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           Objective: Montreal! ( 2 pages )           1 2      A Long-awaited Attack                In 1813 the Niagara Peninsula remained the theatre for several additional battles and skirmishes that alone could not seal the fate of the country.  In the fall, however, the danger worsened when the Americans sent not one but two armies to attack Montreal!  The operation was led by General James Wilkinson, a seasoned veteran who replaced Dearborn as commander-in-chief of the American army.  He would lead the main army of 8,800 men equipped with 38 field cannons and 20 siege cannons; they advanced on Montreal from the west along the St. Lawrence.  The second army, commanded by General Wade Hampton, consisted of 5,500 men and 10 field cannons.  This army came up the Châteauguay River to Montreal, where it joined the first.  The two armies were primarily regular troops, supported by volunteers. The menace was a major one: Montreal, the strategic key to Canada, did not have any fortifications.  Its old crumbling walls dated from the French regime and had been razed in 1810.  In any event, such fortifications would be unable to withstand a large, well-equipped siege artillery.  The enemy had to be stopped at the outposts.  Approximately 6,000 British and Canadians attempted to do just that to the south of the city from Laprairie to Île-aux-Noix.           1 2   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices