Naval Battle of Plattsburgh Bay, 11 September 1814 ySeptemberof 1814 the W ar of 1812 had dragged on through three wea ry summers. The conques t of C anada, forecast as a "mere matter of marching," had turned out to be an ever-receding mirage. No t only had US forces suffe red many defeats, even the tactical victories had not been able to alter the strategic balance. W orse yet, that balance was tipping ever more heavily in England 's favo r, and the defeat of Napoleon h ad freed up m any regiments of battle-hardened veterans who could now be redeployed to Canada. The fiercest fighting of the war to date had occurred on the N iagara Peninsula in midsummer. American troops had invaded
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across the N iagara River for the third time. The Am ericans attacked Fort Erie on 3 July and the sm all garrison surrendered . The US Army had trained and drilled incessantly over the w inter, and it proved effective when the British were force d off the field at Chip pewa o n 5 July. Three weeks later at Lundy's Lane, the fighting raged into the night over possession of a gun battery. The Americans succeeded in takin g the guns after midnight, but could not m ove them with any success and had to abandon them at dawn . In August, the British attempted to retake Fort Erie. Another night of slaughter and horror left the Americans in possession of Fort Erie, which they kept into the fall, but abandoned in November when sober assessm ent revealed that it was un likely to withstand a winter siege. W hile the US effort on the N iagara Peninsula was being contained until it was exh austed , a British raid in the C h esap eake burned government buildings in Washington, forcing the US government to disperse and flee. The British then m oved on to m en ace Baltimore. Against this background of cascading fa ilures, the US was about to receive the heaviest blow yet. The governor of C anada, General George Prevost, was preparing to go on the offensive. The larges t British army yet 44'oN assembled in the war- 15,000 experienced fighters-was poised in Montreal to invade New York State down the Richelieu River-Lake C hampla in-La ke George-Hudson Rive r system . Leaving a reserve in Mo ntreal and detach ments to guard supply bases, t he frontline strike fo rce numbered fewe r than 10,000. Even so, it was still the most for midable force ye t deployed . These waters connecting New York C ity to Can ada h ad been much fou ght over in previous wars. O ne look at a m ap should have m ade it obvious where US defenses had to
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General George Prevost
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SEA HISTORY 148, AUTUMN 2014