proudly presents:

The Battle of Crysler’s Farm,November 11th, 1813

A War of 1812 Battle

Photographed & written by: Fergus Ducharme, assisted by: Roselyn J. Parrenas

She Who Must be Obeyed # 1(my wife Roselyn Parrenas)

At the outset I want to sincerely thank my companion on this trip who was:

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© historicphilippines.com 2014, All Rights Reserved

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© historicphilippines.com 2014, All Rights Reserved

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British Foot Soldiers

United States Forces

Battle of Crysler's Farm. Part of War of 1812. 11 November 1813

Location: Near Cornwall, Ontario Result: British victory

Belligerents:

United Kingdom & United Kingdom Canadian Provinces

Commanders and leaders:

William Mulcaster & Joseph Wanton Morrison

900 regulars and militia

31 killed, 148 wounded, 13 missing

United States

Commanders and leaders:

James Wilkinson & John Parker Boyd

8,000 regulars (2500 - 4000 engaged)

102 killed, 237 wounded, 120 captured

The Battle of Crysler's Farm, also known as the Battle of Crysler's Field, was fought on

11 November 1813, during the Anglo-American War of 1812.

A British and Canadian force won a victory over an American force which greatly

outnumbered them.

The American defeat prompted them to abandon the St. Lawrence Campaign, their

major strategic effort in the autumn of 1813.

The battle arose from an American campaign which was intended to capture Montreal.

The resulting military actions, including the Battle of the Chateauguay, the Battle of

Crysler's Field and a number of skirmishes, are collectively known as the Saint

Lawrence Campaign.

The American plan was devised by United States Secretary of War John Armstrong, Jr.,

who originally intended taking the field himself. Because it was difficult to concentrate

the necessary force in one place due to the initially scattered disposition of the troops

and inadequate lines of communication, it involved two forces which would combine for

the final assault.

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Major General James Wilkinson's division of 8,000 would concentrate at Sackett's

Harbor on Lake Ontario, and proceed down the Saint Lawrence River in gunboats,

batteaux and other small craft.

At some point, they would rendezvous with another division of 4,000 under Major

General Wade Hampton advancing north from Plattsburgh on Lake Champlain, to make

the final attack on Montreal.

Even as preparations proceeded, it was apparent that the plan had several

shortcomings. Until the last minute, it was uncertain that Montreal was to be the

objective, as Armstrong originally intended to attack Kingston, where the British naval

squadron on Lake Ontario was based.

However, Commodore Isaac Chauncey, commanding the American naval squadron on

the lake, refused to risk his ships in any attack against Kingston. There was mistrust

between the Army officers concerned; Wilkinson had an unsavoury reputation as a

scoundrel, and Hampton originally refused to serve in any capacity in the same army as

Wilkinson.

The troops lacked training and uniforms, sickness was rife and there were too few

experienced officers. Chiefly though, it appeared that neither force could carry sufficient

supplies to sustain itself before Montreal, making a siege or any prolonged blockade

impossible.

American preliminary moves.

Hampton began his part of the campaign on 19 September with an advance down the

River Richelieu, which flows north from Lake Champlain. He decided that the defences

on this obvious route were too strong and instead shifted westward to Four Corners, on

the Chateauguay River near the frontier with Canada. He was forced to wait there for

several weeks as Wilkinson's force was not ready, which cost him some of his initial

advantage in numbers as Canadian troops were moved to the Chateauguay, and

reduced his supplies.

Armstrong had intended that Wilkinson's force would set out on 15 September. On 2

September, Wilkinson himself had gone to Fort George, which the Americans had

captured in May, to arrange the movement of Brigadier General John Parker Boyd's

division from Fort George to rendezvous with the troops from Sacket's Harbor. Possibly

because he was ill, he delayed around Fort George for nearly a month. He returned to

Sacket's Harbor, and Boyd's division began its movement, only in the first week in

October.

The poor prospects for success (and possibly his own illness) led Armstrong to abandon

his intention of leading the final assault himself. He handed overall command of the

expedition to Wilkinson and departed Sacket's Harbor on his way to Washington on 16

October,

just before Wilkinson's part of the campaign was at last launched. Armstrong's letter to

Hampton, notifying him of the change in command and also throwing much of the

burden of supplying the combined force onto him, arrived the evening before Hampton's

army fought the Battle of the Chateauguay. Although Hampton nevertheless attacked, as

part of his force was already committed to an outflanking move, he immediately sent his

resignation, and fell back when his first attack was repulsed.

Wilkinson's moves:

Wilkinson's force left Sackett's Harbor on 17 October, bound at first for Grenadier Island

at the head of the St. Lawrence. Mid-October was very late in the year for serious

campaigning in the Canadas and the American force was hampered by bad weather,

losing several boats and suffering from sickness and exposure. It took several days for

the last stragglers to reach Grenadier Island.

On 1 November, the first boats set out from the island, and reached French Creek (near

present-day Clayton, New York) on 4 November. Here, the first shots of the campaign

were fired. British brigs and gunboats under Commander William Mulcaster had left

Kingston to rendezvous with and escort batteaux and canoes carrying supplies up the

Saint Lawrence. The aggressive Mulcaster bombarded the American anchorages and

encampments during the evening.

The next morning, American artillerymen under Lieutenant Colonel Moses Porter drove

him away, using hastily-heated "hot shot". (The red-hot American cannonballs set fire to

the brig Earl of Moira, and the crew intentionally scuttled the brig to extinguish the fire.

The brig was later salvaged and returned to service.)

From French Creek, Wilkinson proceeded down the river. On 6 November, while at the

settlement of Hoags, he received the news that Hampton had been repulsed at the

Chateauguay River on 26 October. He sent fresh instructions to Hampton to march

westward from his present position at Four Corners, New York and meet him at

Cornwall.

Wilkinson's force successfully bypassed the British post at Prescott late on 7 November.

The troops were disembarked and marched around Ogdensburg on the south bank of

the river, while the lightened boats ran past the British batteries under cover of darkness

and poor visibility.

Only one boat was lost, with two killed and three wounded. The next day, while the main

body re-embarked, an advance guard battalion commanded by Colonel Alexander

Macomb and a battalion of riflemen under Major Benjamin Forsyth were landed on the

Canadian side of the river to clear the river bank of harassing Canadian militia.

On the following day (9 November), Wilkinson held a council of war. All his senior

officers appeared to be determined to proceed with the expedition, regardless of the

difficulties and alarming reports of enemy strength. The advance guard was reinforced

with the 2nd Brigade (6th, 15th and 22nd U.S. Infantry) under Brigadier General Jacob

Brown, who took command of the force, and marched eastward along the northern bank

of the river. Before the main body could follow by water, Wilkinson learned that a British

force was pursuing him. He landed almost all the other troops as a rearguard, under

Brigadier General John Parker Boyd. Late on 10 November, after a day spent marching

under intermittent fire from British gunboats and field guns, Wilkinson set up his

headquarters in Cook's Tavern, with Boyd's troops bivouacked in the woods around.

British counter-moves:

The British had been aware of the American concentration at Sackett's Harbor, but for a

long time they had believed, with good reason, that their own main naval base at

Kingston was the intended target of Wilkinson's force.

Major General Francis de Rottenburg, the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, had

massed his available troops there. When Mulcaster returned from French Creek late on

5 November with news that the Americans were heading down the Saint Lawrence, de

Rottenburg dispatched a Corps of Observation after them, in accordance with orders

previously issued by Governor General Sir George Prevost.

The corps initially numbered 650 men, and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel

Joseph Wanton Morrison, the commanding officer of the 2nd Battalion, the 89th

Regiment.

They were embarked in the schooners Beresford and Sidney Smith, accompanied by

seven gunboats and several small craft, all commanded by Mulcaster. They departed

from Kingston in thick weather late on 7 November and evaded the ships of

Commodore Isaac Chauncey, which were blockading the base, among the Thousand

Islands at the head of the Saint Lawrence River.

On 9 November, they reached Prescott, where the troops disembarked as the

schooners could proceed no farther (although Mulcaster continued to accompany them

with three gunboats and some batteaux). Morrison was reinforced by a detachment of

240 men from the garrison of Prescott, to a total strength of about 900 men.

Marching rapidly, they caught up with Boyd's rearguard on 10 November. That evening

they encamped near Crysler's Farm, two miles upstream from the American positions.

The terrain was mainly open fields, which gave full scope to British tactics and

musketry, while the muddy ground (planted with fall wheat) and the marshy nature of

the woods surrounding the farm would hamper the American manoeuvres. Morrison

was keen to accept battle here if offered.

Battle:

As dawn broke on 11 November, it was cold and raining, though the rain later eased.

Firing broke out in two places. On the river, Mulcaster's gunboats began shooting at the

American boats clustered around Cook's Point, while a Mohawk fired a shot at an

American party scouting near their encampment, who replied with a volley.

Half a dozen Canadian militia dragoons bolted back to the main British force, calling that

the Americans were attacking. The British force dropped its half-cooked breakfast and

formed up, which caused American sentries to report that the British were attacking, and

forced the Americans in turn to form up and stand to arms.

At about 10:30 in the morning, Wilkinson received a message from Jacob Brown, who

reported that the previous evening he had defeated 500 Stormont and Glengarry Militia

at Hoople's Creek and the way ahead was clear.

To proceed however, the American boats would next have to face the Long Sault rapids

and Wilkinson determined to drive Morrison off before tackling them.

He himself had been ill for some time, and could not command the attack himself. His

second-in-command, Major General Morgan Lewis, was also "indisposed". This left

Brigadier General Boyd in command.

He had immediately available the 3rd Brigade under Brigadier General Leonard

Covington (9th, 16th and 25th U.S. Infantry) and the 4th Brigade under Brigadier

General Robert Swartwout (11th, 14th and 21st U.S. Infantry), with two 6-pounder guns.

Some distance down-river were part of Boyd's own 1st Brigade under the brigade's

second-in-command, Colonel Isaac Coles, (12th and 13th U.S. Infantry), four more 6-

pounder guns and a squadron of the 2nd U.S. Dragoons. In all, Boyd commanded

perhaps 2,500 men (though some sources put the figure at 4,000).

Initial dispositions:

The British were disposed in echelon, with their right wing thrown forward:

Lining a ravine close to the American positions and in the woods on the left was the

skirmish line under Major Frederick Heriot of the Canadian Voltigeurs, consisting of

three companies of the Voltigeurs and around two dozen Mohawks from Tyendinaga

under Interpreter-Lieutenant Charles Anderson. (A small rifle company of the Leeds

Militia may also have been present.)

The right wing was part of the detachment from Prescott under its commandant,

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Pearson. It consisted of the flank (i.e. light and grenadier)

companies of the 49th Regiment and a detachment of the Canadian Fencibles (perhaps

150 men in total) with a 6-pounder gun of the Canadian Provincial Artillery. They

occupied some buildings on the river bank near the Americans, with a small gully

protecting their front.

Behind their left flank were three companies (150 men) of the 2/89th under Captain G.

W. Barnes.

Behind Barnes's left flank in turn was the British main body; the centre companies of the

49th (160 men) under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Plenderleath on the right and six

companies (300 men) of the 2/89th on the left under Morrison himself.

Morrison himself stated that he disposed one each of his three 6-pounder guns to

support each of his three detachments (Pearson, Barnes and the main body). However,

various sources state that while the militia gun was posted with Pearson, the two 6-

pounder guns of the Royal Artillery under Captain H. G. Jackson occupied a small hillock

behind the 49th, and fired over their heads during the engagement.

Action:

Boyd did not order an assault until the middle of the afternoon. On the American right,

the 21st U.S. Infantry under Colonel Eleazer Wheelock Ripley advanced and drove the

British skirmish line back through the woods, for almost a mile.

Here they paused to draw breath, and were joined by the 12th and 13th U.S. Infantry

from Coles' brigade. (Where Swartwout's other two regiments were at this point is

unclear). Ripley and Coles resumed their advance along the edge of the woods, but

were startled to see a line of redcoats (the 2nd/89th, on Morrison's left flank) rise up out

of concealment and open fire.

The American soldiers dived behind tree stumps and bushes to return fire, and their

attack lost all order and momentum. As ammunition ran short, they began to retreat out

of line.

Meanwhile, Covington's brigade struggled across the ravine and deployed into line,

under musket and shrapnel fire. Legend has it that at this point, Covington mistook the

battle-hardened 49th Regiment in their grey greatcoats for Canadian militia and called

out to his men, "Come on, my lads! Let us see how you will deal with these militiamen!"

A moment later, he was mortally wounded. His second-in-command took over, only to be

killed almost immediately. The brigade quickly lost order and began to retreat.

Boyd could not bring all his six guns into action until his infantry were already falling

back. When they did open fire from the road along the river bank, they were quite

effective. Morrison's second-in-command, Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey, ordered the

49th to capture them.

The 49th made a charge in awkward echelon formation, suffering heavy casualties from

the American guns as they struggled across several rail fences. The United States

Dragoons (under Wilkinson's Adjutant General, Colonel John Walbach) now intervened,

charging the exposed right flank of the 49th.

The 49th halted their own advance, reformed line from echelon formation and wheeled

back their right. Under heavy fire from the 49th, Pearson's detachment and Jackson's

two guns, the dragoons renewed their charge twice but eventually fell back, leaving 18

casualties (out of 130).

They had bought time for all but one of the American guns to be removed. Barnes's

companies of the 2/89th overtook the 49th and captured the one gun which had become

bogged down and been abandoned.

It was now about half past four. Almost all of the American army was in full retreat. The

25th U.S. Infantry under Colonel Edmund P. Gaines and the collected boat guards under

Lieutenant Colonel Timothy Upham held the ravine for a while, but Pearson threatened

to get round their left flank, and they too fell back.[

As it was growing dark and the weather was turning stormy, the British halted their

advance. The American Army meanwhile retreated in great confusion to their boats and

crossed to the south (American) bank of the river, although the British did not stand

down from battle stations for some time, wary of the Americans renewing the attack. An

American witness stated that 1,000 American stragglers had made their way across the

river during the battle itself.

Casualties:

Although the British casualties were reported in Morrison's despatches as 22 killed, 148

wounded and 9 missing, it has been demonstrated that a further 9 men were killed and

an additional 4 men were missing, giving a revised total of 31 killed, 148 wounded and

13 missing.

The American casualties, from the official return, were 102 killed, and 237 wounded

including General Leonard Covington. No figures were given for men missing or

captured but the official return notes that three of the sixteen officers listed as wounded

were also captured.

The number of American prisoners taken was initially reported as "upwards of 100" by

Morrison but he wrote that more were still being brought in. The final tally was 120.

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Most of these were severely wounded men who had been left on the field but fourteen

unwounded enlisted men were captured after trying to hide in a swamp. A Canadian who

rode across the battlefield on the morning of 12 November remembered it being

"covered with Americans killed and wounded”.

Aftermath:

On 12 November, the sullen American flotilla successfully navigated the Long Sault

rapids. That evening, they reached a settlement known as Barnhardt's, three miles

above Cornwall, where they rendezvoused with Brown's detachment.

There was no sign of Hampton's force, but Colonel Henry Atkinson, one of Hampton's

staff officers, brought Hampton's reply to Wilkinson's letter of 6 November. Hampton

stated that shortage of supplies had forced him to retire to Plattsburgh. Wilkinson used

this as pretext to call another council of war, which unanimously opted to end the

campaign.

The defeat of American forces at the Battle of Crysler's Farm and, on October 26, at the

Battle of the Chateauguay ended the American threat to Montreal in the late fall of 1813

and with it the risk that Canada would have been cut into two parts.

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The army went into winter quarters at French Mills, 7 miles (11 km) from the Saint

Lawrence, but the roads were almost impassable at this season, and Wilkinson was also

forced by lack of supplies and sickness among his army to retreat to Plattsburg.

He was later dismissed from command shortly after a failed attack on a British outpost at

Lacolle Mills. He subsequently faced a court martial on various charges of negligence

and misconduct during the St. Lawrence campaign, but was exonerated. Lewis was

retired, while Boyd was sidelined into rear-area commands. Brown, Macomb, Ripley and

Gaines were subsequently promoted.

On the British side, Mulcaster was promoted to post-captain to take command of a

frigate but lost a leg in 1814 during the Raid on Fort Oswego, ending his active career.

Morrison also was severely wounded later in 1814 at the Battle of Lundy's Lane.

Morrison, Harvey and Pearson all eventually became generals, as did Major James B.

Dennis, who commanded the militia which fought Brown at Hoople's Creek.

Twelve rank and file survived to claim a Military General Service Medal in 1847 for

serving at the battle, although others may not have bothered to do so.

Legacy:

The battle site was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1920. The area of

Crysler's Farm was permanently submerged in 1958 as a result of the construction of

the Moses-Saunders Power Dam for the St. Lawrence Seaway. A monument (erected in

1895) commemorating the battle was moved from Crysler's Farm to Upper Canada

Village in Morrisburg.

Ten active regular battalions of the United States Army (1-2 Inf, 2-2 Inf, 1-4 Inf, 2-4 Inf, 3-

4 Inf, 1-5 Inf, 2-5 Inf, 1-6 Inf, 2-6 Inf and 4-6 Inf) perpetuate the lineages of a number of

American infantry regiments (the old 9th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd and

25th Infantry Regiments) that took part in the battle.

Three regiments of the Canadian Army (the Royal 22e Régiment, the Stormont, Dundas

and Glengarry Highlanders and Les Voltigeurs de Québec) commemorate the regular

and militia units that took part in the battle and therefore carry the Battle Honour

"Crysler's Farm".

63

On the occasion of the bicentennial of the battle (November 11, 2013) Prime Minister

Stephen Harper visited the Crysler's Farm Battlefield Park on Remembrance Day and

laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in the presence of contingents from the Royal 22e

Regiment, the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders and Les Voltigeurs de

Quebec as well as representatives from First Nations who fought there. American and

British diplomatic representatives also attended the ceremony and laid wreaths.

The Battle that Saved Canada (by: The Friends of Crysler's Farm Battlefield Memorial)

The Battle of Crysler's Farm, fought on muddy ploughed fields beside the St.

Lawrence River on November 11, 1813, was a crucial moment in the history of Upper

Canada and marked the end of the most serious attempt to that time to invade

Canada.

The campaign of 1813 focused on the St. Lawrence frontier with two powerful

American armies poised to meet at Montreal and cut British lines of communications

on this lifeline into the heart of the continent.

An army commanded by Wade Hampton stood ready to move from the south, up the

traditional invasion route of the Champlain Valley, and the other readied itself under

the command of James Wilkinson at Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario, ready to

descend the river. The two were to meet at Montreal and choke all British settlements

and garrisons west of the confluence of the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers.

Outnumbered but not out-fought

Hampton's army numbered just under 4,000; Wilkinson's close to 8,000, as they

prepared to catch Montreal in a pincer movement.

Fortunately for the British and both Upper and Lower Canada, they were opposed

by small but highly trained - and motivated - armies under the commands of

brilliant officers, Colonel Charles-Michel d'Irumberry de Salaberry in Lower

Canada and Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Wanton Morrison in Upper Canada.

de Salaberry met and defeated Hampton's much larger force at the Battle of

Chateauguay on October 26, forcing the southern invaders back on their base in

the U.S., from which they eventually retired in disarray.

The invasion down the St. Lawrence was to be a much more serious affair.

Morrison commanded a 1200-man-strong 'corps of observation' nipping at the

heels of Wilkinson's army as it traveled down the St. Lawrence from Sackets

Harbor. Aided by William Howe Mulcaster's detachment of gunboats, they harried

the invaders as their flotilla of batteaux and smaller gunboats made their way to

Montreal.

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Swatting away

Wilkinson, who detested Hampton with a fervour that was reciprocated, was unaware of

the check that had been dealt to U.S. invasion hopes at Chateauguay until well after the

fact and he disembarked his army on the Canadian shore east of the Galop Rapids in

readiness to shoot the Rapids du Plat and Long Sault Rapids, between Morrisburg and

Cornwall.

His army fought a brief and confused rearguard action against Morrison at Hoople

Creek on November 10 and the following day it turned to swat away the Anglo-

Canadian army as its vanguard continued on to occupy Cornwall.

Morrison's command, consisting of companies of the 49th and 89th Regiments of Foot,

three guns and crews of the Royal Artillery, the Canadian Fencibles, Canadien

Voltigeurs and 30 Mohawk warriors from Tyendinaga, near Belleville, and Mississauga

warriors from the Peterborough area, as well as the Dundas County Militia, took their

positions on ground chosen by the commander and waited for the Americans to come

on.

Poorly led and poorly trained, suffering from cold and hunger and their numbers

depleted by disease, close to 4,000 American troops attacked Morrison's corps of

1200. The American troops were committed piecemeal to the battle and their

officers proved no match for their battle-hardened counterparts. The result was an

uneven match-up despite the Americans' overwhelming numerical superiority and

after close to three hours of hard fighting, they withdrew from the field leaving 400

casualties - killed, wounded and captured - and beat a hasty retreat to the U.S. side

of the river.

Victory paid for in blood

Morrison's victory was paid for in blood. His 'corps of observation' suffered 200

casualties, or about one-sixth of his total force. The greatest percentage of

casualties was taken by the Canadian Fencibles, a regiment raised in Quebec and

whose ranks were about 50 per cent francophone. They suffered a casualty rate of

nearly 33 per cent. Of note is the fact that of the 270 Canadian regulars under

Morrions' command that day two-thirds were French-speaking soldiers from

Quebec.

Stunned by the ferocity of the Anglo-Canadian army and their Mohawk allies,

Wilkinson's broken and dispirited army went into winter quarters at French Mills

(present day Fort Covington), ending the threat to Canada.

The three founding peoples

While not of a European scale, the battle fought on the ploughed fields of John

Crysler's Farm was an epic event in Canadian history, ending as it did the

American campaign of 1813 with the British firmly in control of both sides of the St.

Lawrence and dashing the hopes of those in Washington who had boasted that the

conquest of Canada would be a 'mere matter of marching'.

The Battle of Crysler's Farm was perhaps as important to posterity for those who

fought as it was for its result. (NOTE - The British headquarters was situated at

John Crysler's home, but the battle was actually fought on farmland belonging to

the Fetterely, Haines, Loucks, Atkinson, Casselmann, Boush, and Jones family

farms.)

British regulars stood with Canadians of both English and French heritage and with

them were the Mohawk warriors of Tyendinaga and Mississauga warriors as our

three founding peoples stood shoulder to shoulder in defence of this new country.

One of the things that most people do not realize about the War of 1812 is the fact that it

is one of the only times in history in which American Forces we defeated in a War.

And one more thing…the British and Canadians forces actually occupied the US Capital

of Washington, DC and set fire most of the city including some of its most prized

buildings such as the White House pictured below as well as the Congress.

We want to thank the following for their contributions to this article:

The Friends of Crysler's Farm Battlefield Memorial

c/o Bob Irvine,

8 Fifth Street, Johnstown,

K0E 1T1

www.cryslersfarm.com

Other materials and some photos provided by: www.wikipedia.org

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons

Attribution - ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

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