Battle of the Chateauguay
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The Battle of the Chateauguay was a battle of the War of 1812. On October 25, 1813, a force consisting of about 1,630 French Canadians and Mohawks repulsed a American force of about 4,000 attempting to invade Canada. [3]
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[edit] The American plan and movements
Late in 1813, United States Secretary of War John Armstrong devised a plan to capture Montreal, which would have led to the capture of all Upper Canada. Two divisions, one from Sackett's Harbor and the other from Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain would unite in front of the city.
The Americans on the Lake Champlain front were led by Major General Wade Hampton, who had taken command on July 4. Hampton had several misgivings about the plan. His own troops, encamped at Burlington, Vermont, were badly trained, and his junior officers themselves lacked training and experience. His forward base at Plattsburgh was difficult to supply, because British ships controlled Lake Champlain for most of the summer. (On June 3, two American sloops of war pursued British gunboats into the Sorel River and were trapped by more gunboats and artillery. The British took over the sloops and raided many settlements around Lake Champlain. The American commander Thomas MacDonough was unable to construct a flotilla to counter them until late August.)
Finally, Hampton, a wealthy southern plantation owner, despised James Wilkinson who was to lead the division from Sackett's Harbor. Hampton at first refused to cooperate with Wilkinson, but was eventually persuaded to take part in the joint expedition as Armstrong proposed to lead it personally.
On September 19, Hampton moved by water from Burlington to Plattsburgh, and made a reconnaissance in force towards Odelltown on the direct route north from Lake Champlain. He decided that the British forces were too strong in this sector, and marched west instead to Four Corners, on the Chateauguay River.
As Wilkinson's expedition was not ready, Hampton's force waited here until October 18. Hampton was concerned that the delay was depleting his supplies and giving the British time to muster forces against him. Hearing from Armstrong that Wilkinson's force was "almost" ready to set out, he began advancing down the Chateauguay River. A brigade of 1,400 New York militia refused to cross the frontier into Canada, leaving Hampton with two brigades of regulars, 200 mounted troops and 10 field guns.
[edit] Canadian counter-moves
The Swiss-born Major-General Louis de Watteville was appointed commander of the Montreal District only on September 17. In response to the rumours of an American advance, he ordered several units of militia to be called up. Already though, the commander of the outposts, Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Salaberry had been organising his defences. De Salaberry had many informants among the farmers in the area, and had accurate information about Hampton's size and movements, while Hampton had very poor intelligence about Salaberry's force.
In addition to his own corps, the Canadian Voltigeurs, de Salaberry had called in several units of the Select Embodied Militia and local militia units. Facing a clearing where the Chateauguay river made a sharp bend, de Salaberry ordered his leading troops to construct abatis, obstacles made of felled trees. Behind them he posted the light company of the Canadian Fencibles, two companies of the Voltigeurs, an elite militia company from Beauharnois and perhaps two dozen Mohawks. To guard a ford a mile behind the abatis he posted the light companies of the 2nd and 3rd battalions of Select Embodied Militia and another company of militia. In successive reserve positions stretching a mile and a half along the river were another three companies of the Voltigeurs, the 2nd Select Embodied Militia and another 150 Mohawks, all under Lieutenant Colonel George MacDonnell.[1]
De Salaberry had been so confident of victory that he had not informed his superiors of his actions. De Watteville rode forward and "approved" de Salaberry's dispositions, even as the fighting started.
[edit] The Battle
Hampton knew of the existence of the ford, and decided to send 1,000 men of one of his two brigades, under Colonel Robert Purdy, to cross to the south bank of the Chateauguay, circle round the British position and outflank them by capturing the ford, while 1,000 men of his other brigade under Brigadier General George Izard attacked them in front. Another 1,000 men were either sick or were left to guard the baggage and artillery.
After Purdy set off, Hampton received a letter from Armstrong, informing him that Armstrong himself was no longer to be in overall command of the combined American forces and Wilkinson was to be in charge; and that Hampton was to construct winter quarters for 10,000 men on the Saint Lawrence. The disgusted Hampton interpreted this second instruction to mean that there would be no attack on Montreal that year and the entire campaign was pointless. He would probably have retreated immediately, except that Purdy would then be left isolated.
Purdy's men spent a miserable night marching through swampy woods in pouring rain. As dawn broke on October 26, they encountered the detachment de Salaberry had left to guard the ford. Captain Daly, leading the light company of the 3rd Select Embodied Militia, launched an immediate attack against the Americans, while other Canadian troops engaged them from across the river.
Hearing the firing break out, Izard's force marched into the clearing and deployed. Legend has it that at this point, an American officer rode forward to demand the Canadians' surrender. As he had omitted to do so under a flag of truce, he was shot down by de Salaberry himself.
Izard's troops began steady, rolling volleys into the abatis and trees. These parade-ground tactics were almost entirely ineffective. The defenders replied with accurate individual fire, though surprisingly few Americans were hit. On the Canadian right, the light company of the Fencibles were outflanked and fell back, but either on de Salaberry's orders or on their own initiative, several companies from the reserve were already making their way forward. They did so with bugle calls, cheers and Indian war whoops. The unnerved Americans thought themselves outnumbered and fell back. Hampton did not order any guns to be brought forward to destroy the abatis. Once Purdy had extricated himself after another dismal night in the swamps, the Americans withdrew in good order. De Salaberry did not pursue.
Salaberry's initial casualty report gave five Canadians killed: but it was soon discovered that three of the "dead" men had been captured by the Americans.
The American losses were officially reported by the Adjutant-General as 23 killed, 33 wounded and 29 missing. Salaberry reported that sixteen American prisoners were taken. Six of these were severely wounded men who went to hospital, while the other ten were transported to prison in Quebec. The average ratio of dead men in relation to wounded men in American casualty returns for battles during the War of 1812 was 3.5 wounded per 1 killed. Since only about forty Americans seem to have been wounded, it seems unlikely that more than a dozen of the twenty-three men officially reported as killed were actually dead. The rest were probably deserters or stragglers who had not yet rejoined the army by the time the Adjutant-General's casualty report was made.
[edit] Aftermath
Hampton retreated to Four Corners, and held a council of war. This unanimously concluded that a renewed advance stood no chance of success. Furthermore, the roads were becoming impassable under the autumn rains, and Hampton's supplies would soon be exhausted. Hampton ordered a retreat to Plattsburgh, and sent a staff officer to Wilkinson, with a report of his situation.
Wilkinson's own force had reached a settlement named Hoags, just upstream from Ogdensburg, when they received this news. Wilkinson replied with orders to Hampton to advance to Cornwall on the Saint Lawrence River, bringing sufficient supplies for both his own and Wilkinson's division. Hampton was convinced that these orders were futile and impossible to comply with, and declined to follow them. Before his reply could reach Wilkinson, Wilkinson's force was defeated at Crysler's Farm on November 11. Wilkinson nevertheless used Hampton's refusal to move to Cornwall as pretext to abandon his own advance, and the projected attack on Montreal came to an inglorious end. Hampton had already submitted his resignation. He was not employed again in the field.
On the British side, the victorious troops at Chateauguay held their existing positions and endured much discomfort for several days before Indians reported that the Americans were retreating, and they could retire to more comfortable billets.
The hot-tempered de Salaberry was furious that both General de Watteville and the Governor General, Sir George Prevost, had arrived on the field just in time to submit their own dispatches claiming the victory for themselves. He considered resigning his commission, but was later officially thanked by the Assembly in Quebec.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Hitsman, The Incredible War of 1812, p185
- ^ John R. Elting, Amateurs to Arms, pp. 143-144
- ^ Parks Canada - Battle of the Châteauguay National Historic Site of Canada - Natural Wonders & Cultural Treasures - A chronology of the events surrounding the battle
[edit] Sources
- John R. Elting, Amateurs to Arms, Da Capo Press, New York, ISBN 0-306-80653-3
- Jon Latimer, 1812: War with America, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 2007, ISBN 0-67402-584-9
- J. Mackay Hitsman & Donald E. Graves, The Incredible War of 1812, Robin Brass Studio, Toronto, ISBN 1-896941-13-3
- Ernest Cruikshank, The Documentary History of Campaign upon the Niagara Frontier in the Year 1812, Reprint Edition, Arno Press Inc., 1971, ISBN 0-405-02838-5
