Battle of York The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 fought on April 27 , 1813 , at York , Upper Canada ( present day Toronto ) on the north - west shore of Lake Ontario . An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lake shore to the west , defeated the defending British force and captured the fort , town and dockyard . The Americans themselves suffered heavy casualties , including Brigadier General Zebulon Pike who was leading the troops , when the retreating British blew up the fort ' s magazine . The American forces subsequently carried out several acts of arson and looting in the town before withdrawing . Though the Americans won a clear victory , it did not have decisive strategic results as York was a less important objective in military terms than Kingston , where the British armed vessels on Lake Ontario were based . Background . York , the provincial capital of Upper Canada , stood on the north shore of Lake Ontario . During the War of 1812 , the lake was both the front line between Upper Canada and the United States , and also part of the principal British supply line from Quebec to the various armies and outposts to the west . At the start of the war , the British had a small naval force , the Provincial Marine , with which they seized control of the lake , and also of Lake Erie . This made it possible for Major General Isaac Brock , leading the British forces in Upper Canada , to gain several important victories during 1812 by shifting his small force rapidly between threatened points to defeat disjointed American attacks individually . The United States Navy appointed Commodore Isaac Chauncey to regain control of the lakes . He created a squadron of fighting ships at Sackett ' s Harbor , New York by purchasing and arming several lake schooners and laying down new purpose - built fighting vessels . However , no decisive action was possible before the onset of winter , during which the ships of both sides were confined to harbour by ice . To match Chauncey ' s ships , the British laid down a sloop of war at Kingston , and another in the dockyard at York . This vessel was named after the general , who had been killed at the Battle of Queenston Heights the previous October . US planning . On January 13 , 1813 , John Armstrong , Jr . was appointed United States Secretary of War . Having been a serving soldier , he quickly appreciated the situation on Lake Ontario , and devised a plan by which a force of 7 , 000 regular soldiers would be concentrated at Sackett ' s Harbor on April 1 . Working together with Chauncey ' s squadron , this force would capture Kingston before the Saint Lawrence River thawed and substantial British reinforcements could arrive in Upper Canada . The capture of Kingston and the destruction of the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard together with most of the vessels of the Provincial Marine , would make almost every British post west of Kingston vulnerable if not untenable . After Kingston was captured , the Americans would then capture the British positions at York and Fort George , at the mouth of the Niagara River . Armstrong conferred with Major General Henry Dearborn , commander of the American " Army of the North " , at Albany , New York during February . Both Dearborn and Chauncey agreed with Armstrong ' s plan at this point , but they subsequently had second thoughts . That month , Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost , the British Governor General of Canada , travelled up the frozen Saint Lawrence to visit Upper Canada . This visit was made necessary because Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe , who had succeeded Brock as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada , was ill and unable to perform his various duties . Prevost was accompanied only by a few small detachments of reinforcements , which participated in the Battle of Ogdensburg en route . Nevertheless , both Chauncey and Dearborn believed that Prevost ' s arrival indicated an imminent attack on Sackett ' s Harbor , and reported that Kingston now had a garrison of 6 , 000 or more British regulars . Even though Prevost soon returned to Lower Canada , and deserters and pro - American Canadian civilians reported that the true size of Kingston ' s garrison was 600 regulars and 1 , 400 militia , Chauncey and Dearborn chose to accept the earlier inflated figure . Furthermore , even after two brigades of troops under Brigadier General Zebulon Pike reinforced the troops at Sackett ' s Harbor after a gruelling winter march from Plattsburgh , the number of effective troops available to Dearborn fell far short of the 7 , 000 planned , mainly as a result of sickness and exposure . During March , Chauncey and Dearborn recommended to Armstrong that when the ice on the lake thawed , they should attack the less well - defended town of York instead of Kingston . After capturing York , they would then attack Fort George . Although York was the Provincial capital of Upper Canada , it was far less important than Kingston as a military objective . Armstrong , by now back in Washington , nevertheless acquiesced in this change of plan as Dearborn might well have better local information . Historians such as John R . Elting have pointed out that this effectively reversed Armstrong ' s original strategy . Also , by committing the bulk of the American forces at the western end of Lake Ontario , it would leave Sackett ' s Harbor vulnerable to an attack by British reinforcements arriving from Lower Canada . Battle . The Americans appeared off York late on April 26 , 1813 . Chauncey ' s squadron consisted of a ship - rigged corvette , a brig and twelve schooner s . The embarked force commanded by Brigadier General Zebulon Pike numbered between 1 , 600 and 1 , 800 , mainly from the 6th , 15th and 16th U . S . Infantry , and the 3rd U . S . Artillery fighting as infantry . Dearborn , the overall army commander , remained aboard the corvette " Madison " during the action . The defences of York consisted of a fort a short distance west of the town , with the nearby " Government House Battery " mounting two 12 - pounder guns . A mile west was the crude " Western Battery " , with two obsolete 18 - pounder guns . ( These weapons were veterans of earlier wars and had been disabled by having their trunnion s removed , but they were fixed to crude log carriages and could still be fired . ) Further west were the ruins of Fort Rouillé and another disused fortification , the " Half Moon Battery " , neither of which was in use . Major General Sheaffe , the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada , was present at York to transact public business . He had under his command only four companies of regulars . The Militia was ordered to assemble , but only 300 of the 1st and 3rd York Regiments could be mustered at short notice . There were also about 40 to 50 natives ( Mississaugas and Ojibwa ) in the area . Early on April 27 , the first American wave of boats , carrying Major Benjamin Forsyth ' s company of the U . S . 1st Rifle Regiment , landed about west of the town , supported by some of Chauncey ' s schooners firing grapeshot . Because Sheaffe could not know where the Americans would land , Forsyth ' s riflemen were opposed only by some of the Indians led by Indian Agent James Givins , who were outflanked and retreated into the woods after a stiff resistance . Sheaffe had ordered a company of the Glengarry Light Infantry to support the Natives , but they became lost in the outskirts of the town , having been misdirected by Major - General Æneas Shaw , the Adjutant General of the Canadian Militia , who took some of the militia north onto Dundas Street to prevent any wide American outflanking move . As three more companies of American infantry landed accompanied by General Pike , the grenadier company of the 8th ( The King ' s ) Regiment of Foot charged them with the bayonet . The grenadiers were already outnumbered and were repulsed with heavy loss . Pike ordered an advance by platoons , supported by two 6 - pounder field guns , which steadily drove back the other two companies of Sheaffe ' s redcoats ( another company of the 8th regiment , and one from the Royal Newfoundland ) . The British tried to rally around the Western battery , but the battery ' s travelling magazine ( a portable chest containing cartridges ) exploded , apparently as the result of an accident . This caused further loss ( including 20 killed ) and confusion among the British regulars , and they fell back to a ravine north of the fort , where the militia were forming up . Meanwhile , Chauncey ' s schooners , most of which carried a long 24 - pounder or 32 - pounder cannon , were bombarding the fort and Government House battery . ( Chauncey himself was directing them from a small boat ) . British return fire was ineffective . Sheaffe decided that the battle was lost and ordered the regulars to retreat , setting fire to the wooden bridge over the River Don east of the town to thwart pursuit . The militia and several prominent citizens were left " " standing in the street like a parcel of sheep " " . Sheaffe instructed the militia to make the best terms they could with the Americans , but without informing the senior militia officers or any official of the legislature , he also dispatched Captain Tito LeLièvre of the Royal Newfoundland to set fire to the sloop of war under construction in the dockyard , and to