Battle of York
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The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 on April 27, 1813, at York, Upper Canada, which was later to become Toronto, Ontario.
Background
At the start of the campaigning season of 1813, the American naval squadron on Lake Ontario was ready for action before their British counterparts. The commanders at Sackett's Harbor (General Henry Dearborn and Commodore Isaac Chauncey) had a chance to strike a decisive blow by attacking the main British base at Kingston, but they feared that Kingston's garrison numbered anything up to 8,000. (There were in fact only 600 regulars there).Dearborn and Chauncey decided to attack York instead. This was the Provincial capital of Upper Canada, but far less important as a military base.
The opposing forces
The Americans appeared off York late on April 26. Chauncey's squadron consisted of a corvette and a brig, together with twelve schooners. The embarked force under Dearborn and Brigadier Zebulon Pike numbered 1,800 (mainly from the 6th, 15th and 16th U.S. Infantry, and the 3rd U.S. Artillery fighting as infantry).York was defended by a fort a short distance west of the town, with the nearby "Government House Battery" mounting two 12-pounder guns. A mile west was the crude "Western Battery", with two obsolete 18-pounders.
Major General Roger Sheaffe, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, was present at York to transact public business. He had under command only four companies of regulars. The Militia was ordered to assemble, but only 300 of the 3rd York Regiment could be mustered at short notice. There were also about 100 Indians in the area.
The battle
Early on April 27, the first American wave of boats, with Major Benjamin Forsyth and some of the U.S. 1st Rifle Regiment, landed about four miles west of the town. Because Sheaffe could not know where the Americans would land, Forsyth's riflemen were opposed only by some of the Indians, who were outflanked and retreated into the woods after a stiff resistance. Sheaffe had ordered a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry to support the Indians, but they somehow missed their way in the outskirts of the town.As more Americans landed, the Grenadier company of the 8th (Kings) Regiment charged them with the bayonet, but they were already outnumbered and were repulsed with heavy loss. Pike now ordered an advance by platoons which steadily drove back the other two companies of redcoats (another company of the 8th, and one of the Royal Newfoundland).
The British tried to rally around the Western battery, but the battery's travelling magazine exploded, apparently as the result of an accident. This caused further loss and confusion among the British, and they fell back to a ravine north of the fort, where the militia were forming up. Meanwhile, Chauncey's schooners, most of which carried a long 24-pounder or 32-pounder cannon, were bombarding the fort and Government House battery. British return fire was ineffective.
At this point, Sheaffe decided that the battle was lost, and ordered the regulars to retreat. He instructed the militia to make the best terms they could with the Americans, but unknown to the militia officers or any official of the legislature, he also ordered a ship under construction in the dockyard (HMS Isaac Brock) to be set on fire, and the fort's magazine to be blown up.
When the magazine exploded, Pike and the leading American troops were only two hundred yards away. Pike was mortally injured by flying stones and debris. The explosion caused over 100 casualties on both sides.
The surrender
The militia now tried to arrange a capitulation, but the process took time. With Pike dying, negotiators had to ply between the shore and the corvette Madison, which Dearborn refused to leave. The Reverend John Strachan accused Dearborn to his face of delaying the capitulation to allow his troops licence to commit outrages. For their part, the Americans were angry over their losses, and that the ship and fort had apparently been destroyed after negotiations for surrender had begun.Eventually, the articles for surrender were signed early on April 28. The Americans took over the dockyard. They captured a brig, (the Duke of Gloucester), and twenty 24-pounder carronades and other stores intended for the British squadron on Lake Erie. The Brock was beyond salvage, and a larger ship, the Prince Regent, had sailed for Kingston a few days before the battle.
During April 29 and April 30, American troops carried out many acts of plunder. Some of them set fire to the Parliament buildings. (It was alleged that they had found a scalp there.) Others looted empty houses, on the pretext that their absent owners were militia who had not given their parole as required by the articles of capitulation. Dearborn deplored the worst of the atrocities in his letters, but he was nonetheless unable or unwilling to rein in his soldiers. Chauncey returned some looted property, including books from the public library.
Results
The Americans left York on May 2, in miserable weather. They required a period of rest at Fort Niagara before they could be ready for another action. Sheaffe's troops endured an equally miserable fourteen-day retreat overland to Kingston. Sheaffe was to lose his military and public offices in Upper Canada as the result of his defeat.The most significant effects of the capture of York were probably felt on Lake Erie, as the capture of ordnance and supplies destined for the British squadron there contributed eventually to their defeat in the Battle of Lake Erie.
The many acts of arson and looting committed by American troops at York were to become the pretext for the later Burning of Washington by the British.
Sources
- Morris Zaslow (ed), The Defended Border, Macmillan of Canada, 1964, ISBN 0770512429
- J. Mackay Hitsman, The incredible War of 1812, Robin Brass Studio, 1995, ISBN 1896941133
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