Français  Contact Us  Help  Search  Canada Site Volume 1 (1000–1754) Volume 2 (1755-1871) Volume 3 (1872–2000) CHAPTER 1 The Conquest CHAPTER 2 The Revolt of Pontiac and the American Invasion CHAPTER 3 The Coveted Pacific Coast CHAPTER 4 The Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812 A Relatively Peaceful Decade The Militias of the New Provinces The French Revolution Canada at War with France Tensions with the United States The Royal Canadian Volunteers Newfoundland Threatened The 1802 Peace The Battle of Trafalgar New Tensions in America Mobilization in Lower Canada The British and Canadian Forces The War of 1812 Canada's Defence Strategy American Fiascos New Invasions in the West The Americans Attack Upper Canada Laura Secord and Beaver Dams Objective: Montreal! The Battle of Chateauguay The Battle of Crysler's Farm The British Take Fort Niagara The 1814 Invasion of Canada The Battle for the Northwest The Race to Build Ships The British Defeat at Plattsburgh The War at Sea The Legacy of the War of 1812 CHAPTER 5 Demobilization CHAPTER 6 The Royal Navy, Ruler of the Seas CHAPTER 7 A Decade of Turbulence APPENDIX A The British Armed Forces APPENDIX B Daily Life of Soldiers and Officers APPENDIX C Uniforms and Arms APPENDIX D Reference      CHAPTER 4 The Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812           The Royal Canadian Volunteers ( 2 pages )           1 2      A Canadian Regular Regiment                Soldier’s shoulder belt-plate of the Royal Canadian Volunteers, 1795-1802 (Click image to enlarge) To guard against tensions with the United States, the British decided to raise in Canada a regiment of two battalions to serve only in North America.  Recruited in 1794-95, this was the Royal Canadian Volunteers, which is the name that appears on the flags and insignia, although in French they are called the Volontaires royaux canadiens.  The complement authorized for each battalion was 750 officers and soldiers, divided into 10 companies.  Pay and allowances were identical to those of the metropolitan army.  Officers' commissions were granted only to gentlemen living in Lower and Upper Canada.  In addition, seasoned officers were chosen to command each battalion.  For example, the commander of the first, Francophone, battalion was Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph-Dominique-Emmanuel Le Moyne de Longueuil, who had begun his military career as an officer in the Compagnies franches de la Marine in 1750 and who had been in many battles during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence.  The commander of the second, Anglophone, battalion was Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonell, an officer of Scottish descent who had emigrated to Upper Canada; he was a veteran of Butler's Rangers, a friend of the Iroquois and chief of the Scottish Macdonell Clan. 58           1 2   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices