Art has long been entwined with war. In place of weapons, artists pick up brushes, sculpting tools, and cameras and enter the fray to document, propagandize, critique, or commemorate battles that shape history.

Photographic Print of British army burning the White House in 1814 during the War of 1812. Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration #MediaStorehouse

Reckoning in Canada. March 1, Quebec City Word that the Treaty of Ghent has been signed by British negotiators and ratified by the Prince Regent (and future King George IV) finally reaches Quebec, …

Canadian Sedentary Militia There were 40000 militia in Lower Canada, 10000 in Upper Canada and 10000 in the Maritimes. One fourth of each unit would receive better training and often cast off British uniforms; these were called flank companies. It was often just the flank companies that were involved in battles. There were also volunteer companies in every region which were usually uniformed. Very few of the regular sedentary militia would have had uniforms. Upper Canada Stormant and Glengarry Sedentary Militia In the Eastern regions of Upper Canada, the Americans reported being followed by 500 highlanders in kilts. These were revolutionary war veterans and their descendants. Lower Canada Maritime Territories These saw no action.

The Siege of Fort Erie was conducted from August 4 to September 21, 1814 during the War of 1812 and saw American forces defend the post from the British.

Captain Robert Heriot Barclay fought valiantly with Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar, before losing his left arm in another engagement in 1809. This didn't stop his naval career though. He...

Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost was a British commander who oversaw the defense of Canada during the War of 1812.

William Hamilton Merritt was born in Bedford, N.Y. in 1793. Merritt’s father fought for the Loyalists during the American Revolution. After the war, the Merritt family moved to New Brunswick and by 1795 the family moved to the Niagara Peninsula. Merritt studied mathematics and surveying, and was involved in different businesses before the War of 1812. William Hamilton Merritt Shortly before the outbreak of the War of 1812, Merritt was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Lincoln militia. Merritt served with the Niagara Light Dragoons and fought at the Battle of Queenston Heights in October 1812. By 1813, the 20-year-old Merritt was promoted to captain and continued to serve with the dragoons by patrolling the border and relaying messages along the Niagara. By 1814, Merritt fought at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane where he was captured and remained a prisoner in Cheshire, Mass. until early 1815. On his return trip home to Niagara, Merritt stopped in Mayville, N.Y. where he married Catharine Prendergast. After the war, Merritt ran different businesses in Niagara, but he is best known for his involvement in the building of the Welland Canal. In 1818, Merritt, along with others, petitioned the Upper Canada Legislature to provide for the construction of the canal. In 1824 the legislature formed the Welland Canal Company and selected Merritt as its financial agent. Merritt traveled extensively through Canada, the U.S. and Great Britain to help raise funds for the project. From 1832 to 1860 Merritt served in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada and later the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada. Merritt often worked long days, as he was involved in many projects. Merritt had four sons and two daughters, one of his sons became a member of the Canadian House of Commons. In 1862 Merritt died on a ship near Cornwall and his body was returned to Niagara where he rests in Victoria Lawn cemetery in St. Catharines.

The War of 1812 is one of the least studied wars in American history. This page offers answers to frequently asked questions about this formative and...

The Battle of Plattsburgh was fought Septebmer 6-11, 1814 during the War of 1812. The Battle of Plattsburgh saw British forces advancing down Lake Champlain clash with American forces on the lake and on land. Defeated at the Battle of Plattsburgh, the British were forced to retreat north.

During the War of 1812, every colony in North America was required to raise at least one regiment for its defence. In Upper Canada, modern-day Ontario, the Glengarry Light Infantry was raised to defend the colony. Glengarry private In February 1812, Governor General Prévost ordered Colonel Baynes to recruit a small battalion of infantry from Glengarry County in Upper Canada. Glengarry country had been settled by a number of men who were in the Glengarry Fencibles, which was a regiment raised by the British army and disbanded in 1804. However, recruiting was not limited to the Glengarry County but was expanded to include all of Canada. Men who signed up were promised four pounds bounty and 100 acres of land at the end of their service. Many of the men who signed up were veterans of previous military service and the majority of the men were Catholics. Glengarry officer The Glengarries served as a fencible regiment, which meant that they were similar to regular British regiments but they were only required to serve in Canada. The regiment fought as light infantry in that they were the advance guard on the march and rearguard in retreat. They covered line infantry in battle by protecting the flanks and by harassing the enemy. They often performed reconnaissance duty and fought in the woods alongside native allies. The natives admirably called the Glengarries the “Black Stump Brigade” for their dark uniforms and their skill in forest warfare. The Glengarry Light Infantry served extensively throughout Canada and fought in many engagements. They fought at the Battle of Fort George, Lundy’s Lane, and the Siege of Fort Erie, to name a few. For their service, the regiment was permitted to have the battle honour ‘Niagara’ on their colours. By 1816 the regiment was disbanded, but this unit, along with other Canadian units, served as the forerunners for the modern-day Canadian forces. If you want to learn more about this regiment, and the group of re-enactors who portray them, you can visit their website.

Reenactment of the Battle of Crysler’s Farm. The dismantling of the St. Lawrence Campaign during the War of 1812 was a two-step process. The first part was the Battle of Châteauguay in Lower …

Born in April 1791 in Halifax, Sir Provo William Parry Wallis earned many distinctions in his lifetime. Wallis was the longest serving member of the Royal Navy and the last surviving British veteran of the War of 1812. The Wallis family had a long tradition of Royal Navy service and it was Provo’s father who wanted him to have a naval career. Provo’s father used his connections to have his son registered in 1795 as an able seaman at the age of four. Wallis eventually went to England where he recalled starting his ‘real’ naval career in October 1804 serving on the Cleopatra. Wallis served on a number of vessels before being transferred to the Shannon as a second lieutenant in January 1812. The Shannon’s captain, Philip Bowes Vere Broke, said that Wallis “seems an amiable young man.” Sir Provo Wallis The Shannon patrolled the U.S. coast during the War of 1812 and on June 1, 1813 the Shannon was patrolling Boston Harbor when it engaged the American frigate Chesapeake. In a short, fierce engagement the Shannon disabled the Chesapeake and boarded the vessel as the Chesapeake captain, James Lawrence, exclaimed “Don’t give up the ship!” Shortly thereafter the Chesapeake struck her colours and surrendered. During the engagement, the Shannon’s first lieutenant was killed and its captain was badly wounded, leaving Wallis in command of both vessels in hostile waters. Both ships were repaired at sea and preceded to Halifax Harbour, and for his actions Wallis was promoted to commander. After the war, Wallis altered between sea duty and periods of inactivity. By 1857 Wallis was in command of the Cumberland as Commander-in-Chief off the coast of South America before being recalled as he was promoted to vice-admiral. This proved to be his last service at sea at the age of 70. Wallis later served as vice-admiral of the United Kingdom before being promoted to admiral of the fleet. In 1870 the Admiralty introduced a new retirement system that allowed for any officer to remain on the active service list if he commanded a ship during the Napoleonic Wars. Upon reaching his nineties the admiralty encouraged Wallis to retire but he refused saying that he would be glad to go to sea again. Wallis remained on the active service list of the navy receiving full pay until his death in 1892 in Funtington, England at the age of 100. Upon his death many in the Royal Navy were able to finally be promoted.

Today it is easier to see that Sheaffe's tactical retreat was for the best. It meant that the British retained sufficient strength to guard the most militarily important locations in Upper Canada, like Kingston. Even the Americans recognized that it would have been foolhardy to sacrifice many British soldiers in a fight against such heavy odds. As the U.S. Secretary of War wrote: ". . . we cannot doubt but that in all cases in which a British commander is compelled to act defensively, his policy will be that adopted by Sheaffe – to prefer the preservation of his troops to that of his post, and thus carrying off the kernel leave us the shell." Upper Canadians, however, were not so understanding nor forgiving. Many members of the Legislative Assembly and other prominent citizens severely criticized Sheaffe and blamed him for abandoning York to its destruction. As a result of his defeat, Sheaffe lost his military and public offices in Upper Canada and was later sent home to Britain. Back in England, Sheaffe resumed his military career and was ultimately appointed as a full General in 1835. He enjoyed a long life, marriage and children, a pleasant retirement and died in bed in 1851 at the age of 88. But despite his victory at Queenston Heights and his prudence at York, Sheaffe remains the Rodney Dangerfield of the War of 1812. At least in Canada, the poor bugger can't get no respect.

Alan Corbiere At the commencement of the War of 1812, the British were not totally certain that the Western Confederacy (including the Anishinaabeg: Ojibwe, Odaawaa and Potowatomi) would fight alon…

Phineas Riall was the younger son of an Anglo-Irish banking family. He entered the army at the age of 18 where he quickly rose to the rank of major through the purchasing system. He served in the 128th Regiment of Foot but went on half pay in 1798 when the regiment was disbanded. Riall served during the Irish ‘troubles’ but gained most of his experience as a major of the 15th Regiment of Foot in the West Indies in 1803. He was promoted to colonel in 1810 and made a major-general two years later. By 1813, Riall was sent to Upper Canada to serve under Lieutenant-General Drummond. Riall proved to be an aggressive commander and he won a number of small engagements against the Americans in 1813. William Hamilton Merritt described Riall as “very brave, near sighted, short but stout. Is thought by some rather rash, which by the by, is a good fault in a General officer.” Riall was well known for his brash style of command, which won him many victories in the past. However, at the Battle of Chippawa his brash style was not successful. Phineas Riall On July 5, 1814 at the Battle of Chippawa Riall was in command of all British forces. Two days prior an American army of about 4,000 strong crossed the Niagara River and captured Fort Erie. Riall opted to come out from the defences behind the Chippawa River in order to engage the Americans. Riall decided on this course of action since he was unaware that Major Buck had surrendered Fort Erie. Riall did not wait for reinforcements since he believed his force was more than capable of defeating the American army. During the battle both the British and the Americans had roughly equal numbers but the Americans were able to outflank the British forces and push them back across the Chippawa River. The aftermath of the battle showed that the British suffered around 500 casualties to roughly 300 American casualties. British regulars had for the first time in years been clearly beaten in a stand-up fight of roughly matching strength. Merritt wrote about the aftermath of the battle, “It certainly is a very delicate thing to censure a Commanding Officer, particularly so popular and brave a Man as General Riall, still in this case, he acted hastily, neither did he employ all the Means he had in his power.” After the defeat at Chippawa, Drummond assumed direct command of the forces in the Niagara. Riall participated in the Battle of Lundy’s Lane where he was hit by a musket ball in the right arm. As he rode to the rear, he was caught by American forces and was eventually sent to the U.S. as a prisoner of war. After the war, Riall never held an important military command again, but he was promoted to lieutenant-general through seniority in 1835 and full general in 1841. From 1816-1823 he was Governor of Grenada. Riall was married in 1819, knighted in 1831, and died in 1850 at the age of 75. This Friday you can join the Niagara Parks Commission and the Chippawa Branch 396 of the Royal Canadian Legion as they honour those who served at the Battle of Chippawa. A ceremony will be held on the battlefield at 7 p.m. and all are welcome to attend. Click here for more information.

Wikipedia article about Benedict Arnold