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(military marching music)

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(explosion)

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(marching)

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Inhabitants of Canada,

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the army under my command has invaded your country.

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(explosion)

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United States offers you peace, liberty and security.

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Your choice lies between these and war,

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slavery and destruction.

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We are engaged in an awful and eventful contest.

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We may teach the enemy this lesson.

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(guns firing)

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That a country defended by freemen,

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enthusiastic and devoted to the course of their king

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and constitution can never be conquered.

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(men shouting)

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(guns firing)

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Freedom!

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The Americans, we know them

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to have always been the enemy of the Aboriginal nations.

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We shall participate in the shout of victory

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or in the grave.

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(dramatic music)

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(military marching music)

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(foreboding music)

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In United States, the War of 1812

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brings an anti-war movement

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that shakes the republic to its foundations.

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In the Congress, there is powerful opposition

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from the beginning.

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The republican declaration of war

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was strongly resisted in the House of Representatives

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and even more so in the Senate passing only 19 to 13.

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The war's opponents declared that by invading Canada,

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America moved in one generation

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from a just war of revolution

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to an unjust war of expansion even conquest.

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(dramatic music)

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In August 1812 in New York City,

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an anti-war movement is born

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with a massive demonstration in the streets.

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Speakers warning the war is not only wrong,

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but will lead to higher taxes

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and compulsory military service.

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(dramatic music)

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President James Madison has to constantly reassure Congress

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that there's no other way to make Great Britain

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respect the American sovereignty.

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The situation of our country, fellow citizens,

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is not without its difficulties.

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Though we have the inestimable consolation of knowing

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that the war in which we are actually engaged

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is a war neither of ambition nor of vain glory.

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That is waged not in violation of the rights of others,

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but in the maintenance of our own.

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(military marching music)

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In Canada's capital at Quebec City,

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the war is seen as nothing but an active aggression

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by the United States.

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Canada's Commander-in-Chief, Sir George Prevost,

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harbors the suspicion that the United States

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would never have attacked if most of England's army

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wasn't tied down in Europe fighting Napoleon.

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Those sentiments are clearly shared by his daughter Anne,

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who kept a remarkable journal through the war.

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This war is a base deed on the part of the Yankees.

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England is struggling for her independence

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against a host of foes.

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And the United States chooses this moment

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to add their vile kicks and cuffs, hoping the Noble Lion

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will sink in the fray, overwhelmed by numbers.

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The principle object of the government of the United States

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must be the conquest of Canada.

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(explosion)

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(dramatic music)

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Through a combination of skillful

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military operations and good luck,

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Canada's defenders resist repeated American attempts

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to conquer Upper Canada.

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(powerful music)

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In early 1813,

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the Americans build up a force at Sackets Harbor,

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preparing for an attack

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against the British naval base at Kingston.

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Due to the shortage of British and Canadian

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regular troops in the area,

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the only soldiers available to defend Kingston

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are almost 1,000 miles to the east

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in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

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(military marching music)

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In the panorama of war, the outcome often depends

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on how single battalions

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and individual officers respond to a crisis.

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In the winter of 1813, the battalion that will be tested

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is the New Brunswick Regiment, almost all Canadians.

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The officer is Britain's John Le Couteur.

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From an old military family, Le Couteur is a fresh graduate

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of England's New Military Academy.

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He is fluent in French and English,

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ideal for service in Canada.

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The early pages of his wartime journal

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betray a touch of homesickness and a sense of awe

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at an odyssey beginning.

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The war between Great Britain

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and the United States of America

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affected small people as well as rulers.

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I received orders to join my regiment in New Brunswick.

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With a heavy heart,

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I took leave for the first time in my life,

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my beloved parents, my dear brother,

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to be thrown into the wide world on my own resources.

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(calm music)

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(wind howling)

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The New Brunswick Regiment

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receives orders to prepare to go overland to Upper Canada,

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to cross hundreds of miles of bush in the dead of winter.

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There are no roads, no trails,

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and it has never been done before.

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A garrison order announced the intended march.

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It was hailed by men and officers with enthusiasm,

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as an effort yet unknown in British warfare,

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and therefore, well worthy of British soldiers

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to accomplish.

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There is a characteristic cheerfulness

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in the Canadian soldier inherited from his French ancestry,

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which being a lively and good-tempered,

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tended much towards lightening the labors of a heavy march,

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for the hardships of the campaign, and accorded perfectly

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with the dogged and varied characters

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of the English, Irish, and Scots

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which completed the regiment.

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(men singing)

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The company presented a most unmilitary appearance

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as it marched without arms or knapsacks

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in Indian file divided into squads so many to each Tobogin,

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the rear of it being nearly half a mile from the front.

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(men singing)

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The men followed the frozen Madawaska River.

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(wind howling)

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I may well say if possible,

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as those who have not experienced it

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cannot figure to themselves the extreme frigidity

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of a temperature from 18 to 27 degrees below zero.

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(dramatic music)

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When we got to the end of our day's march,

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it was dark before we could commence cooking,

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if sticking a bit of salt pork on the end of a twig

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and holding it in the fire could be so termed.

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(calm music)

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It generally happened that we were as completely

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enveloped in smoke as an Esquimaux family.

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But, like them, we found it much more agreeable

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than having no smoke at all as it warmed the hut.

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Moreover, I imagine that sleep without fire in such cold

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would have proved the sleep of death.

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(wind howling)

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On the 24th day of the Bitter March

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through one of the continent's fiercest winters,

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the regiment reaches the shores of the St. Lawrence

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near Quebec City.

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Just as they think they've made it,

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the regiment is ordered to keep going up river to Montreal.

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And there, so desperate is the need,

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they are commanded to keep marching

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without a break to Lake Ontario,

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where the American assault was soon expected.

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(calm music)

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After a march of close to 1,000 miles,

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The New Brunswick Regiment reaches its destination.

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(wind howling)

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On the 12th of April,

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we were marching up a gentle ascent.

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When suddenly, there lay before our astonished

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and delighted view the Town of Kingston,

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the magnificent Lake Ontario.

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And what was far more surprising still,

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a squadron of ships of war frozen on its bosom.

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It produced a striking and indescribable sensation,

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as none of us Europeans appeared to have reflected

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on the circumstance of being sure to find

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a fleet of men-of-war on a freshwater lake.

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(calm music)

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The triumphant arrival

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of the New Brunswick Reinforcements

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ends the immediate threat of an American attack on Kingston.

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But across the lake at US headquarters at Sackets Harbor,

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a new threat.

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Work on warships has intensified.

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A frigate called the General Pike

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is to be the American pride.

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The fulfillment of presidential orders

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to win naval control of the Great Lakes.

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In Canada, consternation.

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Anne Prevost, the governor's daughter.

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The Americans will soon have another frigate

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ready for the lake

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which will render them greatly our superiors.

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But the battle is not always to the strong.

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In God grant, it may not be so now.

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The governor general immediately

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device his plans with the Royal Navy

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to take an expedition to Sackets Harbor

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to destroy the New American ship before it can be launched.

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(dramatic music)

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The British expedition departs Kingston

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to sail across Lake Ontario on May 26, 1813.

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Arriving at Sackets Harbor on the morning of the 27th,

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it appears that the Americans have been taken by surprise,

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but the British commanders dither.

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About 8 AM, our fire eater, Major Drummond

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had got us into the bateaux to practice pulling, as he said.

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And was pulling toward the landing place

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when Sir George Prevost sent an officer

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to order him to re-embark his men instantly.

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Sir George gave the Americans all that day

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and the next night ample time for a fair stand-up fight.

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(powerful music)

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Finally, the British land

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then soon put to flight the American militias

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and to try and stop them.

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(powerful music)

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(explosions)

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(men screaming)

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(guns fire)

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The British attack is pressed home hard,

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and the Americans panicked.

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To keep the tall ship at naval construction yard

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from falling into British hands, they are set a flame.

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The Americans retreat to the Fort,

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but refused to surrender.

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The American marksmanship begins

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to take a terrible toll on the British line.

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(frenetic music)

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Suffering tremendous casualties,

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the British finally sound the retreat.

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(frenetic music)

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(calm music)

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When attack has been made on the Sackets Harbor,

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my father was there.

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And as much exposed to danger as any common soldier,

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thanks be to the Almighty he is safe.

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My father says he is convinced to the necessity of

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destroying Sackets Harbor,

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but laments the inefficiency of his force.

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While Sir George Prevost

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is blaming his own troops

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for the failure to capture Sackets Harbor,

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there is considerable grumbling among the rank and file

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against his leadership.

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It was a scandalously managed affair.

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We gained a surprise and threw it away

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to allow the enemy to gain time.

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The murmurs against Sir George were deep, not loud.

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Our sweet little band would sadly cut up.

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(powerful music)

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For a US administration

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desperate for good news of any sort.

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The close call at Sackets is proclaimed a famous victory.

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The ceremonial fence that had surrounded the White House

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is sent to Sackets to encircle the war dead

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in a solemn tribute.

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(victorious music)

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In the aftermath, there was little mention

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of the strategic result.

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Prevost attack has destroyed the naval yard

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and burned the General Pike,

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crippling the American plan

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to seize control of Lake Ontario.

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In 1813 in New England, opposition to the war

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has grown ominously.

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New England's prosperity depends on trade

272
00:16:31,985 --> 00:16:33,819
with Great Britain and Canada.

273
00:16:33,819 --> 00:16:37,092
But now, normal trade is at a stand still

274
00:16:37,092 --> 00:16:39,092
forbidden by Washington.

275
00:16:40,555 --> 00:16:43,028
In response to the war, New England's governors

276
00:16:43,028 --> 00:16:45,028
have refused to call out the militia

277
00:16:45,028 --> 00:16:48,778
calling invasions of Canada unconstitutional.

278
00:16:49,914 --> 00:16:54,081
New England's ruling families denounced Mr. Madison's War.

279
00:16:56,723 --> 00:16:59,756
Whatever he attempted to vindicate my arms, they write,

280
00:16:59,756 --> 00:17:01,423
by arms he has lost.

281
00:17:02,614 --> 00:17:06,033
In Washington, the president is haunted by military failure

282
00:17:06,033 --> 00:17:08,950
and beset by the anti-war movement.

283
00:17:11,515 --> 00:17:13,540
I have not been unaware of the disappointment

284
00:17:13,540 --> 00:17:15,127
and discontent gaining ground

285
00:17:15,127 --> 00:17:17,652
with respect to the war on Canada.

286
00:17:17,652 --> 00:17:20,607
I have not been less aware that success alone

287
00:17:20,607 --> 00:17:22,990
would put an end to discontent.

288
00:17:22,990 --> 00:17:25,363
This is the test by which public opinion

289
00:17:25,363 --> 00:17:27,363
decides military events.

290
00:17:29,044 --> 00:17:31,388
In the dying days of 1812,

291
00:17:31,388 --> 00:17:34,188
Lower Canada is now threatened.

292
00:17:34,188 --> 00:17:36,374
The Americans are determined to strike at the heart

293
00:17:36,374 --> 00:17:38,207
by attacking Montreal.

294
00:17:39,414 --> 00:17:42,019
If the American forces seize Montreal,

295
00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:44,110
they cut off the St. Lawrence River,

296
00:17:44,110 --> 00:17:47,663
the lifeline of supplies to the rest of Canada.

297
00:17:47,663 --> 00:17:50,330
(ominous music)

298
00:17:59,043 --> 00:18:02,321
There are not many British troops stationed around Montreal.

299
00:18:02,321 --> 00:18:05,316
So, it is clear that lower Canada will stand or fall

300
00:18:05,316 --> 00:18:07,345
depending on the French Canadians who've formed

301
00:18:07,345 --> 00:18:09,928
the majority of the population.

302
00:18:12,479 --> 00:18:14,630
The Americans calculate that the Canadian

303
00:18:14,630 --> 00:18:17,521
will be eager to turn against their British rulers

304
00:18:17,521 --> 00:18:19,604
once the shooting starts.

305
00:18:22,795 --> 00:18:24,485
In fact, the governor general

306
00:18:24,485 --> 00:18:27,068
has already seen warning signs.

307
00:18:31,858 --> 00:18:35,090
We traveled 90 miles this day.

