Engagements on Lake Ontario

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Engagements on Lake Ontario
Part of the War of 1812
Date 1812 - 1815
Location Lake Ontario
Result Indecisive
Combatants
Britain United States
Commanders
James Lucas Yeo Isaac Chauncey
Strength
1 first rate ship of the line
2 frigates
6 sloops and brigs
4 schooners and gunboats		 2 frigates
6 sloops and brigs
12 schooners and gunboats
Casualties
1 sloop destroyed
2 brigs destroyed
1 brig captured
5 schooners captured		 1 brig destroyed
2 schooners sunk
2 schooners captured
St. Lawrence/Lake Champlain frontier
1st Sackett's Harbor – 1st Lacolle Mills – Lake Ontario - Ogdensburg – York - Sackett's Harbor – Chateauguay – Crysler's Farm – 2nd Lacolle Mills – Fort Oswego – Big Sandy Creek - Plattsburgh

The Engagements on Lake Ontario encompass the prolonged naval contest for control of the lake during the War of 1812. Few actions were fought, none of which had decisive results, and the contest essentially became a naval building race.

Contents

[edit] Background

When war was first declared, the British had an early advantage on the Great Lakes in that they possessed a quasi-naval body, the Provincial Marine. Although not particularly well-manned or efficient, its ships were initially unopposed on Lake Erie and Lake Huron, and made possible the decisive early victories of Major General Isaac Brock. On Lake Ontario, the Americans possessed only brig, the Oneida under Lieutenant Melancthon Taylor Woolsey, and a small navy yard at Sackets Harbor, New York. On July 19, five vessels of the Provincial Marine attacked Oneida outside Sackets Harbor but were beaten off.

To redress matters, the United States Navy appointed Commodore Isaac Chauncey, then commanding the navy yard in New York, to command on the lakes on September 3, 1812. Although Chauncey was nominally in charge of the forces on Lake Erie, he took no part in its construction or operations but concentrated his attention on Lake Ontario. His first ships were hastily purchased or commandeered trading vessels, but he despatched large numbers of carpenters, shipwrights and so on to Sacket's Harbor to construct proper fighting ships. The chief architects were Adam Brown, his brother Noah and Henry Eckford. They launched the first ship, the corvette Madison, on November 26. The trees from which it was constructed had still been standing in September.

Chauncey hoisted his broad pendant on November 6 and pursued the British ship Royal George into Kingston, Ontario. He too was beaten off, partly by shore batteries and gunboats, and partly because a gun exploded aboard the schooner Pert. At this point winter closed in, immobilising the ships of both sides in port.

[edit] Operations in 1813

Chauncey had gained an advantage over the winter with a rapid building program. He and General Henry Dearborn had the opportunity to strike a blow before the British could catch up. An attack on Kingston would have been decisive, but Chauncey and Dearborn persuaded themselves that it was defended by 5,000 British regulars (there were in fact only 600). They instead attacked York, looting the town and burning the ship Isaac Brock, which was being built there. They captured the brig Duke of Gloucester and also several cannon which were destined for the British squadron on Lake Erie, (which contributed to the later American victory at the Battle of Lake Erie).

Chauncey and Dearborn then defeated the British army at the Battle of Fort George. At both York and Fort George, Chauncey's schooners and gunboats had proved very effective in supporting troops landing from boats. Dearborn and Chauncey had nevertheless left themselves vulnerable to a devastating counter-attack. While they were preoccupied at the western end of Lake Ontario, Commodore James Lucas Yeo had arrived in Kingston to take charge of the British squadron. Embarking troops under the British Commander-in-Chief in Canada, Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, he almost immediately attacked the American base at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor. Both Yeo and Prevost attacked cautiously and called off the attack when they met with stiff resistance. The Americans had prematurely set fire to the captured Duke of Gloucester and a ship under construction, the General Pike, but managed to put out the fire when the British withdrew. The Gloucester and large quantities of stores were destroyed, but the Pike was saved.

While Chauncey was in harbour awaiting the completion of the Pike, Yeo's squadron assisted in driving the American army on the Niagara peninsula back into Fort George, and captured or destroyed large quantities of stores.

Chauncey's full squadron put out on July 21. They encountered Yeo near Fort Niagara, but the two squadrons spent several days in cautious manoevres. Chauncey had an advantage in long guns and waited for calm conditions, while Yeo had the advantage in carronades and wanted to close in heavy weather. On August 8, two American schooners (the Hamilton and Scourge) capsized and sank in a sudden squall. On August 10, Chauncey was caught out by a shift in the wind, and two more American schooners, the Growler and Julia were captured.

