Like it's American counterpart, the Anglo-Canadian Army of the War of 1812 was comprised of a multitude of elements ranging from the regulars of the British Army to units of Fencibiles, Militia, and Native American Allies. As with the American forces, all of the different elements saw service on the battlefield. However, unlike their American counterparts, the various elements of the Crown forces worked well together, lacking many of the problems found in the American Army. Together, the various mots of the Anglo-Canadian Army prevented an American conquest of much of Canada. The "Established Forces" For the Anglo-Canadian Army, the term "Established Forces" can be said to refer to those units raised by a Royal Warrant and responsible to either the War Office or the Board of Ordnance in London. In keeping with British tradition, foot and horse fell under the jurisdiction of the first, while artillery and engineers fell under the second. The basic organization of these formations tended to be used as the pattern by which similar formations were raised. For the Anglo-Canadian Army, the basic building block was the "Regiment of Line Infantry", a collective of from one to seven battalions of foot depending on the regiments history and role. On occasions more than one battalion of a regiment of foot would serve together, but that was the exception rather than the rule. Battalions tended to be sent where they were needed, so elements of a regiment could be scattered about the globe. The traditions of the regiment however often shaped the service of its component battalions. There was no regimental organization other than the fact that each regiment had a colonel. Rather each infantry battalion was formed as an independent entity: The strength of each infantry battalion varied according to its establishment, with a peacetime infantry battalion being allotted as few as 42 rank and file (privates and corporals) per company to wartime time establishments with over 100 rank and file. A war strength infantry battalion of 1812 had the following paper organization: 1812 Battalion Staff 1 lieutenant colonel 1 major 1 adjutant 1 quartermaster 1 paymaster 1 surgeon 1 surgeon's mate 1 sergeant major 1 quartermaster sergeant 2 principal musicians Eight "center" companies, each with 1 captain 1 lieutenant 1 ensign 4 sergeants* 6 corporals 2 musicians 90 privates One Grenadier company; with 1 captain 2 lieutenants 4 sergeants* 6 corporals 2 musicians 90 privates One Light Infantry company with 1 captain 2 lieutenants 4 sergeants* 6 corporals 2 musicians 90 privates * In 1813, one sergeant per company was promoted to the newly created rank of "color sergeant When sent overseas, a battalion would often be filled up to its paper strength However once overseas. recruits may or may not be forthcoming. while illness, death and desertion, not to forget losses in action, would take a steady toll from its ranks. Officers would be promoted or transferred to hold staff positions. and a regiment might considered itself lucky to go into action with half of its actual strength! At the start of the war, the following battalions of British Infantry were located in British North America 1st Foot (Royal Scots) # -1 st Battalion - Lower Canada 8th Foot - 1st Battalion - Lower Canada 8th Foot - 2nd Battalion - Nova Scotia 41st Foot - 1st Battalion, - Upper Canada 49th Foot - Lower Canada 98th Foot - Nova Scotia 99th Foot - Nova Scotia 100th Foot - Lower Canada 103rd Regiment 4 - Lower Canada 104th Foot - New Brunswick # These two battalions had been ordered to Canada in 1812 as replacement formations for the 1st Battalion. 41st Foot and 49th Foot, which been in Canada since 1799 and 1802 respectively These battalions were in turn to be transferred back to England to be rebuilt. On news of the outbreak of war, the transfer was canceled and the two new battalions were used to reinforce the Canadian garrison. In 1813 the following additional regiments of foot arrived as reinforcements in Canada These newly-arrived units had the standard establishment as above: 13th Foot 2/41st Foot 49th Foot 70th Foot 102nd Foot# # The 102nd Foot was used to help conduct raids off the American coast in 1813. In addition to the above units. six unique additional units of infantry arrived as reinforcements. The first two were Swiss Regiments in British service, those of de Watteville and de Meuron. Regiment de Watteville was formed after the Peace of Amiens in 1802 from the remains of the old emigre Swiss. and organized as a standard British regiment. (It's light company however was called a "chassuur-' company.) It had served with distinction in the Mediterranean, and was one of the handful of British regiments allowed a battle honor at this time - that for its role at the battle of Maida in 1806. It's sister regiment, de Meuron had been formed from the Swiss serving in Dutch service in Ceylon in 1798! (The British agreed to take over the unit and its back pay.) The regiment consisted of two battalions, with each battalion having five companies of 120 men. One company in the first battalion was the grenadier company, while one company in the second battalion was a chassuer company. The regiment served in India till 1806, after which it was sent to Malta as part of the garrison. From Malta it sailed for Canada in 1813. Both