308
00:18:35,090 --> 00:18:36,511
My father being anxious to get on

309
00:18:36,511 --> 00:18:38,566
in consequence of hearing about some disturbance

310
00:18:38,566 --> 00:18:40,434
which had occurred beyond Montreal

311
00:18:40,434 --> 00:18:42,756
in raising a battalion of militia,

312
00:18:42,756 --> 00:18:46,006
the Canadians having refused to enroll.

313
00:18:47,589 --> 00:18:49,810
(men screaming)

314
00:18:49,810 --> 00:18:52,126
The disturbance is really a riot

315
00:18:52,126 --> 00:18:54,522
triggered by an attempt to conscript French Canadians

316
00:18:54,522 --> 00:18:57,939
into the British Army against their will.

317
00:18:58,791 --> 00:19:01,515
British soldiers are called in to quell the insurrection

318
00:19:01,515 --> 00:19:02,932
and make arrests.

319
00:19:05,235 --> 00:19:07,336
Governor General Prevost takes immediate action

320
00:19:07,336 --> 00:19:10,086
to court French-Canadian opinion.

321
00:19:11,973 --> 00:19:14,911
He stops conscription and introduces new measures

322
00:19:14,911 --> 00:19:17,194
to guarantee linguistic and religious freedom

323
00:19:17,194 --> 00:19:21,361
for the French-Canadians who are overwhelmingly Catholic.

324
00:19:23,601 --> 00:19:24,964
Victor halt!

325
00:19:24,964 --> 00:19:26,045
Halt!

326
00:19:26,045 --> 00:19:27,308
Prevost also sanctioned

327
00:19:27,308 --> 00:19:29,356
the formation of French speaking units

328
00:19:29,356 --> 00:19:31,517
such as the Canadian Voltigeur.

329
00:19:31,517 --> 00:19:33,490
Halt.

330
00:19:33,490 --> 00:19:36,795
(foreign language)

331
00:19:36,795 --> 00:19:38,841
The regiment is commanded and paid for

332
00:19:38,841 --> 00:19:41,213
by Colonel Charles de Salaberry,

333
00:19:41,213 --> 00:19:43,308
who sees the British crown as French Canada's

334
00:19:43,308 --> 00:19:44,951
best hope of survival.

335
00:19:44,951 --> 00:19:47,598
But despite the reforms, there is no guarantee

336
00:19:47,598 --> 00:19:51,011
the rank and file will risk their life to stop the Americans

337
00:19:51,011 --> 00:19:52,869
and a test is imminent.

338
00:19:52,869 --> 00:19:55,786
(foreign language)

339
00:19:57,074 --> 00:19:59,491
(calm music)

340
00:20:02,331 --> 00:20:06,330
To restore American military honor and conquer Canada,

341
00:20:06,330 --> 00:20:10,059
Madison turns to one of the army's most infamous officers,

342
00:20:10,059 --> 00:20:12,782
General James Wilkinson.

343
00:20:12,782 --> 00:20:17,241
In the army, he is known neither for leadership nor courage.

344
00:20:17,241 --> 00:20:20,310
He is famous for intrigue and hard drinking.

345
00:20:20,310 --> 00:20:22,214
But he is a revolutionary war veteran

346
00:20:22,214 --> 00:20:26,019
with powerful friends in Washington, so the job is his.

347
00:20:26,019 --> 00:20:28,129
His appointment appals the fighting men

348
00:20:28,129 --> 00:20:29,796
like Winfield Scott.

349
00:20:31,294 --> 00:20:33,673
If a booby be at once made a commissioned officer,

350
00:20:33,673 --> 00:20:37,840
the odds are great that he will live and die a booby.

351
00:20:38,695 --> 00:20:41,355
How infinitely unwise, then, in a republic

352
00:20:41,355 --> 00:20:44,161
to trust its honor and safety in battle

353
00:20:44,161 --> 00:20:48,078
in a critical war to imbeciles and ignoramuses.

354
00:20:50,855 --> 00:20:53,048
This is Wilkinson's plan.

355
00:20:53,048 --> 00:20:56,777
One army of 7,000 troops will depart Sackets Harbor

356
00:20:56,777 --> 00:20:59,723
and approach Montreal down the St. Lawrence River.

357
00:20:59,723 --> 00:21:03,074
While another of 5,000 men forming at Plattsburgh

358
00:21:03,074 --> 00:21:05,151
on Lake Champlain will come north

359
00:21:05,151 --> 00:21:07,322
through the Chateauguay River Valley.

360
00:21:07,322 --> 00:21:10,035
The armies will converge and assault Montreal

361
00:21:10,035 --> 00:21:11,868
before the snow flies.

362
00:21:13,877 --> 00:21:17,377
(military marching music)

363
00:21:21,013 --> 00:21:24,357
The defenders of Canada begin to mobilize their hundreds

364
00:21:24,357 --> 00:21:27,382
to meet the American thousands.

365
00:21:27,382 --> 00:21:29,272
From the St. Lawrence Valley comes a regiment

366
00:21:29,272 --> 00:21:33,272
of Catholic Scots, the Glengarry Light Infantry.

367
00:21:34,106 --> 00:21:36,865
They're on their own to a forest near Chateauguay

368
00:21:36,865 --> 00:21:40,062
where the US invasion force is expected.

369
00:21:40,062 --> 00:21:43,941
(military marching music)

370
00:21:43,941 --> 00:21:44,833
(foreign language)

371
00:21:44,833 --> 00:21:46,844
Here, Colonel Charles de Salaberry

372
00:21:46,844 --> 00:21:48,189
and the Voltigeur Regiment

373
00:21:48,189 --> 00:21:49,807
are methodically preparing defenses

374
00:21:49,807 --> 00:21:53,474
to stop the American thrust toward Montreal.

375
00:21:55,370 --> 00:21:58,161
(foreign language)

376
00:21:58,161 --> 00:22:00,744
2 PM, the 22nd of October 1813,

377
00:22:02,629 --> 00:22:05,631
the American Colombo close to 5,000 soldiers

378
00:22:05,631 --> 00:22:09,798
advances through the wood under De Salaberry's position.

379
00:22:10,736 --> 00:22:14,236
(military marching music)

380
00:22:16,814 --> 00:22:19,183
The Americans dispatched an officer with a demand

381
00:22:19,183 --> 00:22:21,766
for the Canadians to surrender.

