring war against Great Britain by way of invading and occupying its Canadian colonies.
June 17/18, 1812: [Washington] The U.S. Senate passes the vote to declare war on Great Britain. President Madison signs the declaration of war.
July 1–2, 1812: [Detroit frontier] News of the U.S. declaration of war reaches Fort Amherstburg (Malden) at Amherstburg (Upper Canada) before it is received by the U.S. forces on the other side of the Detroit River. This allows British forces to surprise, intercept, and capture the U.S. vessel Cuyahoga, finding on board the entire military papers of Brigadier General William Hull and revealing vital intelligence of U.S. plans and dispositions for the Detroit frontier.
July 12, 1812: [Detroit frontier] Despite the loss of his papers, Brigadier General Hull launches an invasion of Upper Canada at Sandwich (Windsor). Hull then issues a proclamation of “liberation” to the residents of Upper Canada.
July 15–17, 1812: [Upper Canada] News of the declaration of war reaches
