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DELIGHTS|canadiana
Sir Isaac Brock, “saviour of Upper Canada”
Library and Archives Canada
Tecumseh, an ally of Brock’s
had established defensive measures long
before war was declared, and had wisely
made allies among the First Nations, including
Tecumseh. With only 1,600 regulars
available, Brock believed that the best
defence was a strong offence that would
incite the population, including the First
Nations. He acted boldly, handily taking
the American fort at Michilimackinac Island
in Lake Huron on July 17.
In August, against the counsel of his
advisers, Brock advanced on Major General
William Hull’s troops at Detroit,
preceded by Tecumseh and his warriors
who had established themselves in the forest
north of the town. Hull had no way of
knowing how many warriors there were,
but he feared them and thought there may
be thousands. There is no real evidence to
support the popular story that Tecumseh
marched his men three times through a
forest clearing to give the impression of a
larger force. British ships shelled the fort
with no real physical impact and Hull surrendered
to Brock without firing a shot.
It was a great victory, and one that many
considered the saving of Upper Canada.
At Queenston Heights, (Niagara-onthe-Lake),
although it resulted in another
British victory, Brock’s audacious decision
to launch a direct attack on the Americans
without waiting for reinforcement proved
rash. As he led his troops, he was shot in
the chest and died instantly. Contrary to
myth, Brock did not say “Push on brave
York Volunteers.”
Brock’s loss was devastating, but the
British did “push on” as the American
campaign of 1813 focused on cutting the
link between Upper and Lower Canada.
Rather than taking Kingston, the logical
choice, the Americans turned to York (Toronto),
a lesser prize, briefly occupying it
in May and burning the public buildings
as they left town. Setting a place ablaze
was sure to frustrate the enemy and both
sides used the tactic, partly as strategy but
largely as retaliation, as it turned out. The
retaliatory burning culminated in British
troops burning the White House in August
1814.
In May 1813, a large American army
captured Fort George (Niagara-on-the-
Lake) and in June the British won the
Battle of Stoney Creek. Shortly afterward,
the 49th Regiment, led by Lieutenant
James FitzGibbon, set up camp at Thorold
close to Beaver Dams, while First Nations
scouts watched for American troops led
by Lieutenant-Colonel Boerstler of the
14th Infantry.
In the middle of all of that was Laura
Secord, wife of Sergeant James Secord,
who had been wounded at Queenston
Heights. While she was nursing him back
to health in June 1813, with the village of
Queenston occupied by Americans, they
were forced to billet American officers
in their home. In some way, Laura heard
about the plans to attack the British at
Beaver Dams and, with James unable to
make the trek, she set out herself to warn
FitzGibbon. Along the way she was assisted
by a group of First Nations.
It was a dangerous journey, made even
more dramatic in the retelling; some of
the stories have her barefoot and leading
a cow, which she supposedly milked in
front of American sentries. Secord never
revealed how she learned of the attack
and it is uncertain if she reached FitzGibbon
ahead of his own Aboriginal scouts.
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FALL 2011 | OCT-NOV-DEC