382
00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:27,077
(foreign language)

383
00:22:27,922 --> 00:22:31,102
Colonel De Salaberry is outnumbered 71,

384
00:22:31,102 --> 00:22:33,219
but has no intention of surrendering.

385
00:22:33,219 --> 00:22:36,330
(foreign language)

386
00:22:36,330 --> 00:22:38,613
(gunshot)

387
00:22:38,613 --> 00:22:40,495
(horse whinnying)

388
00:22:40,495 --> 00:22:42,261
Prepare to receive the Americans!

389
00:22:42,261 --> 00:22:44,844
(man shouting)

390
00:22:48,820 --> 00:22:50,044
Ready arms!

391
00:22:50,044 --> 00:22:50,877
Present!

392
00:22:52,053 --> 00:22:52,886
Fire!

393
00:22:52,886 --> 00:22:55,219
(guns fire)

394
00:22:58,140 --> 00:23:00,807
(men screaming)

395
00:23:02,367 --> 00:23:03,200
(guns fire)

396
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:04,185
With intense firing,

397
00:23:04,185 --> 00:23:07,020
exuberant shouting and incessant war cries,

398
00:23:07,020 --> 00:23:09,412
some 700 Voltigeurs, Glengarries

399
00:23:09,412 --> 00:23:12,414
and a handful of Mohawk Warriors give the Americans

400
00:23:12,414 --> 00:23:15,220
the impression they are much larger force.

401
00:23:15,220 --> 00:23:16,820
(explosions)

402
00:23:16,820 --> 00:23:19,153
(guns fire)

403
00:23:20,381 --> 00:23:22,554
The US officer commanding loses his nerve

404
00:23:22,554 --> 00:23:24,827
and orders the invasion force to retreat back

405
00:23:24,827 --> 00:23:26,758
over the border.

406
00:23:26,758 --> 00:23:29,091
(explosion)

407
00:23:34,089 --> 00:23:36,457
While the US army invading from Lake Champlain

408
00:23:36,457 --> 00:23:38,904
is being turned back at Chateauguay,

409
00:23:38,904 --> 00:23:40,771
the second American invasion called and led

410
00:23:40,771 --> 00:23:44,037
by General Wilkinson has left Sackets Harbor,

411
00:23:44,037 --> 00:23:45,966
moved down the St. Lawrence River,

412
00:23:45,966 --> 00:23:50,133
and come ashore on the Canadian side near Prescott, Ontario.

413
00:23:54,423 --> 00:23:58,552
The St. Lawrence River, November the 10th, 1813,

414
00:23:58,552 --> 00:23:59,836
Wilkinson's army of the north

415
00:23:59,836 --> 00:24:01,647
has landed on the Canadian shore

416
00:24:01,647 --> 00:24:05,492
for the main thrust against Montreal.

417
00:24:05,492 --> 00:24:06,984
A battle is imminent.

418
00:24:06,984 --> 00:24:11,151
But the general declines to leave his bunk aboard ship.

419
00:24:12,107 --> 00:24:13,821
General Wilkinson's staff reports

420
00:24:13,821 --> 00:24:15,469
that he is drinking heavily,

421
00:24:15,469 --> 00:24:18,219
and has dosed himself with opium.

422
00:24:19,646 --> 00:24:22,063
(explosions)

423
00:24:23,786 --> 00:24:27,986
The next morning, the 11th of November, 11 AM.

424
00:24:27,986 --> 00:24:30,445
Starting on the banks of the St. Lawrence River,

425
00:24:30,445 --> 00:24:33,358
the British and Canadian Regulars, Voltigeurs

426
00:24:33,358 --> 00:24:36,579
and Indian Warriors have formed a line across a field

427
00:24:36,579 --> 00:24:39,160
belonging to a St. Lawrence River Valley farmer,

428
00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:41,510
named as John Chrysler.

429
00:24:41,510 --> 00:24:45,446
They are vastly outnumbered, but stubbornly holding.

430
00:24:45,446 --> 00:24:48,196
(dramatic music)

431
00:24:53,517 --> 00:24:55,578
(men shouting)

432
00:24:55,578 --> 00:24:57,983
The United States army is pressing hard.

433
00:24:57,983 --> 00:24:59,698
But their general is missing,

434
00:24:59,698 --> 00:25:02,448
and the attacks are disorganized.

435
00:25:04,476 --> 00:25:06,470
Instead of throwing their overwhelming numbers

436
00:25:06,470 --> 00:25:08,368
against the Canadian line,

437
00:25:08,368 --> 00:25:11,166
the Americans burst into action piecemeal

438
00:25:11,166 --> 00:25:13,999
slowed down by rain-soaked fields.

439
00:25:19,287 --> 00:25:22,988
Desperate cavalry charges are met with withering fire.

440
00:25:22,988 --> 00:25:26,488
(gunshots and explosions)

441
00:25:28,802 --> 00:25:32,075
(man shouting)

442
00:25:32,075 --> 00:25:34,146
And then, it's over.

443
00:25:34,146 --> 00:25:35,601
The United States Army has suffered

444
00:25:35,601 --> 00:25:37,513
another humiliating defeat.

445
00:25:37,513 --> 00:25:40,726
The last threat to Montreal and Lower Canada in 1813

446
00:25:40,726 --> 00:25:42,952
has been decisively beaten back.

447
00:25:42,952 --> 00:25:45,035
Winfield Scott was there.

448
00:25:48,070 --> 00:25:52,689
Wilkinson's famous campaign began in boastings

449
00:25:52,689 --> 00:25:55,711
and ended in deep humiliation.

450
00:25:55,711 --> 00:25:58,374
Montreal was still within easy grasp,

451
00:25:58,374 --> 00:26:00,282
but the fatuity of the general-in-chief

452
00:26:00,282 --> 00:26:03,322
made success almost impossible.

453
00:26:03,322 --> 00:26:07,129
In disgust, the army retreated out of Canada.

454
00:26:07,129 --> 00:26:10,046
(triumphant music)

455
00:26:11,451 --> 00:26:12,892
General James Wilkinson

456
00:26:12,892 --> 00:26:15,342
is relieved of command and called to account

457
00:26:15,342 --> 00:26:18,781
for his handling of the army of the north.

458
00:26:18,781 --> 00:26:21,494
Friends in Washington do not deserve him.

459
00:26:21,494 --> 00:26:23,077
He escaped censure.

460
00:26:27,488 --> 00:26:30,855
But now across the United States, sedition is in the air.

461
00:26:30,855 --> 00:26:33,772
(triumphant music)

462
00:26:45,762 --> 00:26:48,955
By early 1814, the war is going so badly

463
00:26:48,955 --> 00:26:51,526
for the United States, that it not only threatens

464
00:26:51,526 --> 00:26:53,970
the administration of James Madison,

465
00:26:53,970 --> 00:26:58,053
it threatens to break up the American federation.

466
00:27:02,292 --> 00:27:04,209
But president hears that the New England States

467
00:27:04,209 --> 00:27:06,369
are planning to withdraw from the union

468
00:27:06,369 --> 00:27:08,536
if the war is not stopped.

469
00:27:10,602 --> 00:27:13,732
The seditious opposition in Massachusetts and Connecticut,

470
00:27:13,732 --> 00:27:16,871
with intrigues elsewhere cooperating with it

471
00:27:16,871 --> 00:27:18,838
have so clogged the wheels of war

472
00:27:18,838 --> 00:27:22,493
that I fear the campaign will not accomplish its ends.

473
00:27:22,493 --> 00:27:25,410
(triumphant music)

474
00:27:28,902 --> 00:27:32,655
A deep gloom, approaching to despair,

475
00:27:32,655 --> 00:27:35,040
oppressed the whole American people,

476
00:27:35,040 --> 00:27:37,796
especially the supporters of the war.

477
00:27:37,796 --> 00:27:40,905
The disasters on land have been enumerated.

478
00:27:40,905 --> 00:27:43,220
And now, the New England States were preparing

479
00:27:43,220 --> 00:27:46,286
to hold a convention at Hartford

480
00:27:46,286 --> 00:27:48,987
perhaps to succeed from the union

481
00:27:48,987 --> 00:27:51,987
possibly to take up arms against it.

482
00:27:53,300 --> 00:27:55,348
The American government needs victories.

483
00:27:55,348 --> 00:27:57,596
And quickly, there is a house cleaning

484
00:27:57,596 --> 00:27:59,975
in the US Army Command Structure.

485
00:27:59,975 --> 00:28:01,768
A new generation of military leaders

486
00:28:01,768 --> 00:28:05,048
finally moves into the field to take command.

487
00:28:05,048 --> 00:28:07,133
A leading brigade of the army of the north

488
00:28:07,133 --> 00:28:09,008
comes under Winfield Scott.

489
00:28:09,008 --> 00:28:13,091
(lively military marching music)

490
00:28:15,182 --> 00:28:18,490
(foreign language)

491
00:28:18,490 --> 00:28:20,618
Frankenstein march!

492
00:28:20,618 --> 00:28:22,101
At Buffalo, New York,

493
00:28:22,101 --> 00:28:26,363
Scott's officers begin rigorous training, 10 hours a day,

494
00:28:26,363 --> 00:28:27,933
employing real regulations

495
00:28:27,933 --> 00:28:30,205
drawn up for the Napoleonic army.

496
00:28:30,205 --> 00:28:32,854
(foreign language)

497
00:28:32,854 --> 00:28:36,456
The evolutions of the line, or the harmonious movement

498
00:28:36,456 --> 00:28:40,039
of many battalions in one or more lines,

499
00:28:40,039 --> 00:28:42,530
were next daily exhibited for the first time

500
00:28:42,530 --> 00:28:44,197
by an American army.

501
00:28:45,619 --> 00:28:49,786
Confidence, the dawn of victory, inspired the whole line.

502
00:28:53,555 --> 00:28:55,173
US forces crossed from Buffalo

503
00:28:55,173 --> 00:28:57,137
to Fort Erie in Upper Canada,

504
00:28:57,137 --> 00:28:59,676
where the Fort quickly surrenders.

505
00:28:59,676 --> 00:29:03,605
Without pausing, the US invasion moves up to Niagara River,

506
00:29:03,605 --> 00:29:07,347
confident that upper Canada is theirs for the taking.

507
00:29:07,347 --> 00:29:10,192
The Chippewa, the British intend to make a stand

508
00:29:10,192 --> 00:29:14,359
in a farmer's field within side of the Niagara River.

509
00:29:19,957 --> 00:29:22,790
(heavy footsteps)

510
00:29:26,318 --> 00:29:29,436
As Scott's 1,300 regulars come forward,

511
00:29:29,436 --> 00:29:31,393
their British commander is expecting battalions

512
00:29:31,393 --> 00:29:34,217
of untrained Buffalo militia.

513
00:29:34,217 --> 00:29:38,384
He is confident, 1,500 British guns will make them run.

514
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,737
(men screaming)

515
00:29:42,737 --> 00:29:45,362
(guns fire)

516
00:29:45,362 --> 00:29:48,303
When he see Scott's brigade advancing in line,

517
00:29:48,303 --> 00:29:51,316
taking casualties without breaking,

518
00:29:51,316 --> 00:29:54,124
the astonished British general declares,

519
00:29:54,124 --> 00:29:56,541
"Those are regulars, by God."

520
00:29:57,548 --> 00:29:59,885
(men screaming)

521
00:29:59,885 --> 00:30:02,635
(dramatic music)

522
00:30:04,265 --> 00:30:07,303
(explosion)

523
00:30:07,303 --> 00:30:09,742
The battle is fierce and short,

524
00:30:09,742 --> 00:30:12,492
waged for less than half an hour.

525
00:30:14,959 --> 00:30:17,003
It is not in human nature

526
00:30:17,003 --> 00:30:20,316
that a conflict like this should last many seconds.

527
00:30:20,316 --> 00:30:24,033
(soldiers shouting)

528
00:30:24,033 --> 00:30:28,200
The enemy's whole force broke in quick succession and fled

529
00:30:31,630 --> 00:30:36,400
leaving the field thickly strewn with his dead and wounded.

530
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,067
(men screaming)

531
00:30:39,978 --> 00:30:41,765
(guns fire)

532
00:30:41,765 --> 00:30:44,026
The defenders of Canada retreat

533
00:30:44,026 --> 00:30:47,943
leaving behind 456 killed, wounded and missing.

