background
Background
--- early 1834
A manifesto known as "the 92 resolutions" is sent by the Lower-Canada's chamber to the british authorities. It is concerned mainly with excesses of the governor and demand reforms.
--- Late 1834
The Parti Patriote wins the elections with 95% of the votes giving them 77 seats out of 88
--- mid 1835
the gosford commission is convened to study the state of the colony of Lower Canada
--- Late 1836
Following a special meeting of the chamber, a resolution is adopted whereby the representatives will not sit until the constitution is reformed.
--- mid 1837
a number of pro republican assemblies are held in various parts of the colony. The governor denounce them as close to being seditious but refrain from intervening.
--- 18 august 1837
Opening of the session of parliement. members of the Parti Patriote make an entrance wearing clothes made in the province and solely from canadian produces including beef skin boots and "étoffe du pays" (unprocessed wool) vest and ridding coats. Tough ridiculed by their oponents, it begins a fad amongst members of the party and the population at large. Lord Gosford disolve the Assembly of Lower Canada after it refuses to accept the budget.
--- 5 septembre 1837
foundation of the fils de la liberté (sons of liberty) with an initial membership of around 500 men under the command of "general of the troops" Thomas Storrow Brown. In parishes, people organise themselves into militias that paralel the official ones Calling themselves "les milices de l'assemblé" (as oposed to the ones deride as "les milices du conseil").
--- 24 october 1837
Assembly of the 6 counties in St-Charles attended by thousands of peoples. Speeches are made demanding a national convention to redress their grievances. A split appear between the followers of Papineau who wishes to follow a consitutional method and those of Nelson who want to adopt a more militant approach. It is at this assembly that Wolfred Nelson famously said:"It is time to melt our spoons to turn them into bullets".
--- November 1837
The Fils de la liberté announce their intention to hold a large assembly in Montreal. Alarmed, the authorities quickly forbid parades and political meetings. Young men of the pro-government Doric Club attack without provocation a group of known fils de la liberté and destroy the office of the vindicator, an english language pro patriote newspaper. In St-jean, a group of Patriotes openly defy the government decree by marching in time with banners. Upon hearing of this, a cavalry detachment is sent which exchange some shots before the patriotes retreat. A few of the known patriote leaders are arrested at their homes on suspicion of fometing dissent but are quickly released. 71 justice of the peace suspected of "disloyalty" toward the crown are dismissed. The President of the Fils de la liberté and his lieutenant are formaly charged with high treason. In Chambly, upon hearing of the arrests, some residents take up arms and manage to free some members of the fils de la liberté who were being lead under escort to Montreal by government troops. "General" Brown and his
men seize the seignorial manor of St-Charles to make it their headquarter.
--- 23 November 1837
On their way to quash the rebelion in Saint-Charles, government troops clashes with armed members of the Parti Patriote in St-Denis and are forced back after 7 hours of fighting. A patriote camp is set up in St-benoit but its leaders decide to stay strictly on the defensive.
--- 25 November 1837
A large contingent of government troops arrive in St-Charles to retake it from the rebels. After a 2 hours battle, the patriotes leave their position and scatter in the country side. 32 wounded patriotes left behind are massacred by british troops.
--- 5 December 1837
Martial Law is declared in Montreal and in parts of Lower Canada where acts of rebelion have occured.
Power is given to special agents of the governor to order any inhabitants of Lower Canada that they chose to prove their loyalty by swearing alliegance to the crown with those refusing to do so being arrested on the spot on suspiscion of sedition.
--- 14 December 1837
Government troops return to St-Denis and find it undefended. The entire village is burned to the ground as reprisal for the earlier defeat. The troops then move to St-benoit and St-Eustache where, after defeating local rebels, the habitations are put to the torch.
--- 19 December 1837
Upper Canadian Reformists Under Mackenzie seize Navy island On the Niagara River near the border with New York. A US steamer called the Caroline is used to ferry goods and men from various points to the island.
British army personnel immediately find out about it and a detachement of volunteers ware sent, under cover of darkness, to scuttle it. The boarding party assumed the boat would be taken with a minimum of trouble but it turns into a running battle during witch the Caroline's Captain and some sailors are killed. After forcing the rest of the crew onshore, the boat's mooring were cut and then set ablaze with the current carying her over the falls.
--- 20 December 1837
Upon hearing of the preceding night's events, New York Governor Marcy calls in the militia to the border both to prevent further incursion and to preserved the current state of neutrality as the US government does not desire a conflict with Great-Britain.
--- Early 1838
Lord Russell (British Colonial Secretary) reject the demands of the assemblies of upper and lower canadas for greater autonomy and full control of the economy. To this, the Parti Patriote call for a complete boycott of British goods and encourage Lower-canadians to practice smuggling with the united States for what cannot be made locally. Lower Canada's Governor, Lord Gosford, respond by banning public assemblies. At the same time in Upper Canada, a group of reformists under William Lyon Mackenzie found the Committee of Vigilance of Upper Canada as a from of paralel government for the province.
The US officially declare neutrality in the conflict that oppose the patriotes/reformists to the government after some of the rebels used US soil as staging ground. It threaten to use force against any who might break this neutrality.
As the situation deteriorate, the government suspend the constitution of 1791, people can thereafter be arrested on simple suspicion and are to be tried in front of a military tribunal.
