Battle of Châteauguay
| date | October 26, 1813 |
|---|---|
| place | at Châteauguay in Canada near Lake Champlain |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 1,630 British and Indians | 4,000 men |
| losses | |
|
4 dead |
50 dead |
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Theater of War St. Lawrence / Lake Champlain 1. Sacket's Harbor - 1. Lacolle Mills - Lake Ontario - Ogdensburg - New York - 2. Sacket's Harbor - Châteauguay - Chrysler's Farm - 2. Lacolle Mills - Fort Oswego - Big Sandy Creek - Plattsburgh
Niagara Theater of War
Queenston Heights - Frenchman's Creek - George - Stoney Creek - Beaver Dams - Black Rock - Fort Niagara - Buffalo - 1st Fort Erie - Chippewa - Lundy's Lane - 2nd Fort Erie - Cook's Mill
Detroit
Theater of War Tippecanoe - Fort Mackinac - Dearborn - Detroit - Fort Harrison - Fort Wayne - Wild Cat Creek - Mississinewa - Frenchtown - Fort Meigs - Fort Stephenson - Lake Erie - Thames River - Longwoods - Prarie du Chien - Rock Island Rapids - Mackinac Island - Malcom's Mills
Chesapeake
Theater of War Craney Island - St. Michaels - Chesapeake - Bladensburg - Washington - Caulk's Field - North Point - Baltimore
South Theater of War
Creek - 1. Fort Bowyer - Fayal - Pensacola - Lake Borgnes - New Orleans - Fort St. Philip - Fort Peter - 2. Fort Bowyer
The Battle of Châteauguay of October 26, 1813 between British-Canadian and American troops took place near Lake Champlain during the British-American War in Canada and ended in a British victory.
prehistory
In October 1813 the American Major General Wade Hampton advanced with an army of 4,000 men from Lake Champlain along the Châteauguay River towards the Saint Lawrence River . This venture was intended to support the major American advance under Major General James Wilkinson on Montréal .
course
Hamptons first goal was Spears ( Ormstown ) where his light infantry drove a Canadian guard. Almost all soldiers managed to escape, which made the British-Canadian defenders aware of the arrival of the Americans. On October 25, the Americans came across barricades and barricades made of freshly felled trees near Spears' farm , which were held by British-Canadian militia units (the so-called Canadian voltigeurs ) and Indians under Lieutenant Colonel Charles-Michel de Salaberry . With the help of these entrenchments the Canadians hoped to be able to hold out against the vastly superior US troops. Hampton shrank from a frontal attack on the Canadians as he greatly overestimated their numbers and considered de Salaberry's units to be doubly superior. In reality, however, the Americans were more than two times superior. So Hampton detached a contingent of 1,500 soldiers under Colonel Robert Purdy to fall through the forest on the other side of the river into the flank of the Canadians.
The next morning de Salaberry's scouts spotted the Americans. Lieutenant Colonel George McDonnell , who commanded the Canadian rearguard, sent two companies of selected militiamen to meet them. The Canadians encountered Purdy's vanguard as they were leaving a swampy area. After a brief exchange of fire, the Americans fled, but suffered further losses because their main force mistook them for the Canadians and took them under fire.
At 2:00 p.m., the main force of Hamptons attacked the Canadian positions. De Salaberry distributed some of his men in the forest and had them blow horns at the same time to deceive the Americans about the number of his troops. At the same time, Mohawk warriors hid in a nearby wooded area, faking the presence of a larger force with volleys of muskets and loud war cries. Since the Americans assumed the main power of the enemy there, they fired numerous volleys of muskets into the empty forest. The barricades (sharpened tree trunks and pieces of wood stuck into the ground) prevented anyone from getting through. By then, McDonnell's militiamen had found Purdy's department. The Americans fired a series of musket volleys at the Canadians, but in the twilight of the forest overlooked the fact that they were kneeling. While this kept the American fire ineffective, the Americans suffered considerable losses. Purdy then tried to flank McDonnell's men by pushing along the riverbank, but de Salaberry had anticipated such an attempt and set up a detachment across the river. When the US soldiers came out of the forest, they were greeted with a precise volley of muskets and hastily retreated into the forest. Following this setback, Hampton ordered a general retreat at about 4:00 p.m. The Canadians had only four dead and seven wounded, the Americans about 50 dead and an unknown number of wounded.
consequences
Like many battles in this war, the Battle of Châteauguay was insignificant given the troops involved and the losses, but important because of its far-reaching consequences. Due to the defeat, not only did Hampton's army withdraw, but Wilkinson, who also suffered a defeat in the battle at Chrysler's Farm , broke off his advance on Montréal. Due to fearful and incompetent leadership, the Americans at Châteauguay gave up another opportunity to make progress in conquering Canada. The British-Canadian troops had once again compensated for their large numerical inferiority with better morale , cunning, and excellent leadership. What is remarkable is the role played by the French-Canadian militiamen, with whom the Americans hoped to be sympathetic, or at least passive. They fought in this battle as resolutely as their Anglo-Canadian comrades in arms.
De Salaberry, who did excellently in this battle, later complained about Governor General Sir George Prevost and Major General Abraham Ludwig Karl von Wattenwyl , who never got near the battlefield but claimed most of the glory for themselves.