534
00:30:49,997 --> 00:30:54,164
The US forces suffered 295 casualties, but win the day.

535
00:30:57,482 --> 00:31:01,016
For the first time, US Regulars have beaten British Regulars

536
00:31:01,016 --> 00:31:02,514
in a stand-up fight.

537
00:31:02,514 --> 00:31:06,681
For American war hoax, it is a desperately needed victory.

538
00:31:07,647 --> 00:31:11,189
History has recorded many victories on a much larger scale

539
00:31:11,189 --> 00:31:13,416
than that of Chippewa.

540
00:31:13,416 --> 00:31:16,429
But only a few that have wrought a greater change

541
00:31:16,429 --> 00:31:19,190
in the feelings of the nation.

542
00:31:19,190 --> 00:31:21,440
Everywhere bonfires blazed,

543
00:31:23,018 --> 00:31:25,371
bells rang out peals of joy,

544
00:31:25,371 --> 00:31:27,781
the big guns responded,

545
00:31:27,781 --> 00:31:31,367
and the pulse of Americans recovered a healthy beat.

546
00:31:31,367 --> 00:31:34,700
(lively marching music)

547
00:31:45,075 --> 00:31:47,232
In the summer of 1814

548
00:31:47,232 --> 00:31:50,384
on the Niagara River, the Unites States now believe

549
00:31:50,384 --> 00:31:53,843
the momentum of war is finally on their side.

550
00:31:53,843 --> 00:31:56,475
They've won an important victory at Chippewa.

551
00:31:56,475 --> 00:31:58,587
Now, they are looking for a decisive battle

552
00:31:58,587 --> 00:32:01,376
in their campaign to overwhelm Canada.

553
00:32:01,376 --> 00:32:04,293
(victorious music)

554
00:32:10,650 --> 00:32:13,501
Within sound of the Great Cataract at Niagara,

555
00:32:13,501 --> 00:32:17,668
such a battle is shaping up in that late days of July 1814.

556
00:32:22,107 --> 00:32:24,539
Led by Scott's brigade, the American force

557
00:32:24,539 --> 00:32:26,179
has been moving methodically north

558
00:32:26,179 --> 00:32:30,419
down the Niagara River towards the falls.

559
00:32:30,419 --> 00:32:33,686
On a piece of high ground at a place called Lundy's Lane,

560
00:32:33,686 --> 00:32:36,098
the defenders of Canada decided to make their stand

561
00:32:36,098 --> 00:32:38,431
against America's best army.

562
00:32:41,094 --> 00:32:44,011
(foreboding music)

563
00:32:53,143 --> 00:32:56,221
At Lundy's Lane, the heart of the Canadian defense position

564
00:32:56,221 --> 00:32:57,632
is a cemetery.

565
00:32:57,632 --> 00:33:00,549
(foreboding music)

566
00:33:06,044 --> 00:33:07,699
Here, Royal Artillery officers

567
00:33:07,699 --> 00:33:10,218
chose the most advantageous positions

568
00:33:10,218 --> 00:33:13,468
for the most feared weapon, the cannon.

569
00:33:15,586 --> 00:33:19,753
Every Red Coat on the Niagara is summoned to battle.

570
00:33:20,987 --> 00:33:23,885
Almost 3,000 British and Canadian troops

571
00:33:23,885 --> 00:33:25,881
and a band of Indian Warriors

572
00:33:25,881 --> 00:33:28,077
are converging on Lundy's Lane.

573
00:33:28,077 --> 00:33:30,994
(foreboding music)

574
00:33:34,074 --> 00:33:36,399
Leading a company of the New Brunswick Regiment

575
00:33:36,399 --> 00:33:37,982
is John Le Couteur.

576
00:33:41,271 --> 00:33:43,829
I made my usual prayers to God

577
00:33:43,829 --> 00:33:45,970
to grant me His protection and my life.

578
00:33:45,970 --> 00:33:47,337
Ready though, I was to lay that down

579
00:33:47,337 --> 00:33:49,668
for my country at His pleasure.

580
00:33:49,668 --> 00:33:53,835
But hoping that no worse than a wound might befall me.

581
00:33:56,349 --> 00:33:59,349
July 25th, 1814, 9 PM.

582
00:34:01,204 --> 00:34:02,943
In the high summer heat,

583
00:34:02,943 --> 00:34:06,308
the bloodiest battle of the war is about to commence.

584
00:34:06,308 --> 00:34:09,225
(foreboding music)

585
00:34:13,407 --> 00:34:16,546
As darkness falls, nearly 2,000 Americans

586
00:34:16,546 --> 00:34:19,046
moved towards the battlefield.

587
00:34:20,410 --> 00:34:23,042
It is a critical night for Winfield Scott.

588
00:34:23,042 --> 00:34:24,847
All eyes are on his brigade

589
00:34:24,847 --> 00:34:28,930
expecting no less than another brilliant victory.

590
00:34:31,874 --> 00:34:34,856
In the dusky light, Scott makes out the British cannon

591
00:34:34,856 --> 00:34:37,800
so close he hears their whispered preparations.

592
00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:42,635
His men are in harm's way, but there is no going back.

593
00:34:42,635 --> 00:34:45,135
By degrees the low commands,

594
00:34:46,177 --> 00:34:47,927
halt, dress, forward!

595
00:34:49,903 --> 00:34:51,835
Often repeated.

596
00:34:51,835 --> 00:34:54,581
Became more and more audible

597
00:34:54,581 --> 00:34:57,664
in the awful stillness of the moment.

598
00:34:58,803 --> 00:35:01,339
The British cannon are loaded with grapeshot,

599
00:35:01,339 --> 00:35:03,922
deadly clusters of steel balls.

600
00:35:04,846 --> 00:35:07,263
(explosions)

601
00:35:12,443 --> 00:35:13,416
(men screaming)

602
00:35:13,416 --> 00:35:15,833
(explosions)

603
00:35:17,125 --> 00:35:21,292
Scott's brigade of 1,300 Regulars is being shattered.

604
00:35:22,591 --> 00:35:26,185
Their commander makes a fateful decision.