Both squadrons withdrew to their bases for provision, and on August 28, they met again off the Genessee River at the western end of the lake. This time, the Pike's long guns came fully into action, partly demasting Yeo's flagship, the Wolfe. Yeo ran before the wind into Burlington Bay. Chauncey declined to follow over the sandbar at the entrance to the bay. He might have destroyed Yeo's squadron but feared that he himself would be trapped on a hostile lee shore and destroyed if the wind strengthened.

Nevertheless, Chauncey effectively controlled the lake. Over the next months, they captured five small British ships (including Growler and Julia) which were moving supplies or soldiers westward. Their control of the lake allowed the Americans to briefly capture York again, and move their troops from Fort George to Sacket's Harbour in preparation for their attack on Montreal late that year. Although Chauncey was supposed to blockade the British in Kingston and prevent them interfering, an effective blockade was difficult in the foul weather of late autumn, and amidst the many islets at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River. This allowed a British force to pursue the American army of James Wilkinson and defeat them at the Battle of Crysler's Farm.

[edit] Vessels on Lake Ontario in 1813

The following table should not be treated as an authentic list of fighting vessels. Both sides (especially the British) renamed, re-rigged and re-armed their ships several times during the war. Both sides also possessed several unarmed schooners or other small vessels for use as transports or tenders.

Nationality Name Type Tonnage Crew Armament Notes
United States USS General Pike sloop 875 300 28 long 24-pdr
" USS Madison corvette 593 200 28 32-pdr carronade
" USS Oneida brig 243 100 16 24-pdr carronade
" Hamilton schooner 112 50 1 long 32-pdr
1 long 24-pdr
8 long 6-pdr		 sunk in squall
" Scourge schooner 110 50 1 long 32-pdr
8 12-pdr carronade		 sunk in squall
" Conquest schooner 82 40 1 long 32-pdr
1 long 12-pdr
4 long 6-pdr
" Tompkins schooner 96 40 1 long 32-pdr
1 long 12-pdr
4 long 6-pdr
" Julia schooner 82 35 1 long 32-pdr
1 long 12-pdr		 captured & recaptured
" Growler schooner 81 35 1 long 32-pdr
1 long 12-pdr		 captured & recaptured
" Ontario schooner 53 35 1 long 32-pdr
1 long 12-pdr
" Fair American schooner 53 30 1 long 24-pdr
1 long 12-pdr
" Pert schooner 50 25 1 long 24-pdr
" Asp schooner 57 25 1 long 24-pdr
" Lady of the Lake schooner 89 15 1 long 9-pdr Said to be "very sharp"
Used as despatch vessel
Britain Wolfe sloop 637 220 1 long 24-pdr
8 long 18-pdr
4 68-pdr carronade
10 32-pdr carronade
" Royal George sloop 510 200 3 long 18-pdr
2 68-pdr carronade
16 32-pdr carronade
" Melville brig 279 100 2 long 18-pdr
12 32-pdr carronade
" Moira brig 262 100 2 long 9-pdr
12 24-pdr carronade
" Sydney Smith schooner 216 80 2 long 12-pdr
10 32-pdr carronade
" Beresford schooner 187 70 1 long 12-pdr
1 long 9-pdr
6 18-pdr carronade

[edit] Operations in 1814

Over the winter of 1813-14, Yeo had been feverishly building two frigates (the Prince Regent and HMS Princess Charlotte), and held the initial advantage. He began the year with the Raid on Fort Oswego, to cut the supply line to Sacket's Harbor. The raid was partially successful, and the schooner Growler changed hands for the third time.

A few weeks later, Lieutenant Woolsey tried to take several more boats loaded with cannon for Chauncey's new ships to Sacket's Harbor but was driven into a creek a few miles south of the base. Yeo sent a party of marines and sailors to "cut out" the American boats, but they were ambushed and wiped out at the Battle of Big Sandy Creek.

Shortly after this, Chauncey received his guns and put out in two even larger frigates (the Superior and Mohawk), and Yeo retired into Kingston. The pattern for the year was set; whichever flotilla had a fleeting disadvantage in ships or guns stayed in harbour until they had built something bigger.

The Americans temporarily controlled the lake and succeeded in destroying a 14-gun brig under construction at Presque Isle being before it could be launched, and also the British brig Magnet (whose crew ran her aground and set fire to her to prevent her capture). However, Chauncey concentrated on "blockading" Kingston and was criticised by General Jacob Brown and other army commanders for his failure to prevent the British reinforcing and maintaining their troops in the Niagara peninsula, which contributed to the indecisive result of the campaign there.

