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 British Defeat at Plattsburgh ( 2 pages )           1 2      A More Bellicose British Strategy                With peace reigning in Europe once again, it was possible in the summer of 1814 to send a large number of British soldiers to America.  In both Upper and Lower Canada, the army increased from approximately 15,000 regular officers and soldiers in May 1814 to some 28,000 by mid-August.  During the same period the garrison in the Maritime colonies increased from about 4,300 to 7,500 men.  As a consequence, the British adopted a much more bellicose strategy. Sir George Prevost assembled some 11,000 men in early September to take Plattsburgh and occupy northeastern New York State.  Most of the men belonged to regiments of the British army, but the Canadian Voltigeurs, the Canadian Chasseurs and four Select Embodied Militia battalions incorporated in Lower Canada were also among them.  On the American side, General Alexander Macomb had only 3,000 militiamen and soldiers to defend the small town.  On September 7 the Anglo-Canadian army arrived within view of Plattsburgh.  But instead of attacking, Prevost decided to wait until the British fleet arrived from Île-aux-Noix to neutralize the American fleet anchored in Plattsburgh Bay.  This was a major tactical error, giving the enemy time to dig; an immediate attack would have quickly broken down the town's wooden fortifications, and the fleet would have been forced to evacuate the bay to avoid being taken.  Prevost's inaction tied the fate of the land campaign to the outcome of a naval battle.           1 2   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices