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 Battle for the Northwest ( 1 page )                     The American 1814 invasion plan called for them to take Fort Mackinac.  But the British proved to be more aggressive and they took the small post at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, on the Mississippi.  The Americans surrendered on July 17 without fighting.  During this time, a corps of approximately 700 American regular soldiers and militiamen, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel George Croghan, reached the vicinity of Mackinac Island.  After razing the small undefended post of Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario), they decided to attack Fort Mackinac.  Croghan disembarked his troops, but Lieutenant-Colonel Robert McDouall did not wait for him in the fort itself, and he had hidden his garrison in the woods surrounding a clearing.  The Americans entered confidently and McDouall's men opened fire on these easy targets, killing 15 and wounding 51.  The Americans re-embarked the next day for Detroit, leaving two gunboats behind, the Scorpion and the Tigress, to prevent the garrison from receiving supplies.  On the return trip the rest of the American flotilla destroyed the only British ship on Lake Huron, the schooner Nancy.  Its commander, Lieutenant Miller Worsley, nevertheless managed to escape with his sailors and reach Fort Mackinac.  In early September, with the help of the latter and the soldiers of the Michigan Fencibles, Worsley captured the Scorpion and the Tigress, thereby giving the British some naval strength on Lake Huron.        Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices