The Amphibious Raids on York and Fort George—Lake Ontario, 1813
T
by William S. Dudley, PhD, illustrated by Peter Rindlisbacher
he United States declared war on Great Britain in June 1812, during which time Britain’s army and navy were engaged in a war against Napoleonic France and its allies. At the outset, the US Army attempted a threepronged invasion of Canada: in Upper Ontario at Detroit, via the Niagara Peninsula, and in Lower Ontario south of Montreal. Each of these invasions was blocked and repelled by British forces. From a lack of foresight, no substantial American naval elements existed to assist the military on the Great Lakes during this first campaign season of the war. On the Atlantic, the story was far different. A small but effective US Navy not only existed but showed its competence in a series of frigate
victories, from August into the early months of 1813. The new year would bring novel developments in the war on the northern lakes. The first American inland naval operations of 1813 took place at the western end of Lake Ontario. Commodore Isaac Chauncey and his military counterpart, General Henry Dearborn, agreed to lead amphibious expeditions against British military fortifications at York and Fort George. The only previous example, which had occurred 37 years prior, was the Continental Navy’s expedition to New Providence in the Bahamas in March 1776. In that operation, 200 Continental Marines landed without opposition and removed as much gunpowder and ammunition
as their squadron could carry and sailed back to New London.1 While appearing similar, this was not a fair model for the 1813 expeditions, as it was of a distant time and in a completely different context. In early 1813, President Madison’s cabinet discussed its plans for the coming campaign season. Secretary of War John Armstrong and Secretary of State James Monroe argued for the attacks on Kingston to destroy its naval base.2 After cutting communications with Quebec and Montreal, the Americans would attack York, Fort George, Fort Erie, Fort Malden, and then Kingston. This optimistic strategy envisioned that all of Upper Canada would fall, virtually ending the war; however, for such
Kingston
THE LILLY LIBRARY WAR OF 1812 MAP COLLECTION, INDIANA UNIVERSITY
Sackets Harbor
York
Fort George
The Great Lakes were hotly contested at the outset of the War of 1812. Action on Lake Ontario, from one end to the other, required collaboration and cooperation between the Army and the Navy. Base map by Samuel Lewis, 1812.
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SEA HISTORY 185 | WINTER 2023–24