WAR OF 1812
NO BATTLE HONOURS FOR THE CANADIANS
With Britain engaged in a struggle with Napoleon, augmenting regular troop units to
reinforce the defence of Canada was not possible. Even though most of the fighting
was carried out by British Regulars, the Government relied on the raising of Militia
Units and First Nation Allies to defend the country from the invading Americans.
Over a dozen Canadian Army reserve Regiments had their origin in the militia raised in
the War of 1812.
The Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Fencible Infantry was deployed by Sir Isaac
Brock into smaller companies and detachments in the defence of Upper Canada.
The New Brunswick Fencibles
The Canadian Regiment of Fencible Infantry, comprised mostly of French
Canadians
The Michigan Fencibles
The York Militia
Glengarry Light Infantry Fencible s (name perpetuated in the Stormont, Dundas,
and Glengarry Highlanders of the Canadian Militia)
The Select Embodied Militia of Lower Canada.
The Voltigeur Regiment.
The Prince Regent had high praise for the Canadian Militia Units, in particular singling
out Col. Charles-Michel de Salaberry for his distinguished service, and commanded the
awarding of Colours for the Embodied Battalions of the Militia. Despite the high praise,
and that of the senior British Officers, the Canadian units never received Battle
Honours, probably because they were disbanded after the War and the issue was not
pursued. Their British counterparts, on the other hand, all received Battle Honours for
their participation in the Battles of Upper Canada. The Canadian Government has taken
no action to correct this oversight.
Brent Francis, a second generation member of the club, is directly descended from
Nehemiah Carkner, who joined the Glengarry Fencibles in 1812, training at TroisRivières. Discharged at York in 1815, he received a land grant in Lancaster Township
for his service to the Crown. Nehemiah Carkner was the son of John Conrad Carkner, a
Loyalist who fought in the American Revolutionary War in the King’s Rangers (Roger’s
Rangers). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/glengarry__light_infantry
Cynthia Baxter, a member of the Club, daughter of the late Thomas H. P. Molson, and a
niece of the late Senator Hartland de M. Molson, also a former member of the club, is
descended from the Hon. John Molson. John Molson and two of his sons enlisted in the
Select Embodied Militia of Lower Canada in October of 1812. At the same time they
placed the recently launched Molson steamship, the Swiftsure, at the disposal of the
Government for the transportation of troops and supplies between Quebec and
Montreal. The ship, commanded by William Molson, was the first steamboat in the
world to be employed in the conduct of war.
In September of that year, the citizens of Montreal had watched the torch-lit
procession of American prisoners, General William Hull and his men, who had
surrendered to Sir Isaac Brock at Detroit, on their way to Quebec City.
Ref: The Molson Saga 1763-1983, Shirley Woods.
It is of interest that the news of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814, brokering peace between
Britain and the United States, hit the delegates at the Congress of Vienna like a
thunderbolt. It caused a shift in the balance of power. The fractious European powers
negotiating their share of the spoils after the fall of Napoleon, used their strong troop
presence in Europe to force their demands. Britain was now in a position to recall
troops from North America and field them in Europe to strengthen her position.