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October 26, 1813 In 1914 to Russian armies, whose commanders despised each other, marched separately into East Prussia and were destroyed in turn by a much smaller German force. 101 years before that the same battle plan occurred in North America . . . with the same results. To take Lower Canada, Secretary of War Armstrong sent two forces on separate paths. One led by Maj. Gen. James Wilkinson from Sackett's Harbor and the other, commanded by Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton via Lake Champlain with the goal of meeting at Montreal. The plan, like the one at Tannenburg, was hampered by a pointless feud between the American commanders. The British Prepare Alerted to Hampton's advance (Hampton took the better part of a month to move 50 miles), Lt. Col. Charles de Salaberry, began mustering militia and light infantry units to meet the threat. Composed entirely of troops recruited in Canada without any British regulars, Salaberry's combined force numbered only around 1,500 men and consisted of Canadian Voltigeurs, Fencibles, and various units of Militia. Reaching the border, Hampton faced a common problem when over 1,000 New York militiamen refused to cross into Canada. Proceeding with his regulars, Hampton force still numbered at least 2,600 men.
British Defense Position Knowing Hampton's exact position, Salaberry assumed selected a site along the north bank of the Chateauguay River. Extending his line north along the bank of English River, he directed his men to construct a line of abatis to protect the position. Normally dividing one's army in the face of a numerically enemy is not recommended, Salaberry faced Hampton, who would not be up to exploiting this mistake. Salaberry personally commanded the forces at the abatis, he assigned leadership of the reserves to Lt. Col. George MacDonnell.
Hampton Advances Reaching the vicinity of Salaberry's lines late on October 25, Hampton dispatched Col. Robert Purdy's regiment to the south shore of the river with the goal of advancing and securing the rear of the British position. In this way, they could attack the British from behind as Brigadier Gen. George Izard mounted a frontal assault on the abatis. Having given Purdy his orders, Hampton completely lost his demeanor when a letter from Armstrong informed him that Wilkinson was now in command of the campaign. In addition, Hampton began plans for a withdrawal, but Purdy was already committed.
The Americans Held Marching through the night, Purdy's men encountered difficult terrain and failed to reach the attack jump off point in time. Pushing forward, Izard encountered Salaberry's skirmishers around 10AM on October 26. Forming around 300 men from the Voltigeurs, Fencibles, and various militia formations at the abatis, outnumbered by more that 3 to 1 Salaberry prepared to meet the American assault. As Izard's brigade moved forward, Purdy came into contact with the militia guarding the rear. Striking Brugiere's company, they made some headway until being counterattacked by two companies led by Capt. Daly and Capt. de Tonnancour. Surprised, Purdy decided to fall back. Izard began pressing Salaberry's men along the abatis. This forced the Fencibles, which had advanced forward of the abatis, to fall back. With the situation becoming precarious, Salaberry brought up his reserves and used bugle calls to fool the Americans into thinking that large numbers of enemy troops were approaching. This worked and Izard's men assumed a more defensive posture. In the rear, Purdy had re-engaged the Canadian militia. In the fighting, both Brugière and Daly fell badly wounded. The loss of their captains led the militia to begin falling back. In an effort to encircle the retreating British, Purdy's men came under heavy fire from Salaberry's main force. Shocked, they broke off their pursuit. Having observed this result, Hampton elected to end the engagement. Aftermath Though a relatively minor engagement, the Battle of the Chateauguay had significant implications as Hampton, angry with the Armstrong letter, elected to withdraw back to Four Corners rather than move towards the St. Lawrence. Marching south, he dispatched a messenger to Wilkinson informing him of his actions. In response, Wilkinson ordered him to continue his advance. Hampton refused and moved south to Plattsburgh. Wilkinson's advance was halted at the Battle of Crysler's Farm on November 11 when he too was beaten by a smaller British force. Receiving Hampton's refusal to advance after the battle, Wilkinson used it as an excuse to abandon his offensive and move into winter quarters at French Mills. This action effectively ends the 1813 campaign season.
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