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           American Fiascos ( 3 pages )           1 2 3      Britain Captures Fort Mackinac                Soldier, 10th Royal Veteran Battalion, circa 1812. (Click image to enlarge) While Hull hesitated, news of the war reached the commander of Fort St. Joseph, Captain Charles Roberts, who immediately decided to attack the American fort at Mackinac Island.  On July 17, leading 45 soldiers of the 10th Royal Veterans Battalion, some 180 voyageurs and fur traders and approximately 400 Amerindians, he reached the fort.  The surprise attack fooled everyone.  Captain Porter Hanks and the 61 soldiers of the 1St American Artillery Regiment, which was the garrison, did not even know that war had been declared.  With only muscle power, the Canadians managed to install a cannon on a neighbouring hillside.  Roberts then asked Hanks to surrender, which he immediately did.  From that point on, the British controlled the fur route all the way to lakes Michigan and Superior.  This victory earned them prestige in the eyes of the Amerindians, who had been indecisive up to that time.  Also, they were able, without firing a single shot, to take an essential strategic point.  Immediately afterwards, the Americans were forced to abandon Fort Dearborn (present-day Chicago).           Additional Images           Click image to enlarge      1 2 3   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices