1812 жылғы соғыстағы британдық жасақтар тарихы

When the United States and the United Kingdom went to war against each other in 1812, the major land theatres of war were Upper Canada (broadly the southern portion of the present day province of Ontario), Michigan Territory, Lower Canada (roughly the southern part of present day Quebec) and the Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton (colony between 1784 and 1820). Each of the separate British administrations formed regular and fencible units, and both full time and part time militia units, many of which played a major part in the fighting over the two and a half years of the war.

Fencibles were military units raised on the same terms as regular troops, but liable for service only in North America.

This regiment was raised in 1803. The unit was trained in light infantry tactics with the intention of being formally converted to light infantry. Like light infantry units, they used bugles instead of drums to pass commands on the battlefield. There were many skilled axe men and boatmen in the regiment. Their pre war training also emphasized winter manoeuvres and amphibious operations. They made an epic winter march from Fredericton to Kingston in early 1813. Detachments from the regiment fought at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor and in the various campaigns on the Niagara peninsula. The flank companies suffered heavy casualties in a failed storming attempt during the Siege of Fort Erie. The unit was disbanded in 1817. The regiment is commemorated within the Canadian Army by the Royal New Brunswick Regiment which also carries the niagara battle honour awarded to the regiment in the aftermath of the conflict for its contribution on the Niagara peninsula, particularly at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. Another unit, also known as the New Brunswick Fencibles, was formed in 1813 to garrison various posts in the Maritime Provinces, and was disbanded in 1816.

The Nova Scotia Fencibles was raised in 1803.

First recruited in Scotland in 1803. The Scottish recruits feared that they were about to be "crimped" for service in India or other unhealthy posts, and mutinied. Afterwards, the regiment was re raised amongst the Canadiens of Lower Canada, who became the majority of the men in the unit, however, the majority of the officers and non commissioned officers were still Scotsmen. This heritage was reflected on the regimental insignia, which included a thistle (along with an acorn in the adjacent position of the crest).

Formed by order of Lieutenant General Sir George Prévost in 1812, recruited from settlements of discharged Scottish soldiers (and some evicted Scottish highlanders) in Glengarry district. Companies and detachments fought in several actions in Upper Canada in 1813, and the whole unit fought at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. The unit specialized in British light infantry tactics and thus was well trained in duties such as skirmishing and concealed sentry duty. While the unit was disbanded in 1816, its modern descendant within the Canadian Army is The Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Highlanders. A modern reenactment unit is based in Fort Erie Ontario, on the opposite side of the river from Buffalo, New York.

A small unit of 45 men raised at Fort Mackinac in 1813. Many of its personnel took part in actions in which the peoples to whom they were attached participated. They were supposed to wear full dress in action, to prevent them being mistaken for Americans by excited warriors (or being taken for "blue eyed Indians", renegades and rogue fur traders, by American soldiers). Indian Department officers were indeed often of mixed Native and European ancestry. Some claimed to speak little or no English. The most well known victory won by Natives fighting directly under British command was the Battle of Beaver Dams in 1813.

This had been responsible since the late 18th century for military transport and police duties on the Great Lakes. Several of the flank companies of other Select Embodied Militia battalions which had already seen much service with the Light Battalions were consolidated into the Chasseurs, while the existing personnel of the 5th battalion were dispersed among the other battalions. The Chasseurs wore substantially the same uniform as the Voltigeurs and were brigaded with them in the campaign in 1814 which ended with the Battle of Plattsburgh. The unit is perpetuated within the Canadian Army by Les Fusiliers du St Laurent. This unit should not be confused with the Independent Companies of Foreigners, which were raised from among French prisoners of war and served in Chesapeake Bay in 1813, being responsible for several acts of looting and rape, and were given the title "Canadian Chasseurs" by Major General Sidney Beckwith without authorisation.

A mounted unit, also known as Coleman's Troop after its commander. Though their unit contained French speaking Canadians for the majority, their orders were given in English. Les Voltigeurs de Québec perpetuate the history and heritage of the Canadian Voltigeurs within the Canadian Army.

A small company of volunteer cavalry. The Corps of Canadian Voyageurs are perpetuated in the Canadian Army by the Canadian Grenadier Guards.

Volunteers who served as drivers for units of the Royal Artillery. The entire unit fought at the Battle of Lundy's Lane where its commander, Lieutenant Colonel William Robison (a captain in the 8th (King's) Regiment at the start of the war) Served on the Niagara peninsula. The Provincial Dragoons would later be seen as an ancestral unit of the 2nd/10th Dragoons, which currently exists today as 10th Field Battery, 56th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA in St. Catharines, Ontario.

A mounted unit, Hussars specifically, located in Montréal. Founded on 1812/1813, possibly disbanded in the 1820s (Cavalry).

The French speaking population of Lower Canada had a long tradition of service in the militia. In 1812, Sir George Prévost disparagingly referred to the Lower Canada militia as "a mere posse, ill arm'd and without discipline". However, one British medical officer (William "Tiger" Dunlop) commented on seeing several units turned out for duty in late 1813,

They had all a serviceable effective appearance had been pretty well drilled, and their arms being direct from the tower, were in perfectly good order, nor had they the mobbish appearance that such a levy in any other country would have had. Their capotes and trowsers of home spun stuff, and their blue tuques (night caps) were all of the same cut and color, which gave them an air of uniformity that added much to their military look, for I have always remarked that a body of men's appearance in battalion, depends much less on the fashion of their individual dress and appointments than on the whole being in strict uniformity. They marched merrily to the music of their voyageur songs as they perceived our [scarlet] uniform as we came up, they set up the Indian War Whoop, followed by a shout of Vive le Roi along the whole line. Such a body of men in such a temper, and with so perfect a use of arms as all of them possessed, if posted on such ground as would preclude the possibility of regular troops out manoeuvring them, and such positions are not hard to find in Canada, must have been rather a formidable body to have attacked. Many militia had their own hunting weapons, and during the war, large numbers of British muskets were imported and issued to the militia. In theory, 54,000 men were available for service with the militia. Each parish provided a militia company. These were organized for administrative purposes into "divisions", equivalent to regiments though of very variable size. These in turn were administered by the Districts of Montreal, Trois Rivières and Quebec (although the Eastern Townships were largely independent of the Montreal district command). Except in one or two units raised in the cities of Quebec and Montreal, militiamen and junior officers generally wore serviceable homespun clothing, perhaps with a gorget for officers. Field officers sometimes wore a variety of quasi military uniforms. Two companies from Beauharnois were heavily engaged at the Battle of Châteauguay.

In Upper Canada, several parts of which were attacked or occupied by American forces during the war, there were conflicting demands on the militia. On the one hand they were required for military duty; on the other, they were urgently needed to grow and harvest crops. This hampered most attempts to organise their efforts consistently. The Upper Canadian militia were organised into Regiments, based on the "ridings" of each County, such as the 1st and 2nd Essex Militia based out of Essex County, Ontario. Normally in Upper Canada, militia units would meet once a year to receive minor military training. They would wear their own clothing and many armed themselves with their own weapons. At the instigation of Major General Isaac Brock, commanding in Upper Canada, each regiment formed two "flank companies" consisting of one captain, two subalterns, two sergeants, one drummer and thirty five men, who were prepared to train six times per month. They were not paid, but were exempt from Jury duty or service as any town or parish officer, or statutory duty to construct or maintain highways, or arrest in any civil case. Early in the war, many officials feared disaffection among the population of Upper Canada, many of whom were recent immigrants from the United States. In the event, Brock did much to rally public morale by his victory at Detroit.

The militia from the districts along the Saint Lawrence were never so troubled with disaffection as those further west, and took part in several raids and counter raids over the winter of 1812–13. Temporarily reinforced with regulars, many participated in the Battle of Ogdensburg. (Some of the Leeds militia sported captured American Rifle Regiment uniforms for the remainder of the war.) Late in 1813, the Americans under James Wilkinson descended the Saint Lawrence to attack Montreal. The Dundas County Militia harassed the American boats. 500 militia from Stormont and Glengarry were defeated at Hoople's Creek by 1500 Americans under Jacob Brown, but Wilkinson abandoned the campaign shortly afterwards. Other than this episode, the militia along the Saint Lawrence were little troubled during the remainder of the war.

During the initial stages of the war, Major General Isaac Brock moblized contingents of Upper Canada militia, including Essex, Kent, Norfolk, Middlesex, and Oxford from the western districts, to bolster his forces in the face of a large American invasion force being assembled in the Michigan territory under the command of Brigadier General William Hull. Though outnumbered, this combined force of regulars and militia was successful in capturing Detroit in August 1812. Elements of the Essex militia were also actively engaged at the Battle of Frenchtown in January 1813 and at the Siege of Fort Meigs in May 1813. Late in 1813, following the Battle of Lake Erie, the Americans recaptured Detroit, captured Amherstburg and defeated the retreating British army under Major General Henry Procter at the Battle of the Thames. A detachment from the Norfolk and Oxford Militias fought at the Battle of Nanticoke Creek. A detachment of men from the Norfolk and Middlesex Militias fought at the Skirmish at McCrae's House. From then until the end of the war, only small outposts of British regulars were stationed in the Western Districts of Kent, Essex and Norfolk. During 1814, American troops made several raids from Detroit or Lake Erie against these, causing much destruction. The local militia could not stop a determined expedition (for example, that which resulted in the Battle of Malcolm's Mills), but could stop small scale nuisance raids. The Essex and Kent militias are perpetuated in the Canadian Army by the Essex and Kent Scottish Regiment.