This battalion is one of my favorite wargame units. Uniformed, equipped, and trained as regulars, the Volunteer Battalion of Incorporated Militia gave a good account of themselves at Lundy’s Lane and the subordinate companies were represented in a number of battles and skirmishes. I also had the honor of speaking with and photographing the modern-day re-enactors at Fort Erie a few years ago. Background For those of you who want some background on Upper Canada militia, it is interesting to know that militia was organized in single battalion (ten company) regiments along county lines. Some counties had more than one regiment. All males, 16 to 60 were enrolled in the sedentary militia. The sedentary militia could be called up or “embodied” in an emergency but most typically the regiment would be directed to draft a specific number for a specific amount of time. For example, if the Lieutenant Governor needed four hundred men to man a garrison for two months, he would assess a number from the local regiments. The regimental commanders would then fill their quotas from drafts. The drafted men would serve, after which they would usually not serve again until all others in the regiment had served a tour of duty. However, there was a desperate need for manpower during the war that could not be met entirely by regulars. In March 1813, orders went out to all the counties of Upper Canada to recruit separate companies of dragoons, artillery, and infantry from the sedentary militia. The recruits were to be volunteers for the duration and were embodied under the Militia Act, not the articles of war. [This means that they could not be flogged as a punishment.] Thus, the term “incorporated” was used to describe their status. For all intents and purposes, however, these men would be treated as regulars as far as pay, training, equipping etc. Incorporated companies fought at the defense of York in April 1813, and operations around Fort George in August through December 1813 including the capture of Fort Niagara and the burning of Buffalo. Uniform and Organization As near as I can determine, the most likely uniform for these new companies of volunteer infantry was a green coat, faced red with white lace in the typical infantry cut. There is also evidence that a red coat faced dark green was issued to some of these companies. The regulation felt “stovepipe” shako was available for issue. Pants were described as “blue” and I think this is distinct from the blue-gray overalls then issued to regulars. Gray overcoats were issued just like the regulars and it appears likely that all other equipment was regulation as well. In February 1814, thirteen of the incorporated companies were ordered to York to organize as a battalion. The commander was Captain William Robinson of the 8th or King’s Regiment and he was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel in the militia. Robinson, a thirty-two year old Irishman, was thoroughly competent and an excellent choice to command. In April, the battalion organized into the regulation 10 companies. Operating as a battalion was different than operating as separate companies and the battalion was thoroughly drilled. The men responded well. Sometime during the battalion’s organization, the uniform was standardized as red coats, faced dark blue, with white lace. It is in this uniform that the battalion fought its most serious battle, Lundy’s Lane. War Record American Major General Jacob Brown and his famed Left Division invaded Canada across the Niagara River on 3 June 1814. Lieutenant General Gordon Drummond sent the Incorporated Militia from York to the Niagara Peninsula to reinforce Major General Phineas Riall’s Right Division. Arriving on 8 July, the Incorporated Militia participated in the general withdrawal to Fort George after the Battle of Chippawa on 5 July. Around 15 July, the Incorporated Militia was assigned to the Second or Light Brigade along with the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles. The brigade commander was Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Pearson, a very experienced soldier. The British and Americans danced up and down the Niagara Valley without making contact until 25 July when Winfield Scott’s First Brigade broke into the open field and faced Drummond's division atop the ridge along Lundy’s Lane. The 336 men of the Incorporated Militia were placed at the extreme left of the British line, along a trail which was an extension of Lundy’s Lane. In the failing light, the Incorporated Militia was trading shots with a company of Americans when out of nowhere, Major Thomas Jesup’s Twenty-Fifth Infantry fired a devastating volley from their concealed positions in a nearby wood line. Following up the musket fire with a bayonet assault, the Americans overran the left flank companies of the Incorporated Militia. Lieutenant Colonel Robinson took a musket ball in the forehead while rallying his battalion. With the colonel down, command devolved to Major James Kerby who succeeded in extricating the remnants of the battalion and stabilizing it a few hundred yards behind the original position. In the dark, Jesup’s men did not pursue. The Incorporated Militia lost about 100 men in the surprise assault. Meanwhile, an assault by the Americans threw the entire British line backward save the guns atop the ridge which were captured. Drummond, his men disorganized but not beaten, decided to counterattack the ridge and repossess his guns. The Incorporated Militia, still on the far left of the British line, participated in three heart-breaking uphill assaults upon the Americans. Firing at point-blank range in utter darkness, each side could only see the other by the glare of the musket flashes. When it was all over, the British failed to push the Americans off the ridge. However, after midnight the Americans withdrew on their own, and the British and Canadians occupied their old positions the following morning. The Volunteer Incorporated Militia lost 9 killed and 44 wounded in the battle plus an unknown number of missing and captured. The battalion remained on the Niagara Peninsula until November, after the Americans returned to Buffalo. The Incorporated Militia returned to York for the winter. In recognition of their fighting skills, Drummond proposed uniforming them as riflemen and designating them light infantry but the war ended before this idea was put into action. In March 1815 the battalion was disbanded and the militiamen returned to their peacetime pursuits. The provincial legislature gave each man a bonus of six months pay as a reward for their service and the king awarded the battalion the honor “Niagara” to appear on their colors. Surprisingly, William Robinson survived his head injury but never recovered well enough to continue on active duty. He died at age forty-eight, certainly a result of his grievous wound. Today, the battalion is well-represented by an active re-enactment group. It also appears on my tabletop, always in the heat of the action. Map Back to Table of Contents -- War of 1812 #1 Back to War of 1812 List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 by Rich Barbuto. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com