blow up the fort ' s magazine . When the fort ' s magazine exploded , Pike and the leading American troops were only away , or even closer . The flag had been left flying over the fort as a ruse , and Pike was questioning a prisoner as to how many troops were defending it . Pike was mortally injured by flying stones and debris . The explosion killed 38 American soldiers and wounded 222 . Casualties . The American loss for the entire battle was officially reported as 52 killed and 254 wounded for the Army and 3 killed and 11 wounded for the Navy , for a total of 55 killed and 265 wounded . The British loss was officially reported by Sheaffe as 59 killed , 34 wounded , 43 wounded prisoners , 10 captured and 7 missing , for a total of 153 casualties . However , historian Robert Malcomson has found this return to be inaccurate : it did not include militia , sailors , dockyard workers or Native Americans and was incorrect even as to the casualties of the regulars . Malcomson demonstrates that the actual British loss was 82 killed , 43 wounded , 69 wounded prisoners , 274 captured and 7 missing , for a total of 475 casualties . Surrender . Colonel William Chewett and Major William Allen of the 3rd York Regiment of militia tried to arrange a capitulation , assisted by Captain John Beverley Robinson , the acting Attorney General of Upper Canada . The process took time . The Americans were angry over their losses , particularly because they believed that the ship and fort had been destroyed after negotiations for surrender had already begun . Nevertheless , Colonel Mitchell of the 3rd U . S . Artillery agreed to terms . While they waited for Dearborn and Chauncey to ratify the terms , the surrendered militia were held prisoner in a blockhouse without food or even medical attention for the few wounded . Forsyth ' s company of the 1st U . S . Rifle Regiment was left as guard in the town . At this stage , few Americans had entered the town . The next morning , the terms had still not been ratified , since Dearborn had refused to leave the corvette " Madison " . When he eventually did , Reverend John Strachan ( who held no official position other than Rector of York at the time ) first brusquely tried to force him to sign the articles for capitulation on the spot , then accused Chauncey to his face of delaying the capitulation to allow the American troops licence to commit outrages . Eventually , Dearborn formally agreed to the articles for surrender . The Americans took over the dockyard , where they captured a brig ( the ) in poor state of repair , and twenty 24 - pounder carronade s and other stores intended for the British squadron on Lake Erie . The " Brock " was beyond salvage . The Americans had missed another ship - rigged vessel , the " Prince Regent " , which carried 16 guns , as it sailed for Kingston to collect ordnance two days before the Americans had been sighted . The Americans also demanded and received several thousand pounds in Army Bills , which had been in the keeping of Prideaux Selby , the Receiver General of Upper Canada , who was mortally ill . Burning of York . Between April 28 and 30 , American troops carried out many acts of plunder . Some of them set fire to the buildings of the Legislative Assembly . It was alleged that the American troops had found a scalp there , though folklore had it that the " scalp " was actually the Speaker ' s wig . The Parliamentary mace of Upper Canada was taken back to Washington and was only returned in 1934 as a goodwill gesture by President Franklin Roosevelt . The Printing Office , used for publishing official documents as well as newspapers , was vandalized and the printing press was smashed . Other Americans looted empty houses on the pretext that their absent owners were militia who had not given their parole as required by the articles of capitulation . The homes of Canadians connected with the Indians , including that of James Givins , were also looted regardless of their owners ' status . Dearborn emphatically denied giving orders for any buildings to be destroyed and deplored the worst of the atrocities in his letters , but he was nonetheless unable or unwilling to rein in his soldiers . Sheaffe was later to allege that local settlers had unlawfully come into possession of Government - owned farming tools or other stores looted and discarded by the Americans , and demanded that they be handed back . Aftermath . The Americans sent the captured military stores away on May 2 but were then penned in York harbour by a gale . They left York on May 8 , in miserable weather , and required a period of rest at Fort Niagara on the Niagara peninsula before they could be ready for another action . Sheaffe ' s troops endured an equally miserable fourteen - day retreat overland to Kingston . Many members of the Provincial Assembly and other prominent citizens severely criticized Sheaffe , both for his conduct generally and during the fighting at York . For example , Militia officers Chewitt and Allan , the Reverend Strachan and others wrote to Governor General Prevost on May 8 , that Sheaffe " kept too far from his troops after retreating from the woods , never cheered or animated them , nor showed by his personal conduct that he was hearty in the cause . " Sheaffe lost his military and public offices in Upper Canada as the result of his defeat . However , the Americans had not inflicted crippling damage on the Provincial Marine on Lake Ontario , and they admitted that by preserving his small force of regulars rather than sacrificing them in a fight against heavy odds , Sheaffe had robbed them of decisive victory . Secretary of War Armstrong wrote , " . . . we cannot doubt but that in all cases in which a British commander is compelled to act defensively , his policy will be that adopted by Sheaffe – to prefer the preservation of his troops to that of his post , and thus carrying off the kernel leave us the shell . " The most significant effects of the capture of York were probably felt on Lake Erie , since the capture of the ordnance and supplies destined for the British squadron there contributed eventually to their defeat in the Battle of Lake Erie . Five currently active regular battalions of the United States Army ( 2 - 1 ADA , 1 - 2 Inf , 2 - 2 Inf , 1 - 5 Inf and 2 - 5 Inf ) perpetuate the lineages of several American units ( Crane ' s Company , 3rd Regiment of Artillery , and the old 6th , 16th and 21st Infantry Regiments ) that were engaged in the Battle of York . An archeological dig led by Ron Williamson to mark the 200th anniversary of the war shed new light on the battle . The dig unearthed evidence that the destruction of the magazine and its impact on US forces was bad luck . The Americans just happened to be at the exact distance of the shock wave and its debris field . The documentary film " Explosion 1812 " argues that the battle had a much greater impact than previously assumed . The mistreatment by US forces of the civilian Canadian population , dogged resistance by militia and the burning of British symbols and buildings after the battle led to a hardening of Canadian popular opinion . Later attack . Chauncey and Dearborn subsequently won the Battle of Fort George on the Niagara peninsula , but they had left Sackett ' s Harbor defended only by a few troops , mainly militia . When reinforcements from the Royal Navy commanded by Commodore James Lucas Yeo arrived in Kingston , Yeo almost immediately embarked some troops commanded by Sir George Prevost and attacked Sackett ' s Harbor . Although the British were nevertheless repelled by the defenders at the Second Battle of Sacket ' s Harbor , Chauncey immediately withdrew into Sacket ' s Harbor until mid - July , when a new heavy sloop of war had been completed . Chauncey sortied again on July 21 . Six days later , he embarked a battalion of troops commanded by Colonel Winfield Scott at the Niagara . They first intended to attack the British position at Burlington Heights at the western end of Lake Ontario , but found the defenders to be too strong and too well - entrenched for any landing to be successful . Instead , they decided to make another attack on York , and landed east of the town on July 31 . There was no opposition . ( The British regulars stationed at York had been rushed to Burlington Heights . ) The Americans burned a barracks and seized 11 batteaux , 5 cannon and some flour . Chauncey returned some private property , and books from the public library , which had been looted after the Battle of York . The Ontario Heritage Foundation erected a plaque in 1968 near the entrance to Coronation Park , Exhibition Place , Lake Shore Boulevard . The plaque reads : On the morning of July 31 , 1813 , a U . S . invasion fleet appeared off York ( Toronto ) after having withdrawn from a planned attack on British positions at Burlington Heights . That afternoon 300 American soldiers came ashore near here . Their landing was unopposed : there were no British regulars in town , and York ' s militia had withdrawn from further combat in return for its freedom during the American invasion three months earlier . The invaders seized food and military supplies , then re - embarked . The next day they returned to investigate collaborators ' reports that valuable stores were concealed up the Don River . Unsuccessful in their search , the Americans contented themselves with burning military installations on nearby Gibraltar Point before they departed . .