Battle of Chippawa

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Battle of Chippawa
Part of the War of 1812
Winfield Scott leads his infantry brigade forward.
Date July 5, 1814 Location Chippawa, Ontario Result American victory
Combatants
Britain	United States
Commanders
Phineas Riall	Jacob Brown Winfield Scott
Strength
2,000	3,500
Casualties
148 dead 350 wounded 46 captured	61 dead 255 wounded

Niagara campaigns
Queenston Heights – Fort George – Stoney Creek – Beaver Dams – Fort Niagara – 1st Fort Erie – Chippawa – Lundy's Lane – Cook's Mills – 2nd Fort Erie

The Battle of Chippawa (sometimes incorrectly spelled Chippewa) was a decisive victory for the American army in the War of 1812, during an invasion of Upper Canada along the Niagara River. It was the first victory for American soldiers against an equal British force in the field.

Contents 1 Background 1.1 Scott's "Camp of Instruction" 1.2 Niagara campaign 2 Battle 3 Aftermath 4 Legacy 5 Notes 6 Sources

[edit] Background

By July 1814, Napoleon had been defeated in Europe, and the arrival of seasoned British veterans to Canada was imminent. The American Secretary of War John Armstrong was eager to win a decisive victory in Canada before British reinforcements arrived there.

Major General Jacob Brown was ordered to form the Left Division of the Army of the North. Armstrong intended him to mount an attack on Kingston, the main British base on Lake Ontario, with a diversion by militia across the Niagara River to distract the British. Because Armstrong's orders were initially unclear, a brigade of regulars under Brigadier General Winfield Scott proceeded to Buffalo on the Niagara.

It proved impossible for Brown to gain any cooperation from Commodore Isaac Chauncey—who was commanding the American naval squadron based at Sackett's Harbor—which was essential for any attack on Kingston. Chauncey was waiting for new ships to be completed and refused to make any move before the middle of July. Brown decided therefore to make the attack across the Niagara the main effort.

[edit] Scott's "Camp of Instruction"

While waiting at Buffalo, Scott had instituted a major training programme. He drilled his troops ten hours every day, using the 1791 Manual of the French Revolutionary Army. (Prior to this, various American regiments had been using a variety of different manuals, making it difficult to manoevre any large American force).

Scott also purged his units of any remaining inefficient officers who had gained their appointments through political influence rather than experience or merit, and he insisted on proper camp discipline including sanitary arrangements. This reduced the wastage from dysentery and other enteric diseases which had been heavy in previous campaigns. Because insufficient regulation blue uniforms were available at Buffalo, he ordered 2,000 grey uniforms, normally issued to the militia.

[edit] Niagara campaign

On July 3, Brown's army (the regular brigades under Scott and Eleazar Wheelock Ripley) captured Fort Erie. After reinforcements of volunteers from the militia arrived under Peter B. Porter on July 4, Scott began advancing north along the portage road alongside the Niagara River. A British covering force under Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Pearson was easily driven back before they could destroy any of the bridges or block the road with fallen trees.

Late in the day, Scott encountered British defences on the far bank of the Chippawa River, near the town of Chippawa, Ontario. After a brief exchange of artillery fire, Scott withdrew a few miles to Street's Creek. Here he planned to give his troops a belated Fourth of July parade the next day, while Brown manoevred other units to cross the Chippawa upstream.

Opposed to him was the Right Division of the British Army in Canada, under Major General Phineas Riall. Riall believed that Scott's brigade were militia, and he also believed that Fort Erie was still holding out. He determined to cross the Chippawa River and mount an attack to drive the Americans back across the Niagara and relieve Fort Erie.

[edit] Battle

Early on July 5, British light infantry, militia and Indians crossed the Chippawa ahead of Riall's main body and began sniping at Scott's outposts from the woods to their west. (Some of them nearly captured Scott, who was having breakfast in a farmhouse). Brown ordered Porter's brigade (volunteers from the Pennsylvania militia, with some Iroquois warriors) to clear the woods. They did so, but they met Riall's advancing brigade and hastily retreated.

