History Browser

Warfare in the 19th century was horrible, despite the colourful uniforms. In the aftermath of the November 1837 battle of Saint-Charles, a British officer helped two young Canadian women to find their Patriote father. His corpse was found, frozen and contorted, with a horrible head wound.

The 1838 Rebellion in Upper Canada led to a huge call up for the militia. More than 20,000 were under arms, supporting British troops in the colony. In later years, the population remembered the rebellions more for this outpouring of patriotism than for its relatively few casualties.

With Patriote forces at Saint-Eustache beaten in December 1837, British regulars and loyalist volunteers sacked the town, burning and looting. In the days following the battle, two other towns were burned, and undisciplined volunteers pillaged the surrounding countryside.

In Lower Canada, Francophones were scarred by the rebellions of 1837-38. Fighting was bloody and reprisals against civilians widespread. The British troops had fought bravely, as had Canadians on both sides. It was the Patriote politicians who had proved to be cowards.

The second engagement of the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837 saw British troops crush a gathering of Les Patriotes at Saint-Charles. When some rebels pretended to surrender and then opened fire again, the troops bayoneted many of them and then burned the village.