Tom Taylor: Canada Is Still Here, 200 Years Later

This year marks the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, a war that many consider Canada’s war of independence, not from Britain but from the United States. Historians often take the beginning of the war to be the Battle of Tippecanoe in November 1811, when General William Harrison and the U.S. Fourth Infantry burned Prophet’s Town to the ground. Tecumseh never forgave the Americans for destroying his home and consequently he fought beside the British to his death.

The United States declared war on Great Britain on June 18, 1812 under the guise of an injured party. The Royal Navy was seizing British deserters off American ships, impinging on newly won American sovereignty. And British orders in council prevented any country trading with France directly. All cargoes had to be approved by England before they could touch a French controlled port.

In North America, there had been talk of an Indian buffer state between the U.S. and the Canadas. Also, Canadian fur traders were too successful dealing with the natives in old northwest (now Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, and Illinois). Congressional “war hawks” knew they could solve a lot of problems by what was perceived to be an easy land grab to the north. Thomas Jefferson declared the acquisition of Canada “will be a mere matter of marching.”

And why wouldn’t he think that? There were eight million Americans against 500,000 northern British subjects, many of whom had just arrived from the United States. And to defend an area larger than Britain and France combined, there were 5,700 British regular officers and men. Of that number, only 1,150 were stationed in all of Upper Canada. Jefferson and the war hawks looked on us like low hanging fruit.

However, at the opening of the war, they hadn’t counted on the unique resistance of Major General Isaac Brock, the cunning of Tecumseh, the determination of Lt. Col. Charles de Salaberry, and the genuine desire of the Canadas to maintain a different way of life...