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In 1813, Laura Secord,
pioneer wife and mother
of five children, made a
dangerous 19-mile
(30-km) journey on foot
to warn Lieutenant James
FitzGibbon of a planned
American attack. Her
bravery contributed to
victory at the Battle of
Beaver Dams. She is
recognized as a heroine to
this day
The Duke of Wellington
sent some of his best
soldiers to defend
Canada in 1814. He then
chose Bytown (Ottawa)
as the endpoint of the
Rideau Canal, part
of a network of forts
to prevent the U.S.A.
from invading Canada
again. Wellington, who
defeated Napoleon in
1815, therefore played
a direct role in founding
the national capital
By 1814, the American attempt to conquer Canada had failed. The British paid for a costly Canadian
defence system, including the Citadels at Halifax and Québec City, the naval drydock at Halifax and
Fort Henry at Kingston—today popular historic sites. The present-day Canada-U.S.A. border is partly an
outcome of the War of 1812, which ensured that Canada would remain independent of the United States.
The War of 1812: The Fight for Canada
After the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte’s fleet in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), the Royal Navy ruled the
waves. The British Empire, which included Canada, fought to resist Bonaparte’s bid to dominate Europe.
This led to American resentment at British interference with their shipping. Believing it would be easy to
conquer Canada, the United States launched an invasion in June 1812. The Americans were mistaken.
Canadian volunteers and First Nations, including Shawnee led by Chief Tecumseh, supported British
soldiers in Canada’s defence. In July, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock captured Detroit but was killed while
defending against an American attack at Queenston Heights, near Niagara Falls, a battle the Americans
lost. In 1813, Lieutenant-Colonel Charles de Salaberry and 460 soldiers, mostly French
Canadiens
,
turned back 4,000 American invaders at Châteauguay, south of Montreal. In 1813 the Americans
burned Government House and the Parliament Buildings in York (now Toronto). In retaliation in 1814,
Major-General Robert Ross led an expedition from Nova Scotia that burned down the White House and
other public buildings in Washington, D.C. Ross died in battle soon afterwards and was buried in Halifax
with full military honours.
(From Left to Right)
HMS
Shannon
, a Royal
Navy frigate, leads
the captured USS
Chesapeake
into Halifax
harbour, 1813. There
were also naval battles
on the Great Lakes
Major-General Sir
Isaac Brock and Chief
Tecumseh. Together,
British troops, First
Nations and Canadian
volunteers defeated an
American invasion in
1812–14
French-Canadian
militiamen helped
defend Canada in the
War of 1812
Rebellions of 1837–38
In the 1830s, reformers in Upper and Lower
Canada believed that progress toward full
democracy was too slow. Some believed Canada
should adopt American republican values or
even try to join the United States. When armed
rebellions occurred in 1837–38 in the area
outside Montreal and in Toronto, the rebels did
not have enough public support to succeed. They
were defeated by British troops and Canadian
volunteers. A number of rebels were hanged or
exiled; some exiles later returned to Canada.
Lord Durham, an English reformer sent to report
on the rebellions, recommended that Upper and
Lower Canada be merged and given
responsible
government.
This meant that the ministers of
17
Discover Canada