The Patriot War , D Ri G Which a Y Strife Raged
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PAT I T WA THE R O R. R E T B ROSS . BY OB R . Pu bl sh ed in et roit Ev en n New s 1890 . Rev sed b t h e aut h or fo r th e M c h an P on eer and ! i D i g . i y i ig i H r l t isto ica Soc ie y . ) I CHAPTER . R EVIEW OF —THE POLITICAL SITUATION AND CAUSES THAT LED TO m m REVOLT THE LEADER S IN TH—E M OVEMENT AND THE MILITAR Y OPERATIONS THEY INSTIGATED SOME —OF THE STIRRING SCENES ENACTED A LONG THE CANADIA—N BORDER FIGHTING FOR FR EEDOM UNDER PECULIAR DIFFICULTIES FEELINGS OF THE CITIZENS or T HE UNITED STATES TOWARD THE FACTIONS . of 1837 -8 u n blo od The patriot war , d ri g which a y strife raged fi r l o n n n n fund n t eo e ce y the Ca adia fro tier, has a of i teres to the p l n m n n m m n p e of Michiga . The ost i teresti g ove e ts of the war were con ducted alon g the Michigan border ; man y citizen s of this State fought u nder the twin stars of the rebel forces ; fou r engagements n in n an d an d s were co tested the vici ity of Detroit, the last deci ive n u e a u n battle , which exti g ished the hop s of the p triots, was fo ght withi i o n n n . yards of this city , the opposite Ca adia shore The causes of the in surrection date back to the English conqu est n a in 1759 u n w as e m n . of Ca da , by which that co try wrest d fro the Fre ch 2 T THE PA RIOT WAR. Ou September 13 of that year Wolfe defeated Mon tcalm and c aptu red u e an d Q eb c , both gallan t gen erals laid down their lives on the plain s of Abraham . The British conqu erors did n ot treat their n ew subjects w mu ons n and to an n n u ith ch c ideratio , the r kli g se se of s bjection experien ced by a prou d an d sen sitive race were added other B ITTER MEMORIES . In 17 3 n 6 Gen . mm n n n whe Gage , the British co a der, drafted a co ti gen t of French Can adian s to aid in reven gin g on the Indian s the massa c re of s n n the garri o at Macki aw, the levies were treated as beasts of u n an d oin n b rde , set to work at the p t of the bayo et, while the British ul s sat a in t n Th e n n reg ar at e se heir te ts . legislative cou cil or se ate excluded all n atives of Canada from a share in the con duct of its ff 0 a airs. N correct idea c an be given within the n arrow limits of a n ewspaper histo ry of the vexatious inj ustice practiced u pon the Fren ch n population . They were at o e time den ied the right of sitting as u o and w in m n m n j r rs, ere a y respects a proscribed class . S all wo der that many Fren ch Can adian s join ed the ran ks of th e heroes of t h e American revolu tion in 1776 . T HE POLITICAL SITUATION . The act di vidin g the cou n try in to Upper an d Lower Can ada w as d i 1 m n n u n nm n n passe n 791 . A se bla ce of co stit tio al gover e t was the ’ n u u d bu t s o ffice n l s i a g rate , the Briti h holders , realizi g that the peop e representatives would deman d of them a more equ itable discharge o f u u u n u an d p blic d ties , which wo ld ecessarily c rtail their privileges m u m n r t n n w e ol e ts , aised the cry hat the Fre ch were plotti g to thro m n in au u ofi the yoke of En glan d. More repressive easu res were the g d an d n u u t t en rate , the at ral res lt was a bit er hatred be we the people de m o f an d th e govern ing classes. The latter were ai d by a ajority n n u n n s n the Fre ch seig e rs, who had bee gra ted large tract of la d by th e n n m n and n con fi rmed a Fre ch gover e t , whose titles, had bee , as En n . n u o matter of policy, by the glish crow The few seig e rs who st od n m m men and one m by the Fren ch Canadia people beca e arked , of the , n d m n B . u n u a Den is Viger, was charged with seditio s co d ct, i priso ed 0 in a Mon treal jail when he was over 7 years of age . u m n Matters grew from bad to worse . The lower ho se of parlia e t e u n l passed several bills whic h were reject d by the legislative co ci , and the former then refused to vote mon ey to carry on the govern 3 THE PATRIOT WA R . A i on v e u u rovmce and men t . g tati spread e erywher thro gho t the p per n so ons son al collision s became frequ en t. A Mo treal ciety called the S of Liberty assembled to express their indign ation at th e con duct of n u the u pper house. The gatheri g was attacked by the Doric cl b, a an d u bu t n n . u loyalist orga izatio Cl bs, swords axes were freely sed , o bu t m i . N ne e e no fi rearms were d scharged were kill d, any wer n n n n n th e un severely wou nded . The e raged Ca adia i habita ts of co ties d n n n m m n St . r on nk a joi i g Mo treal , held a ass eeti g at Cha les, the ba s m u - m m n o n O of the Cha bly river, abo t thirty six iles fro Mo treal, cto u o e h ber 23 1837 . H J s a n e u , ere they were addressed by Lo is p P pi a , m n . L m m n n . M . e ber of the provi cial parlia e t, Dr Wolfred Nelso , Viger, an d F A an d . S. n . l Brow , Girod Messrs Lacoste Cote , who severe y n den oun ced the con du ct of the execu tive cou cil . Papin eau was a poli i i n an an d d n d n e h i t a d . c a patriot, ar e tly evoted to the i ter sts of s race A l h ad o n lthou gh a catho ic , he opp sed the levyi g of tithes for the u He in th e 1812 n benefit of that ch rch . had served war of as a offic e r n u s u of the horse militia of Mon treal . Whe H ll rren dered Detroit to m n th e Am n n n n Procter a y of erica priso ers were take to Mo treal . A s ’ the capti ves were marched to prison u nder guard of Papin eau s c om ” n b n u u n u n pa y, the British a d str ck p Ya kee Doodle, where po Papineau n an d n n n u o o n n left the li e i dig a tly ref sed to g , sayi g that the play ing of the tu n e was an in sult to the prisoners . He served as speaker 1 1 3 of t h e lower Can adian parliamen t from 817 t o 8 7 . R EPR ESSION A ND REVOLT . The execu tive cou n cil and sen ate became alarmed at the demon stra tion on the Chambly and caused warran ts to be issu ed for the arrest m P P n . m a d . s h rs . e Da i of the leade Two of the , De arais Dr Jos p v g h n e e un l n on St . o s , of J , wer arr sted by a troop of vol teer cava ry sen t f n n . o from Mo treal The sight the two priso ers , who were heavily l nz m n n e n u n to . co a acled , i cit d the Fre ch pop atio fre y The carriage n ‘ n n n in n l c tai i g the priso ers was stopped the streets of Mo trea , the av alr d d and th e n u .