--- 5 January 1838
Public meetings are held in various US town along the border with Upper Canada. They condemn the action that lead to the demise of some of the Caroline's crew but stop short of asking for a declaration of war demanding instead that the government adopt a policy of "Benificial Neutrality" toward the rebels.
--- 18 February 1838
3 state arsenals are broken into and their content stolen by reformists.
--- 22 February 1838
Reformists under General Donald McLeod attack Kingston and capture Fort henry thanks to inside help and superior number.
--- 23 february 1838
Hearing that a large contingent of British reinforcement is on its way, the reformists are forced to abandon Fort henry which they set ablaze after plundering it.
--- 28 february 1838
a group of 300-400 patriotes expatriate lead by "general" Nelson cross the border from the US to attempt an invasion of Lower-Canada. They are pushed back after a short engagement and interned by the US authorities. They are released shortly thereafter when a sympathetic jury find them not guilty of breeching the neutrality act.
The verdict embolden many patriots who see this as a sign that the US authorities or at least the public at large are willing to turn a blind eye to their behaviour.
--- March 1838
A new organisation known as the Freres-chasseurs is organised in the US by expatriate lower canadians. Unlike the fils de la liberté, the organisation is highly secretive, never publicly acknowledging its own existence to outsiders and threatening with death members who might betray its secrets. To allow some of it's officers to move without arousing suspicion, the affairs of the lodge are often conducted under the guide of the Candian Refugee Relief Association which has offices in many states.
Local lodges are set up around Lower Canada and the northern United States. Apart from indoctrination meetings, they also hold drill practices late at night in the deep woods away from prying eyes.
Local groups called Hunter's Lodges are created to cater to exiled upper canadians and US sympathisers.
--- July 4 1838
A hunter's Lodge force under Henry S. Handy leaves from detroit and attack Upper Canada before retreating back into the US.
--- 3 November 1838
Following a series of secret messages, the freres chasseurs congregate to a number of pre determined camps around montreal: Beauharnois, Ste-Martine, Chateauguay, Pointe olivier (near St-mathias), Riviere-a-la-tortue (near St-Constant), boucherville and Napierville, the last being the largest and the one serving as headquarter for "General in chief" Nelson. Arriving in the middle of the night, the freres-chasserus quickly disarm known & suspected loyalists. They then take up defensive positions. The only other offensive action is to seize the steamship Henry Brougham to use it for transport and potentialy convert it into a war vessel.
--- 4 November 1838
A declaration of Independance is made by Nelson at his camp in front of his men.
--- 5 November 1838
Hearing of the rebel actions, Troops are sent from Montreal to the area but are beaten back after a fierce battle.
--- November 1838 - December 1838
Further expeditions are sent to try and quell the rebelion but the rebels continue to simply defend their position which are increasingly fortified.
--- December 1838 - January 1839
On the 7th, Anthony Van Egmond marches on Toronto with a rebel army. Lieutenant-Governor Francis Bond flees the city in fear for his life. The rebel army numbering in the thousand manage to overwelm the 300 soldiers that had been left in the city, the rest having been sent to Lower Canada.
Some of these same troops are immediatly recalled to Upper Canada to the dismay of the lower canadian authorities who see a sudden change in rebel activities as these decide to move out for the first time and take control of Laprairie, Chambly, Boucherville, Sorel and Saint-Jean, the later by a force lead by Nelson himself using canoe going up the Richelieu.
On the following day, groups in the western half of Upper-Canada rise up in open rebelion with forces gathering on the Road to Dundas. The ranks of the Rebel Army swell up when news reach them of Van Egmond Victory. With the Capital and many villages under control of the rebels, Mackenzie declare the Republic of Upper Canada With him as head of its provisional government.
On the 29th, trying to prevent supplies from reaching the rebels, a group of loyalist militiamen under Navy Commander Drew capture the Caroline, a US ship chartered by the rebels. During the attack, one of its US sailor is killed and his relative and many townspeople demands intervention by the US government. The President however, wanting to prevent a war, sent soldiers to ensure there would be no reprisal.
Largely due to the tension it created, a small skirmish between US and British american militiamen in the disputed Aroostook Area (Maine/New Brunswick) quickly escalated leading to a series of officialy-unofficial tit-for-tat actions.
--- Mid 1839
Meanwhile in Great-Britain, many in the chartist movement saw that the demands made by the rebels in the Canadas were the same as them and agitate for the government to come to an agreement. Fearing an uprisal if they appeared too soft, the House of commons declared chartists leaders to be seditious and a series of arrest ensues. This lead to the chartist calling for a "Sacred Month" (in effect a general strike) that manages to shut down some cities and prevent the british authorities from giving their full attention to the rebelions in the canadas.
--- Late 1839
Back in North-America, almost a year has passed since the begining of the uprising and the rebels have managed to gain control of large areas in both Canadas. Regular troops, spread too thin, proves unable to organised anything more then small operations. The rebels of Upper Canada are helped by some volunteers from the USA, notably a small army of Hunters Lodge Brethrens under the command of Finnish adventurer Nils Von Schoultz.
In Lower Canada, the frères-chasseurs and the fils de la liberté (nominaly under Papineau but commanded by Chenier) control large swats of the countryside between montreal and quebec with only the metropolis and the Eastern Township ans scatters communities remaining under British control (the former with the help of the loyalist Doric Club).
This is not rebelion anymore, this is war.