In the war of 1812, the possession of the Great lakes of Ontario and Erie were critical to the success of any military operations in the Northwest along the Canadian border To control these lakes was to control not only the supply of military resources, but also the movement of men and equipment into strategic fighting positions. Early in 1813, America had achieved two great victories that Madison described in his Annual Address that year as "achievements of our naval arms as brilliant in their character as they have been important in their consequences." Madison has happy to have proof that America had the enterprise and skills to match the British on the seas. And now they had the trophies, that is decisive victories to prove it.
"Whilst proofs have been continued of the enterprise and skill of our cruisers, public and private, on the ocean, and a trophy gained in the capture of a British by an American vessel of war, after an action giving celebrity to the name of the victorious commander, the great inland waters on which the enemy were also to be encountered have presented achievements of our naval arms as brilliant in their character as they have been important in their consequences."One of these victories, was by Captain Perry on Lake Erie, and the other was that of Captain Chauncey on Lake Ontario. This post will deal with the success on Lake Ontario. Madison reported to Congress that year, that Captain Chauncey was able to establish an "ascendancy on that important theater". Madison's words are a bit hard to follow here, but it seems that Madison is saying that Captain Chauncey and his men did everything humanly possible to defeat the British but missed out on some opportunity to further prove the "shining display of his own talents and the gallantry of those under his command." Truth is that while, Captain Chauncey gained superiority on Lake Ontario, he missed out on the opportunity to gain a complete victory like Captain Perry did on Lake Erie.
"On Lake Ontario the caution of the British commander, favored by contingencies, frustrated the efforts of the American commander to bring on a decisive action. Captain Chauncey was able, however, to establish an ascendancy on that important theater, and to prove by the manner in which he effected everything possible that opportunities only were wanted for a more shining display of his own talents and the gallantry of those under his command."In late summer of 1812, Commodore Isaac Chauncey was appointed commander of naval operations on the Great Lakes. His first obligation was to build a fleet of ships. To control the Great Lakes, there were really only two options. Either destroy all of the enemy's vessels or build a powerful fleet that could send the enemy back to her ports. On November 8, while additional vessels of the fleet were still being built, Captain Chauncey led the "Oneida" an six armed schooners on an exploit to chase the "Royal George" back to it's port at Kingston Harbor. The "Oneida" engaged the "Royal George" for about 20 minutes of steady firing and was able to force the "Royal George" back to shore. This gave the Americans control of the lake, but it was fleeting, by late November the lakes began to freeze over and navigation was closed until the following spring. By springtime, the battle over Lake Ontario had returned. The Americans encountered some significant setbacks. In April, Captain Chauncey set his eyes on an attack on York (modern day Toronto) with 1700 troops under Brigadier-General Pike and 14 vessels. First, strong winds forced the troops to be driven further westward than originally intended and they had to land without protection from the other vessels. The troops were ambushed. Second, other American vessels pressing on toward the main artillery works of the British, endured an explosion of the magazine and 200 Americans were killed or wounded. Yet Chauncey was able to triumph at Sackets Harbor and captured the "Duke of Glocester" destroying large amounts of military and naval stores during the battle. The attack on York was a success, mostly due to the failure on the part of the British for failing to leave the fort properly protected.
Later that spring, Chauncey had an ever greater victory. He set his eyes on Fort George at the mouth of the Niagara river. One early foggy morning, the American squadron sailed to the head of the lake from York and when the fog lifted at sunrise they encountered the British. Three of the American vessels took aim on the battery and attacked it so skillfully that it was completely silenced. With the battery gone, the American troops under General Winfield Scott landed but were repulsed repeatedly by the superior numbers of the British. Yet, after 20 minutes of hard fighting, the enemy fighters broke rank and fled. The American troops then rushed the fort, and General Scott pulled down the British flag. In the battle, the British lost about 900 men, while the Americans suffered less than 70. Furthermore, the British abandoned the entire Niagara frontier.
While the troops were battling at Fort George, the British attempted a counter-attack at Sackets Harbor where Captain Chauncey had left only a small force. On May 29th, British General Sir James Yeo landed at Sackets Harbor with his men. Americans were outnumbered and initially fled, but then they returned to fight, they were surprised to see that the British had returned to their vessels. In June, Chauncey returned back to Sackets Harbor. A number of smaller battles between Chauncey and Yeo continued through the summer, but none were decisive. Then on September 28th, two American squadrons came in contact with the "Wolfe" Yeo's flagship and destroyed it so severely and killed so many men that Sir James Yeo had to flee. With this victory, the Captain Chauncey and the Americans gained lasting supremacy on Lake Ontario. Yet, Chauncey missed an opportunity to go out after the demoralized British fleeting. Having done so, Chancey might have gained a complete victory over the British like Captain Perry had done so on Lake Erie.
It seems sort of embarrassing when the President tells Congress you missed an opportunity to prove your shining talents and the bravery of your men. Nevertheless, he did have three ships of the US Navy named after him. It's just that he was out-shined by his peer Captain Perry, and for some reason Madison thought it was necessary to point that out.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29455
THE NAVAL HISTORY OF LAKE ONTARIO AND LAKE ERIE IN THE WAR OF 1812.: FIRST PRIZE ESSAY, Ada Winifred Hill
Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association, Vol. 13 (1914), pp. 377-388 http://www.jstor.org/stable/42889471?seq=5#page_scan_tab_contents
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Battle_of_Sacket%27s_Harbor.jpg
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