Eventually, Yeo put out in the three-decked ship of the line Saint Lawrence. This was the winning stroke; British construction over the winter of 1814-15 matched American attempts to regain the lead. (The Americans had earlier diverted some resources to Lake Champlain, which allowed them to win the decisive Battle of Plattsburgh.)

[edit] Vessels on Lake Ontario in 1814

This list is not absolutely accurate because of changes in some ships, and propagandists exaggerating or discounting ships' capabilities. Most of the American schooners (which had been alarmingly unstable with their heavy armament) had been disarmed and were now used as transports only. The British had re-rigged their schooners as brigs and renamed most of their ships since many of them belonging to the Provincial Marine had names which duplicated those of Royal Navy ships in commission at sea.

Nationality Name Type Tonnage Crew Armament Notes
United States USS Superior frigate 1,580 500 30 long 32-pdr
2 long 24-pdr
26 42-pdr carronade		 4 guns later removed
" USS Mohawk frigate 1,350 350 26 long 24-pdr
2 long 18-pdr
14 32-pdr carronade
" USS General Pike sloop 875 300 26 long 24-pdr
2 long 24-pdr chase guns
" USS Madison corvette 593 200 2 long 12-pdr
22 32-pdr carronade
" Jones brig 500 160 2 long 12-pdr
20 32-pdr carronade
" Jefferson brig 500 160 2 long 12-pdr
20 32-pdr carronade
" Sylph brig 300 100 2 long 12-pdr
14 24-pdr carronade
" Oneida brig 243 100 2 long 12-pdr
14 24-pdr carronade
Britain HMS St. Lawrence (1814) battleship 2,305 unknown 112 guns (mainly 32-pdr)
" HMS Prince Regent frigate 1,450 485 32 long 24-pdr
4 68-pdr carronade
22 32-pdr carronade
" HMS Princess Charlotte frigate 1,215 315 26 long 24-pdr
2 68-pdr carronade
14 32-pdr carronade
" Montreal sloop 637 220 7 long 24-pdr
18 long 18-pdr		 formerly Wolfe
" Niagara sloop 510 200 2 long 12-pdr
20 32-pdr carronade		 formerly Royal George
" Charwell brig 279 110 2 long 12-pdr
14 32-pdr carronade		 formerly Moira
" Star brig 262 110 2 long 12-pdr
14 32-pdr carronade		 formerly Melville
" Netly brig 216 100 2 long 12-pdr
14 24-pdr carronade		 formerly Beresford
" Magnet brig 187 80 2 long 12-pdr
12 24-pdr carronade		 formerly Sydney Smith
Destroyed

[edit] Ships under construction in 1815

Nationality Name Type Tonnage Crew Armament Notes
United States New Orleans battleship 2,805 unknown at least 100 guns
(mainly 42-pdr)		 not completed
" USS Chippawa frigate unknown unknown "44 guns" not completed
" USS Plattsburgh frigate 1,748 unknown "64 guns" not completed
Britain Wolfe (II) battleship 2,152 unknown unknown not completed
" Canada battleship 2,152 unknown unknown not completed
" HMS Psyche frigate 769 315 28 long 24-pdr
28 32-pdr carronade		 Frame constructed in Britain, 1814

[edit] Results

Because neither side had been prepared to risk everything in a decisive attack on the enemy fleet or naval base, the result of all the construction effort on Lake Ontario was an indecisive draw. The great demands for men and materials made by both squadrons adversely affected other parts of the war effort.

The Americans had been based at Sacket's Harbor, and this small town was unable to cope with the great numbers of soldiers, sailors and shipwrights there. There were many deaths from cold, exposure and inadequate rations during the winter months, and from disease during the summer. On the British side, the effort required to ship all the ordnance and naval stores up the Saint Lawrence prevented them from deploying decisive numbers of troops in Upper Canada. Prevost once reported paying £1,000 to transport one monstrous cable for the battleship Saint Lawrence to Kingston.

Both Yeo and Chauncey have been criticised by historians for their unwillingness to act decisively, and for the long and rambling excuses they made in their despatches for their setbacks. Chauncey has come in for more abuse than Yeo, since he twice had sufficient troops and warships available to attack Kingston but failed to seize the opportunity. At all other times, he acted as a brake on other operations, stating that his ships were required to blockade Kingston.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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