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 War at Sea ( 4 pages )           1 2 3 4      Frigate Engagements                HMS Shannon and USS Chesapeake entering Halifax harbour, 1813. (Click image to enlarge) The War of 1812 took place not only on land and within the Great Lakes, but on the sea as well.  Unlike its army, the modest American navy had excellent officers and extremely well trained sailors.  At the beginning of the hostilities, the Royal Navy was defeated on several occasions in single combat between frigates, to the great surprise of the British.  They recovered, however, and on June 1, 1813, the frigate HMS Shannon captured the American frigate USS Chesapeake.  The honour of the Royal Navy had been upheld. These battles between frigates - which the Americans to this day describe as great naval battles - were nothing more than single engagements with no real effect on the outcome of the war.  The security of the Maritime colonies and the Gulf of St. Lawrence was never really compromised, because the Americans did not have vessels that could take on the British fleet in the North Atlantic anchored at Halifax, with secondary bases at St. John's, Newfoundland, and the Bermuda islands.           Additional Images           Click image to enlarge      1 2 3 4   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices