First battle at Lacolle Mills

First battle at Lacolle Mills

Part of: British-American War

Blockhouse of the Lacolle Mills

date	November 27, 1812
place	At a mill not far from Lacolle , Canada
output	British victory

Parties to the conflict
United Kingdom	United States
Commander
Charles-Michel de Salaberry	Henry Dearborn
Troop strength
530 men	600 men
losses
no	5 dead and 5 wounded

During the British-American War of 1812 there was a battle between British - Canadian and American troops on November 27, 1812 near the Canadian city of Lacolle ( Québec ), south of Montréal , at the focal point of which the nearby Lacolle Mills ) was standing. It ended with a British victory, largely due to an error by the American commanders who fought each other during the battle.

prehistory

In 1778 a sawmill was built near Lacolle, which was used to supply the wood required for the construction of fortifications in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Fort Chambly . Later, under the direction of Major William Twiss, a blockhouse was built that had already designed the defenses at Coteau-du-Lac.

After American attempts to invade Canada over the Niagara River, failed due to the defeat in the Battle of Queenston Heights , US Major General Henry Dearborn decided to launch a direct attack on Montréal. The Americans hoped to interrupt the British supply lines to Lake Ontario and Lake Erie . However, preparations were very slow, partly because the recruitment of war volunteers in New England was facing great difficulties - most New Englanders were against the war and had no interest in attacking their neighbors and trading partners across the border. Most of the 6,000 militiamen Dearborn eventually concentrated in Albany were from other states.

President James Madison , who in the face of previous military debacles needed a victory to calm public opinion, lost patience and put massive pressure on the reluctant general to finally begin the invasion regardless of the weather or other obstacles. The refusal of militias from Vermont and New York to cross the Canadian border was characteristic of the morale of the US troops .

Course of the battle

Dearborn finally moved a large part of his army to Plattsburgh and crossed the border on November 27, 1812 south of Montréal near the city of Lacolle. At the Lacolle mill ( Lacolle Mills ) 300 French-Canadian militiamen ( Canadian Voltigeurs ) and 230 warriors of the Kahnawake - Mohawk under Colonel Charles-Michel de Salaberry , who finally withdrew after tough resistance in the face of American superiority. The Americans occupied the mill and prepared another advance the next day.

During the night another American unit under Zebulon Pike attacked the mill, who apparently had not been informed that it was in American hands. Expecting a British counterattack, the mill's defenders opened fire. There was a fight lasting several hours. It was only at dawn that the Americans noticed their mistake.

Shortly after the battle, French-Canadian troops under the command of de Salaberry arrived at the mill. They began with a counterattack that moved the shaken American troops to retreat across the border. The onset of winter prevented another attack on Montréal.

Faced with this fiasco, General Dearborn offered to resign, which Madison accepted in the spring of 1813 .

literature

• Gilbert Collins: Guidebook to the Historic Sites of the War of 1812. Dundurn Press Ltd., Toronto et al. 2006, ISBN 1-55002-626-7 .

Web links

• My War of 1812: Battle of Lacolle Mills (English)