Order Restored in Canada

Today’s installment concludes The 1837 Canadian Rebellion,
our selection from A Short History of the Canadian People by George Bryce published in 1914.

If you have journeyed through the installments of this series so far, just one more to go and you will have completed a selection from the great works of four thousand words. Congratulations! For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in The 1837 Canadian Rebellion.

Time: 1837

The Governor had but invited a rising by allowing the British troops to go to Sir John Colborne’s aid in Montreal. Everything favored the fulfilment of Mackenzie’s schemes. The rising in Lower Canada brought on the crisis in Upper Canada, or more correctly the two movements had been concerted in order to help each other. On November 24th, less than twenty-four hours before the St. Charles defeat, Mackenzie left Rolph’s house in Toronto to rouse his followers. Next day a revolutionary appeal was printed, headed “Proclamation by William Lyon Mackenzie, chairman pro tem. of the Provisional Government of the State of Upper Canada,” and containing such incendiary sentiments as “Rise, Canadians! Rise as one man, and the glorious object of our wishes is accomplished.” The document said that the “patriots” had established a provisional government on Navy Island, in the Niagara River. The well-known names of Mackenzie, Gorham, Lount, and Duncombe were attached to the manifesto, and it was declared that two or three other names were, for powerful reasons, withheld from view.

Samuel Lount was appointed a commander, and a well known resort, “Montgomery’s Tavern,” on Yonge Street, a few miles north of Toronto, was made the rebel rendezvous. The outbreak was planned for December 7, 1837. Mackenzie, who knew the country well and had been hither and thither for several days, returned to Montgomery’s to find that the time of the rising had been antedated by Doctor Rolph to December 4th. At that time the first detachment of insurgents arrived under Lount, eighty or ninety strong.

Blood was soon shed. One, Captain Powell, a Loyalist, had been taken prisoner by the rebels, but escaped from their hands by shooting his guard — -a man named Anderson. A most sad event was the death of Colonel Moodie, a Family Compact favorite. He had rashly attempted, on horseback, to force the rebel line on Yonge Street. He was fired upon, and fell from his horse mortally wounded.

The insurgents numbered at length eight hundred or nine hundred. Had they marched at once on Toronto, it must have fallen into their hands, for though a place of twelve thousand people, the apathy was so great that none of its citizens took up arms to defend it, but were content to rely for defense upon the men of Gore District from the west. The Governor sought to gain time by negotiating with the rebels. He asked the assistance of Bidwell, who refused the commission.

At last, by the hand of Baldwin and Rolph, a flag of truce was sent, and a reply brought to the Governor with certain demands of the insurgents. The Governor refused to grant the requests made. It was in carrying back Governor Head’s unfavorable answer that Doctor Rolph showed his duplicity. Though acting as the Governor’s messenger, he took aside certain of the rebel leaders and secretly encouraged them to attack Toronto.

An advance was made to within a mile of the city, when a collision took place, and the rebels retired to Montgomery’s. Mackenzie succeeded in a sally on the western mail in capturing certain important letters. The delay in attacking Toronto made Rolph’s position very precarious, and so he hastened from Toronto, professedly to the western district, but really to seek shelter in the United States.

The time for action was allowed to slip by the aforetime courageous regulators. Colonel Allan McNab arrived in Toronto from Hamilton, with his militia, and without delay attacked the rebels remaining at Montgomery’s. After a short but severe skirmish, the militia were victors; the motley gathering of discontented farmers fled; and Mackenzie, on whose head a reward of one thousand pounds had been set, after a toilsome and adventurous journey escaped to the United States by way of the Niagara frontier.

The Provisional Government was now organized on Navy Island, in the Niagara River. The patriot flag, with twin stars and the motto “Liberty and Equality,” was hoisted, and planted in the face of Colonel McNab, who held the Canadian shore. A daring action was performed on December 29th by Captain Drew, R.N., one of McNab’s command. The insurgents had made use of a vessel, the Caroline, in carrying supplies from the American shore to Navy Island. The vessel lay moored for the night under the very guns of Fort Schlosser, indeed the shadows of the fort enveloped the Caroline. With seven boats, carrying some sixty men in all, who were armed with pistols, cutlasses, and pikes, the captain boarded the ill-fated vessel, captured her, but not being able, on account of the current, to bring her to the Canadian side, sent her flaming over the Niagara Falls. The vessel proved to be an American bottom, and so Britain was compelled to disavow the seizure, but nothing could blot out the bravery of the deed.

The ardent leader, Doctor Duncombe, succeeded in gather ing some three hundred men on Burford Plains, intending to pass by way of Brantford and seize Hamilton, and thus advance the rebel cause. Colonel McNab, however, with five hundred men, hastened west, and reached the village of Scotland, but the insurgent band melted away on his approach. For some time afterward, an irritation continued along the Niagara frontier, a number of characterless scoundrels seeking to keep up strife for the sake of plunder. The arch-rebel Mackenzie was at length seized by the law authorities of the State of New York, and tried at Albany, “for setting on foot a military enterprise against Upper Canada.” He was found guilty, and sentenced to one and a half years’ imprisonment, but was released in response to numerous petitions after some ten months had expired.

The utter want of tact, and even of fair dealing, shown by Sir Francis Bond Head, resulted in his recall. He was succeeded by Sir George Arthur, who had in Hobart Town been accustomed to rule the convict settlements. He was harshness itself. Lount and Matthews, two of the rebel leaders, were well regarded by all classes of the people notwithstanding their false movement in the rebellion. Large petitions in their favor were presented to the Governor, and Lount’s wife made before Sir George a most heartrending appeal for her husband, but all was of no avail, and they were hurried to the gallows, April 12, 1838. On June 28th an amnesty was granted to all suspected persons, who had not been actively engaged in the rebellion. It was not until 1843 that Rolph, Duncombe, Morrison, Gibson, Gorham, and Montgomery were pardoned, though the general amnesty was not granted until 1849. Thus in reality terminated this wretched affair, dishonoring to the enemies of liberty who forced it on, and reflecting only disgrace on those who conceived and so badly executed it.

This ends our series of passages on The 1837 Canadian Rebellion by George Bryce from his book A Short History of the Canadian People published in 1914. This blog features short and lengthy pieces on all aspects of our shared past. Here are selections from the great historians who may be forgotten (and whose work have fallen into public domain) as well as links to the most up-to-date developments in the field of history and of course, original material from yours truly, Jack Le Moine. – A little bit of everything historical is here.

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