The Last Time The US Tried To Take Over Canada, It Went Horribly Wrong

In June 1812, the United States declared war on Great Britain – the first time the nation had ever formally declared war on any nation. The following month, General William Hull crossed the Detroit River into Upper Canada and seized the city of Sandwich.

He proclaimed on July 12, 1812, that the army he led “has invaded your country and the Standard of the Union now waves over the Territory of Canada.” Hull made it clear that,

To the peaceable unoffending inhabitant, it brings neither danger nor difficulty. I come to find enemies, not to make them. I come to protect, not to injure you…. The United States offer you peace, liberty and security. Your choice lies between these and war, slavery, and destruction. Choose then, but choose wisely; and may he who knows the justice of our cause; and who holds in his hand the fate of nations, guide you to a result the most compatible with your rights and interest, you peace and prosperity.

Hull believed that being a citizen of the US was preferable to serving the British and that the invasion would quell any attempts by Indigenous groups to contest him.

In response to Hull’s statement, however, British General Isaac Brock proclaimed support from Great Britain and reminded Canadians of their oaths to the monarchy. He also promised to protect Indigenous groups and their land.

General William Hull quickly found that residents of Canada did not have an affinity for the US cause and that his forces were ill-prepared to handle their opposition. Hull’s notion that Canadians would welcome Americans wasn’t just wrong; it also antagonized them. In his proclamation, he’d also said that, if “savages… [are] let loose to murder our citizens and butcher our women and children, this war, will be a war of extermination.”

In short, fighting alongside Indigenous peoples would result in death. And, since the British would necessarily engage Native groups in the conflict, there was no incentive to desert.

In addition to scaring Canadians and essentially bolstering their resolve to drive the Americans out, Hull and his men did not have sufficient weapons or men to fight back when the enemy made their attacks. Hull had to retreat back across the Detroit RIver on in early August after he received word from Porter Hanks, a Lieutenant stationed at Fort Michilimackinac (later Fort Mackinac) that he had surrendered to the British several days earlier. Additional news that American forces ordered to escort a supply train as it headed to Detroit were ambushed added to the bad news.

Hull took refuge at the Fort Detroit once back on US soil and, within days, Brock sent a message:

The force at my disposal authorizes me to require of you the immediate surrender of Fort Detroit. It is far from my inclination to join in a war of extermination… but you must be aware, that the numerous body of Indians who have attached themselves to my troops, will be beyond my control the moment the contest commences.

Brock was using Hull’s own words against him and playing on the General’s fear of Indigenous fighters. Hull resisted surrendering for a time, but handed over Fort Detroit to the British on August 16, 1812.

General Isaac Brock moved east toward the border between New York and Canada after he received word that American forces at Fort Niagara were gathering for another attempted invasion. General Stephen Van Rensselaer led as many as 6,000 men at his disposal and ordered his troops to advance at Queenston on October 13, 1812.

Van Rensselaer and been fairly indecisive in planning his attack but didn’t know that the British had likely figured out what he intended to do. When British forces tried to facilitate a prisoner exchange on October 12, they were told it wouldn’t happen until the “day after tomorrow.” From that, it became clear that something was in the works for October 13.

American forces had little success from the outset. Several boats that set out across the Niagara River before sunrise didn’t make it across and those who did suffered high casualties. The US troops that landed at Queenston pushed forward, however, and moved up the bluff to try to take the high ground.

The British counter-assault was resisted and Brock was killed, but the Americans were about to experience another challenge. When members of the New York militia refused to fight for General Winfield Scott because they feared the presence of Indigenous warriors, Scott and the rest of his men were left without support. Their only option at that point was to surrender.

After the Battle of Queenton Heights, the United States took part in other small exchanges in the region, none of which provided any real advantage. The Battle of York in April 1813 was a small victory for the US when Fort York was taken and the British were pushed out of the then-capitol of Upper Canada. US forces stayed for less than a week, looting and destroying much of the town, as described by Ely Playter, the tavern keeper in York:

The appearance of the Town [York] & garrison were dismal. The latter shattered and rent by the balls & the explosion of the magazine. Not a building but show some marks of it & some all torn to pieces. The Town thronged with the Yankees, many busy getting off the public stores. The Council office with every window broke & pillaged of everything that it contained. The Government building, the Block House and the building adjacent all burned to ashes.

Even after all of that, the US troops returned in July 1813 and eliminated the remaining structures.

The US held areas around Fort George in 1813 before abandoning them and made several unsuccessful attempts to capture Montreal that same year.  When American forces tried once again to make inroads in 1814, they were never able to pacify the area enough to maintain a presence at strongholds like Fort Erie. In fact, on November 5, 1814, the US left Fort Erie for the last time, blowing it up as they withdrew. This ended American efforts to conquer Canada.