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Major General Sir Isaac Brock, a hero of the War of 1812, was born on Guernesy, in the Channel Islands, in 1769. He commanded all of the armed forces in Upper Canada. He also joined the British army at 15. Promoted to senior lieutenant-colonel at 28, Brock in 1797 was given command of the 49 th Regiment.
In 1801, he was made second-in-command of the land forces in Nelson's invasion of Copenhagen. In 1802, Brock was assigned to the city of York, which is now Toronto, in Canada. War with the U. S. was a real possibility and Brock worked non stop to improve the colony's defenses. He trained militia units to improve their regular forces.
Despite his best efforts, when war began in 1812, he had only 1, 200 regular soldiers in Upper Canada and believed that only one-third of the militia soldiers could be counted and trusted on to fight. To make matters worse, many believed the Americans would prevail. During the summer of 1812 Brock lived at Government House, which stood between Fort George and the village of Newark. Two active young men served as his aides de camp at Newark. They were Captain John B. Gregg of the 49 th Regiment and Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonell of the Upper Canada Militia.
On July 12, 1812, an army commander named Hull and his American army invaded and took the town of Sandwich (Windsor) before retreating to Detroit. Brock set off from York (Toronto) with a small army of regulars and militia soldiers, including a Native leader called Shawnee chief Tecumseh along with his men, to confront the invaders. Brock and Tecumseh crossed the Detroit River to the fort to do so. The next day, Brock demanded Hull's surrender and said that if it came to a fight, he would not be able to control the wrath of his native allies.
Perhaps because Hull still outnumbered Brock and Tecumseh by a margin of nearly 2 to 1, Hull initially refused. Brock than proceeded by bombing a few cannons onto Fort Detroit where Hull was at. After a day, Hull surrendered. With the Detroit frontier stable, Brock raced back to Niagara to prepare for an imminent American attack across the river. A day later, General Stephen Van Rensselaer crossed the river from Lewiston, NY with 3, 000 troops to the city called Queenstown. Stephen Van Rensselaer soon gained control of the surrounding heights and succeeded in capturing a small battery with an 18 -pounder cannon which commanded the area.
Awakened by the firing of the cannon, Brock quickly dressed, mounted a horse and galloped from Fort George to the battle now unfolding. Upon his arrival, he organized the British forces now assembled below the heights and led them up the hill to recapture the battery. He organized a second wave of men and again mounted an attack. In battle, an American Sharpshooter (some say he was a Kentucky rifleman) spotted him in his red uniform, cocked hat and gold lace, and popped him right in his chest. It is at this point, Brock passes onto being a legend. Later accounts would claim that Brock, now fatally wounded, would have urged the York (Toronto) volunteers to "push on" and take the battery.
Other accounts, however, suggest that Brock was instantly killed by the bullet which hit him. In the end, the British recaptured the heights, won the battle and took nearly 1, 000 prisoners. Isaac Brock had led his out-numbered forces to two unexpected victories, dispelling defeatist attitudes and instilling confidence among the defenders of British North America.
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Research essay sample on Lieutenant Colonel Upper Canada
