CHARACTERS

Brigadier General Alexander Smyth

Smyth, commander of the Army of the Center in Buffalo, NY was a boastful man with little or no military abilities. His invasion of Canada in November of 1812 failed with little to show for it.

After the battle, he and Brigadier General Peter Porter engaged in finger pointing, each blaming the other for it's failure. Finally the two engaged in a duel to resolve the issue. One historian appraised the outcome by saying, unfortunately both missed.

Madison, who was generally unable to take any hard actions with his generals . . . despite their poor performance . . . allowed Smyth to go home and then quietly had his name removed from the army rolls. Madison later remarked that Smyth's "talent for military command was... equally mistaken by himself and by his friends."