Scott was already advancing from Street's Creek. His artillery (Captain Nathaniel Towson's company, with three 12-pounder guns) deployed on the portage road and opened fire. Riall's own guns (two light 24-pounders and a 5.5 inch howitzer) attempted to reply, but Towson's guns destroyed an ammunition wagon and put most of the British guns out of action.

Meanwhile, Scott's troops deployed into line with the 25th U.S. Infantry on the left near the woods, the 11th U.S. Infantry and 9th U.S. Infantry in the centre and the 22nd U.S. Infantry on the right with Towson's guns. At first, Riall was under the impression that the American line was comprised of grey clad militia troops, whom the professional British soldiers held in much contempt. He expected the poorly trained soldiers to fall back in disarray after the first few volleys. As the American line continued to hold steady under British artillery fire, Riall realized his mistake and exclaimed his famous phrase "Those are regulars, by God!"

The British infantry, with the 1st Battalion of the The Royal Scots and the 100th Regiment leading and the 1st Battalion of the 8th (King's) in reserve, were advancing rapidly and becoming bunched and disordered. Once the opposing lines had closed to less then 100 meters apart, Scott advanced his wings, forming his brigade into a "U" shape. The well-drilled Americans executed flawlessly, allowing them to pour a devastating crossfire into Riall's advancing troops.

The Royal Scots and 100th suffered heavy casualties and broke as Scott launched a bayonet charge. The 8th (King's) formed line and tried to cover the retreat but also took heavy losses. Scott pursued but was halted just short of the Chippawa by fire from three British 6-pounder guns which had just been brought forward, and other guns firing from the other side of the river. Nevertheless, 1,300 American infantry had broken an attack by 1,500 British.

Loss among British officers was especially heavy. The 100th Regiment, which held the center and was the last to break, was reduced to "one Captain & 3 subalterns doing duty, with 250 effective men"^[1].

[edit] Aftermath

Two days after the battle, Brown completed his intended manoevre and crossed the Chippawa upstream of Riall's defences, forcing the British back to Fort George. It was not possible to attack this fortified British position because Commodore Chauncey was still failing to support the American army on the Niagara peninsula. No reinforcements or siege artillery could be brought to Brown's army.

At the same time, the British were able to rush reinforcements to the Niagara front and soon became too strong for Brown to risk a direct attack. Eventually, a series of feints and manoevres led to the Battle of Lundy's Lane a few weeks later.

The battle, and the subsequent Battle of Lundy's Lane and Battle of Plattsburgh, proved that American regular units could hold their own against British regulars if properly trained and well led. The American army, modeled and drilled according to French Revolutionary standards, was becoming a respectable fighting force with new and capable leaders such as Jacob Brown and Winfield Scott who were to emerge from the war as national heroes.

Riall, although misled in several respects (on the improved standards of the U.S. Army, the size and composition of the force opposing him, and the time for which Fort Erie could be held), nevertheless made the same mistake as several French commanders of the period and assumed that a forceful rush by infantry could overwhelm a disciplined and well handled line. Compared with Scott (and indeed with most of his own subordinates), Riall had little recent experience of action, although he behaved with conspicuous bravery during the British retreat.

[edit] Legacy

The Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point wear gray parade uniforms in honor of the gray uniforms of the American Army at Chippawa.

The unofficial motto of all U.S. Infantry Regiments is "Regulars by God". This motto was first adopted by the 6th U.S. Infantry.

[edit] Notes

[edit] Sources

• John R. Elting, Amateurs to Arms, Da Capo Press, New York, ISBN0306806533
• J. Mackay Hitsman & Donald E. Graves, The Incredible War of 1812, Robin Brass Studio, Toronto, ISBN 1896941133