regiments appear to have been sent to Canada at full strength, as de Waterville was to have an establishment of some 1,604 officers, and de Meuron had an establishment of 1,339 men  Among the other units to arrive in 1813 were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Marines. The 1st and 2nd Battalions were sent to Canada, while the 3rd Battalion served off the American coast. These battalions were made up as follows: 1812 Battalion Staff 1 lieutenant colonel 1 major 1 adjutant 1 quartermaster 1 paymaster 1 surgeon 1 surgeon's mate 1 sergeant major 1 quartermaster sergeant 2 principal musicians Eight infantry companies, each with: 1 captain 1 lieutenant 1 ensign 4 sergeants* 6 corporals 2 musicians 90 privates One artillery company, with: 1 captain 4 lieutenants 4 sergeants 4 corporals 6 bombardiers 2 musicians 60 privates One Rocket Half Company 1 lieutenant 1 sergeant 1 corporal 2 bombardiers 20 privates The artillery companies were to act as gunners as needed, providing fire support from armed launches, and or by using hand drawn light field guns once ashore. The two Royal Marine Artillery companies which sailed with the 1st and 2"d Battalions took with them four 6# field guns. two 5.3" howitzers on field carriages, two 8" howitzers, and two 10" mortars. The last type of unit that arrived in 1813 were the two "Independent Companies of Foreigners"' otherwise known as the "French Independent Companies". These were sometimes called by mistake the "Chasseurs Britanniques" or the "Canadian Chasseurs", which were titles of very different Crown formations serving elsewhere. Each company was to have a paper strength of 5 officers and 148 enlisted men. These formations were commanded by French emigre officers, with the rank and file recruited from French Army prisoners of war. The original plan had been to use these units as garrison troops in the West Indies but they were diverted to service along the American coast. After controversial service in the Chesapeake Bay area, they were sent to Halifax. After additional complaints were registered on these units while stationed there, they were returned to England and disbanded. One regiment of Light Dragoons arrived in Canada in 1813 to provide the Crown forces there with badly needed cavalry. The regiment was to have: 19th Light Dragoons Regimental Staff 1 lieutenant colonel 2 majors 1 adjutant 1 quartermaster 1 paymaster 1 surgeon 1 veterinary surgeon 1 surgeon's mate 1 sergeant major 1 quartermaster sergeant 2 principal musicians Ten troops, each with I captain I lieutenant I cornet 4 sergeants 6 corporals 2 trumpeters 78 privates The ten troops were organized into five squadrons of two troops each, with one squadron normally left in Great Britain as the regimental depot. Three squadrons of the 19th Light Dragoons arrived in Canada in May of 1813. An inspection return of the regiment in late 1813 indicates that too squadrons were still at the regimental depot in Ireland, so that the 19th Light Dragoons never was at field strength while in Canada. The last elements of the established forces which served in the Anglo-Canadian Army were those that took orders from the Board of Ordnance: the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers. The last named was a unique organization in that it consisted of officers only, as any enlisted men were assigned to the Royal Corps of Artificers or the Royal Sappers and Miners. Members of the Royal Engineers served in small numbers throughout North America during the war, serving on the staffs of local commanders and drafting men as needed for their work. Small detachments of the Royal Corps of Artificers or the Royal Sappers and Miners saw service as well The other element of the Board of Ordnance was that of the Royal Artillery. In 1812. the Royal Artillery Regiment was divided into ten foot battalions. each of ten companies. Companies could sergc either as fortress or field artillery though for the last a detachment of the Corps of Drlyers needed to be assigned as well to provide transport for the vehicle. (The Royal Horse Artillery was a separate element of the Royal Artillery Regiment.) At the start of the war four companies of gunners were assigned to Canada. and another four companies were serving in the Maritime provinces. Companies were to base the following manpower on paper. Royal Foot Artillery Company 1 captain 1 captain (second) 2 first lieutenants 1 second lieutenant 5 sergeants 6 corporals 6 bombardiers 3 drummers 116 gunners * In 1813, one sergeant per company was promoted to the newly created rank of "color sergeant". Though formed into companies. the men of the Royal Artillery Regiment rarely fought that way in the field. Detachments were scattered along the frontier in different sizes as needed. Only at Montreal at the start of the war did a complete "field brigade" of field artillery exist, with both gunners and drivers assigned manning five six pound guns and one 5.5" howitzer. No other element of the Anglo-Canadian force would manage to be present at almost all of the engagements of the war. All of the gunners in British North America at the start of the war were from the 4th Battalion As additional units arrived over the next few years, elements of the 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th and loth Battalions saw service during the