The Battle of York Major-General Henry Dearborn   Further Reading Background to the Battle of York The British at the Battle of York The Aftermath of the Battle of York: The British and Canadian Perspective The Aftermath of the Battle of York: The American Perspective

The Americans at the Battle of York Major-General Henry Dearborn is grossly overweight and in no condition to lead his 1700 men in the rough and tumble of combat. As the Americans prepare to attack, Dearborn places Brigadier-General Zebulon Pike in charge of the actual landing. Pike is among the first to wade ashore. The Americans are temporarily checked at the water's edge by the defending British until several shallow-draft American schooners sail close enough to spray the British defenders with a barrage of grape and canister shot, inflicting terrible damage, forcing them to retreat back into the woods. Pike and his men now advance steadily towards the town, easily turning aside what little opposition the British have to offer. They are within a couple of hundred yards of the British blockhouse when Pike stops to regroup his men before ordering the final assault. Suddenly, the main powder magazine explodes in a blinding white flash, sending tons of earth, rocks, broken timbers and assorted debris flying in every direction for more than a thousand yards, killing and maiming over two-hundred Americans. General Pike himself is among the dying. He will live just long enough to learn that although he's succeeded in capturing the Upper Canadian capital, it is a hollow victory. He has not only failed to seize the two British warships he came for, but the British regular troops he'd hoped to capture have eluded him as well. After the departure of the British regulars, the Americans meet with no further resistance. At first, the occupation is orderly enough, but it quickly degenerates. The American troops are in the mood to avenge their country's previous losses. Private property is vandalised and looted, public buildings are destroyed and burned, and some private homes are torched as well. Dearborn is either unwilling or unable to stop his soldiers, though he deplores the worst of their actions in his correspondence. The Americans also seize the public stores destined for the Detroit frontier. Better yet, they capture all the armament and equipment for the British Lake Erie fleet, including the fittings for Robert Barclay's newest ship down to its guns and ammunition. As he sails away on the first week of May, General Dearborn opines that, "We may consider the upper province as conquered."