A watershed event for the Canadians during the Anglo-American War of 1812. The tiny town of York, today’s Toronto, Ontario, was the colonial capital of Upper Canada, established in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe for the sole purpose of being further away from the American frontier. Despite the town’s status as the capital it was poorly regarded called Muddy York, a far cry from the seat of British power in North America, Quebec City. And while the town itself was far from a tactical target, it wasn’t a tactical target that US Army commander, Henry Dearborn, wanted following a series of American defeats in 1812.Read More →

When the United States of America declared war on the British Empire, they knew they could not go toe to toe with the might of the British Navy. Instead, they invaded the closest British held territory, Upper, and Lower Canada. Not all the citizens in the British-controlled colony were on the side of the Empire, many in fact supported the American invasion and wanted to see the British influences in North America removed. Some left Upper Canada for the USA, and some others chose to help the Americans on the Canadian side of the border. Most citizens of Upper Canada supported the British Forces, manyRead More →