war. The Fencibles In addition to these infantry battalions, there were several other formations from the regular establishment serving in British North America. The first of these was the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion, a rather unique unit designed for a unique situation. On the frontier posts along the Anglo-American border, desertion was an ever present problem. After all, any unhappy private could cross the border and be a free man with a new start in life (It should be noted that the same problem existed for the prewar American posts along the lakes, who lost a steady stream of men into Upper Canada.) To curb this, the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion was sent to Canada in 1807. Organized with ten center companies of 65 rank and file and a normal number of officers, it was made up of older soldiers unfit for active service- It was hoped that these older soldiers. who were expecting a pension at the end of their enlistment, would be less entranced by thoughts of desertion and will remain at their posts. Spread out along the border from St. John just south of Montreal. to Fort St Joseph on the upper reaches of Lake Huron, the placement of the 10th Royal Veteran Battalion allowed for the concentration of those units which had been holding those posts. The second type of `established" unit used to fill the gap in British North America were the "Fencibles". "Fencible" Infantry Regiments were organized in a similar manner as line infantry battalions, save that they were limited by the terms of their enlistment to a set geographical area. Those units raised in British North America could serve anywhere in that area - but could not be sent to Europe or the dreaded West Indies. They could be shifted from colony to colony as needed within this area, making them the equal of the "regular" battalions in the event of war. In theory these units were to be recruited to the war establishment listed above, but were considered as "established' once the number of rank and file had reached at least 400. At the start of the war the following Fencible units had been raised: Royal Newfoundland Fencibles Raised 1803, 536 all ranks in 1812 Serving in Lower Canada Nova Scotia Fencibles Raised 1803 Serving in Newfoundland in 1812 Canadian Fencibles later The King's Canadian Corps of Fencible Foot # Raised 1803, 700+ all ranks in 1812 Serving in lower Canada in 1812 New Brunswick Fencible Corps of Foot Ordered raised 1812 # The Canadian Fencibles were raised in lower Canada among French speaking Canadians The first New Brunswick Fencible Regiment was raised in 1803, and volunteered in 1810 to be transferred from a status as a Fencible unit to that of a regular Regiment of Foot numbered the 104th It was still serving in New Brunswick in 1812, but awaiting orders - hence the need to organize a new unit to replace it. Two additional Fencible Regiments were formed at the start of the war that were to become famous in Canadian Military History. Both were Light Infantry formations and formed from specific groups of Canadians. The first unit was the Glcngarry Light Infantry Fencibles, and was formed from a group of Catholic Highland Scots who had settled in Upper Canada When the Glengarrv Fencible Regiment had been disbanded in Scotland after the Peace of Amiens in 1803 the Regiment Chaplain had coin need a large element to emigrate to Canada and settle in the St.' Lawrence River Valley. With the war fast approaching, the regiment was ordered reraised early in 1812 from among these settlers as a light infantry unit. Though six companies were planned, by the end of 1812 it appears to have been expanded to ten companies. Recruiting was limited to Canadians of British descent, and was carried out not only in Upper and Lower Canada, but in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Known as the `black stumps" from the color of the Rifle uniform that they wore, the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles saw active service in Upper Canada for most of the war. Battalion Staff 1 lieutenant colonel 1 major 1 adjutant 1 quartermaster 1 paymaster 1 surgeon 1 surgeon's mate 1 sergeant major 1 quartermaster sergeant 2 principal musicians Six, later eight, later ten companies, each with 1 captain 2 lieutenants 4 sergeants 4 corporals 2 musicians 54 - 70 privates The second unit was the Provincial Corps of Light Infantry, better known by its French title as the Canadian Voltigeurs. Raised by Captain Charles Michael de Salaberry, a member of a prominent Quebec family and a veteran of campaigns in Europe and the West Indians, it was recruited among French Canadians. Starting with six companies in early 1812, it expanded to eight by the end of the year Provincial Corps of Light Infantry (Voltiguers) Battalion Staff 1 lieutenant colonel 1 major 1 adjutant 1 sergeant armorer 1 bugle major 1 quartermaster 1 paymaster 1 surgeon 1 surgeon's mate 1 sergeant major 1 quartermaster sergeant 2 principal musicians Six, later eight companies, each with 1 captain 3 lieutenants 5 sergeants 5 corporals 2 musicians 77 privates The Organization of th Anglo-Canadian Army of the War of 1812 Established Forces Militia Provincial Marine Back to MWAN #118 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum 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