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No Calling up the Militia Many officers knew that states wouldn't send their militia on an "offensive war" and would use their militia only defensively. The plan to get around that was to use state militia to replace regular troops holding defense positions in the states and sending those released regulars to Canada. But that didn't work. For example, on June 22, 1812, the War Department called up 4 companies of militia from Gov. Roger Griswold of Connecticut, to be placed at Ft. Trumbull near New London and another company to be placed at New Haven. Gen. Dearborn hoped to use these forces to release the regulars stationed there for service in Canada. Griswold refused, claiming that none of the conditions for calling up militia in the constitution had yet arisen. In any case, he stated that sending Militia troops to a federal fort (and placing them under the command of the US Army officer in charge of that emplacement) transferred the militia to the Army of the United States and would deprive the state of its militia.
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