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 CHAPTER 5 Demobilization A Time For Defence Cuts The American Threat The Great Fortifications Huge Expenses! The Great Lakes - Neutral Territory Annual Review of the Upper Canadian Militia The Militia of Lower Canada Demobilization of the French-Canadian Militia Political Confrontation and Secret Societies The 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion Saint-Denis and Saint-Charles Saint-Eustache The Horrors of War The Upper Canada Rebellion New Preparations Start of the 1838 Rebellions Napierville The Invasion of Upper Canada The Legacy of the Rebellions The Aroostook War Canadian Politics and British Withdrawal Reorganization of the Militia The 1855 Volunteers In the Maritimes 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 5 Demobilization           Start of the 1838 Rebellions ( 2 pages )           1 2      Ongoing Incidents on the Border                Throughout 1838 the insurgents kept both provinces on the alert.  On February 28 some 250 armed men led by Dr. Wolfred Nelson crossed the border at Week's House and proclaimed the independence of Lower Canada.  They then immediately returned to Vermont when the British troops and volunteers approached!  Back in the United States, they were disarmed by the American army.  At the beginning of March in Upper Canada the Patriots occupied Pelee Island near Windsor.  On March 3 a detachment of the 32nd and 83rd regiments, supported by loyal volunteers, attacked and scattered them after a brief and heated battle.  Eight Patriots were killed and the British lost six soldiers and a volunteer.  In May a small Canadian ship, the Sir Robert Peel, was taken and burned in the Thousand Islands.  In June between 40 and 70 Patriots, hidden in the Short Hills of the Niagara Peninsula, captured a detachment of a dozen Queen's Lancers.  But the alarm was sounded and a search by hundreds of militiamen sent them running. In Lower Canada, with the situation having calmed somewhat, Sir John Colborne demobilized many of the loyal volunteers in the early summer but kept open the option to recall them in the event of an emergency.  He could also count on reinforcements of regular troops from Great Britain and Gibraltar.           1 2   Last Updated: 2004-06-20 Important Notices