605
00:35:26,185 --> 00:35:28,641
Instead of ordering a retreat, Scott,

606
00:35:28,641 --> 00:35:31,737
desperate to preserve the position and his reputation,

607
00:35:31,737 --> 00:35:34,070
orders his men to hold fast.

608
00:35:35,135 --> 00:35:37,468
(explosion)

609
00:35:39,300 --> 00:35:41,861
An extravagant opinion prevailed throughout the army

610
00:35:41,861 --> 00:35:45,382
at this time with regard to the prowers, nay

611
00:35:45,382 --> 00:35:48,392
invincibility of Scott's brigade.

612
00:35:48,392 --> 00:35:51,610
By standing fast, the salutary impression

613
00:35:51,610 --> 00:35:53,571
would be made upon the enemy

614
00:35:53,571 --> 00:35:57,038
that the whole American reserve was close at hand

615
00:35:57,038 --> 00:35:59,566
and ready to assault his flanks.

616
00:35:59,566 --> 00:36:00,986
(explosion)

617
00:36:00,986 --> 00:36:02,205
(horse whinnying)

618
00:36:02,205 --> 00:36:03,970
One British officer watching the slaughter

619
00:36:03,970 --> 00:36:06,358
of Scott's brigade observed,

620
00:36:06,358 --> 00:36:08,656
dread seem to forbid his advance,

621
00:36:08,656 --> 00:36:11,073
shame to restrain his flight.

622
00:36:15,328 --> 00:36:17,063
Elsewhere on the battlefield,

623
00:36:17,063 --> 00:36:18,839
a US officer is ordered to attack

624
00:36:18,839 --> 00:36:23,020
and seize the British cannon at all costs.

625
00:36:23,020 --> 00:36:24,633
(explosions)

626
00:36:24,633 --> 00:36:26,529
The Americans moved through an orchard

627
00:36:26,529 --> 00:36:28,029
to attack from the flank.

628
00:36:28,029 --> 00:36:28,862
Fire!

629
00:36:28,862 --> 00:36:30,017
At the British line,

630
00:36:30,017 --> 00:36:31,750
Mohawk War Chief John Norton

631
00:36:31,750 --> 00:36:33,000
saw them first.

632
00:36:35,247 --> 00:36:36,939
He observed the moon glimmer lightly

633
00:36:36,939 --> 00:36:38,670
on the plates of their caps,

634
00:36:38,670 --> 00:36:41,651
the form of which denounced them as our enemies.

635
00:36:41,651 --> 00:36:44,167
Before I could speak, they fired.

636
00:36:44,167 --> 00:36:46,434
(guns fire)

637
00:36:46,434 --> 00:36:48,980
What ensues is a Herculean struggle

638
00:36:48,980 --> 00:36:51,647
in the cemetery at Lundy's lane.

639
00:36:53,334 --> 00:36:56,422
(gunshots and explosions)

640
00:36:56,422 --> 00:36:58,635
British soldiers who had fought in the bloodiest battles

641
00:36:58,635 --> 00:37:02,571
against Napoleon would later gasp that nothing compared

642
00:37:02,571 --> 00:37:06,024
to the fight for their guns at Lundy's.

643
00:37:06,024 --> 00:37:08,441
(explosions)

644
00:37:23,368 --> 00:37:26,618
10 PM, the Americans seized the cannon.

645
00:37:32,777 --> 00:37:36,406
Affairs began to look very gloomy on our side.

646
00:37:36,406 --> 00:37:39,073
(men screaming)

647
00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:42,594
The British and American force

648
00:37:42,594 --> 00:37:47,325
now makes three bloody attempts to take back the guns.

649
00:37:47,325 --> 00:37:49,382
Each party seemed resolved to rest

650
00:37:49,382 --> 00:37:51,965
the hope of victory on its fire,

651
00:37:51,965 --> 00:37:54,632
a blaze with shells and rockets.

652
00:37:55,612 --> 00:37:56,911
Though both armies suffered greatly,

653
00:37:56,911 --> 00:37:58,903
the enemy suffered more.

654
00:37:58,903 --> 00:38:01,692
(explosions)

655
00:38:01,692 --> 00:38:02,712
The British and Canadians

656
00:38:02,712 --> 00:38:05,043
have suffered terrible casualties.

657
00:38:05,043 --> 00:38:08,225
But as midnight approaches, the fate of the US Army

658
00:38:08,225 --> 00:38:12,392
is symbolized by what is happening to Scott and his brigade.

659
00:38:14,864 --> 00:38:18,163
Scott leads what is left of his regiments through the night,

660
00:38:18,163 --> 00:38:22,330
intent on a coup de grace against the British line.

661
00:38:23,528 --> 00:38:26,512
An American columnist takes Scott's tubes for British

662
00:38:26,512 --> 00:38:27,582
and opens fire.

663
00:38:27,582 --> 00:38:29,915
(guns fire)

664
00:38:31,322 --> 00:38:32,488
At the same time,

665
00:38:32,488 --> 00:38:36,373
the British open fire on Scott and his men.

666
00:38:36,373 --> 00:38:38,706
(guns fire)

667
00:38:42,549 --> 00:38:44,286
For their second time in the battle,

668
00:38:44,286 --> 00:38:46,579
Scott's brigade is devastated

669
00:38:46,579 --> 00:38:50,473
brought down by the hubris of its commander.

670
00:38:50,473 --> 00:38:52,909
In the middle of the action, the general has fallen,

671
00:38:52,909 --> 00:38:55,419
grievously wounded by a British musket ball.

672
00:38:55,419 --> 00:38:58,999
For Winfield Scott, the War of 1812 is over.

673
00:38:58,999 --> 00:39:01,416
(calm music)

674
00:39:12,243 --> 00:39:16,141
I assure you, I never passed so awful a night

675
00:39:16,141 --> 00:39:18,505
as that of that of the action.

676
00:39:18,505 --> 00:39:21,979
The stillness of the evening when the firing had ceased.

677
00:39:21,979 --> 00:39:24,979
The groans of the dying and wounded.

678
00:39:26,603 --> 00:39:30,385
Soldier’s life is very horrid sometimes.

679
00:39:30,385 --> 00:39:32,802
(calm music)

680
00:39:41,701 --> 00:39:44,083
The United States still held the guns

681
00:39:44,083 --> 00:39:46,944
but exhausted and fearing another British attack.

682
00:39:46,944 --> 00:39:48,565
What's left of the American army

683
00:39:48,565 --> 00:39:51,732
slowly withdraws from the battlefield.

684
00:39:54,839 --> 00:39:59,006
The last American invasion of Canada has been defeated.

685
00:40:04,030 --> 00:40:06,780
For both sides, the cost is high.

686
00:40:11,792 --> 00:40:15,959
William Dunlop was there, a surgeon with the British Army.

687
00:40:17,074 --> 00:40:19,168
There is hardly on the face of the earth

688
00:40:19,168 --> 00:40:20,550
a less enviable situation

689
00:40:20,550 --> 00:40:23,492
than that of an army surgeon after a battle.

690
00:40:23,492 --> 00:40:26,112
Worn out and fatigued in body and mind.

691
00:40:26,112 --> 00:40:29,152
Surrounded by suffering, pain and misery.

692
00:40:29,152 --> 00:40:30,392
Much of which he knows,

693
00:40:30,392 --> 00:40:33,903
it is not in his power to heal or even to assuage.

694
00:40:33,903 --> 00:40:36,927
While the battle lasts all these pass unnoticed.

695
00:40:36,927 --> 00:40:38,992
But they come before the medical man afterwards

696
00:40:38,992 --> 00:40:41,125
in all their sorrow and horror,

697
00:40:41,125 --> 00:40:45,292
stripped of all the excitement of the heady fight.

698
00:40:53,316 --> 00:40:54,264
These are the drawings

699
00:40:54,264 --> 00:40:58,536
done by a British battlefield surgeon from 1815.

700
00:40:58,536 --> 00:41:01,286
(dramatic music)

701
00:41:03,222 --> 00:41:06,317
They show that by far, the greatest number of injuries

702
00:41:06,317 --> 00:41:08,071
come from artillery fire.

703
00:41:08,071 --> 00:41:10,821
(dramatic music)

704
00:41:15,267 --> 00:41:18,395
The drawings carefully document the condition of men

705
00:41:18,395 --> 00:41:21,895
whose arms are blown off by cannon blasts.

706
00:41:32,282 --> 00:41:36,449
Along with men whose skulls are shattered by saber cuts.

707
00:41:42,114 --> 00:41:44,279
Or perforated by gunshots.

708
00:41:44,279 --> 00:41:47,029
(dramatic music)

709
00:42:09,770 --> 00:42:13,566
In the morning light of the 26th of July 1814,

710
00:42:13,566 --> 00:42:17,166
at the killing ground of the cemetery at Lundy's Lane,

711
00:42:17,166 --> 00:42:20,528
when the casualties are finally counted,

712
00:42:20,528 --> 00:42:24,021
the British and Canadians have suffered 878 dead,

713
00:42:24,021 --> 00:42:26,379
wounded and missing.

714
00:42:26,379 --> 00:42:28,296
The American army, 860.

715
00:42:31,419 --> 00:42:34,656
The Americans have suffered a strategic defeat.

716
00:42:34,656 --> 00:42:36,376
Soon, their army of invasion

717
00:42:36,376 --> 00:42:39,682
will be pulled back to the United States.

718
00:42:39,682 --> 00:42:41,547
The battle has been decisive,

719
00:42:41,547 --> 00:42:44,128
but not in the way Winfield Scott had hoped.

720
00:42:44,128 --> 00:42:46,878
(dramatic music)

721
00:43:06,669 --> 00:43:09,718
Within site of the capital building in Washington,

722
00:43:09,718 --> 00:43:13,173
is an American army tribute to Winfield Scott.

723
00:43:13,173 --> 00:43:15,995
Scott recovered from his wounds at Lundy's Lane.

724
00:43:15,995 --> 00:43:18,746
And after the War of 1812, became general-in-chief

725
00:43:18,746 --> 00:43:20,564
of the United States Army,

726
00:43:20,564 --> 00:43:23,564
and remained so until the Civil War.

727
00:43:28,777 --> 00:43:31,567
At the US Military Academy at West Point,

728
00:43:31,567 --> 00:43:33,722
Scott is recognized as a Founding Father

729
00:43:33,722 --> 00:43:36,305
of America's Professional Army.

730
00:43:39,724 --> 00:43:43,245
Here he passed away in 1866 at the age of 80.

731
00:43:43,245 --> 00:43:45,993
And was buried with full military honors.

732
00:43:45,993 --> 00:43:48,410
(calm music)

733
00:43:57,029 --> 00:43:58,475
On the British side,

734
00:43:58,475 --> 00:44:01,702
John Le Couteur survived the War of 1812.

735
00:44:01,702 --> 00:44:03,243
And his fighting journal remains

736
00:44:03,243 --> 00:44:06,743
one of the best documents of the conflict.

737
00:44:09,664 --> 00:44:11,680
He became a British Army Colonel

738
00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:13,945
with a large family and a good life.

739
00:44:13,945 --> 00:44:16,362
(calm music)

740
00:44:18,011 --> 00:44:19,206
At his ancestral home

741
00:44:19,206 --> 00:44:21,868
on the British Channel Island of Jersey,

742
00:44:21,868 --> 00:44:26,385
Le Couteur died peacefully on Christmas Eve 1875

743
00:44:26,385 --> 00:44:27,836
at the age of 82.

744
00:44:27,836 --> 00:44:30,253
(calm music)

745
00:44:31,691 --> 00:44:35,191
(military marching music)

746
00:44:36,775 --> 00:44:39,569
In Canada, the battlefield of Lundy's Lane

747
00:44:39,569 --> 00:44:41,307
is still a cemetery.

748
00:44:41,307 --> 00:44:44,807
(military marching music)

749
00:44:47,061 --> 00:44:49,589
After the battle was over,

750
00:44:49,589 --> 00:44:53,969
America's best army abandoned the plan to conquer Canada.

751
00:44:53,969 --> 00:44:58,136
In the autumn of 1814, they will be needed at home.

752
00:45:01,132 --> 00:45:03,659
England had won the struggle with Napoleon.

753
00:45:03,659 --> 00:45:06,906
And now a British Armada was sailing for America

754
00:45:06,906 --> 00:45:10,739
with orders to bring war to the United States.

755
00:45:14,098 --> 00:45:16,931
(imperious music)