who refused to cooperate—or even corre-
spond—in reasonable fashion. The third major
factor militating against American success was
the state of the U.S. Army. The majority of regi-
ments involved had been only recently re-
cruited, and soldiers and officers alike re-
mained poorly trained. Aside from skirmishing
and marksmanship, which had been American
tactical specialties since revolutionary times,
the U.S. Army was singularly unprepared to
confront well-led, highly disciplined British
regular forces in the field.
In late October 1813, as Wilkinson’s ar-
mada sailed passed the Kingston garrison,
Gen. Francis de Rottenburgordered Morri-
son to take a corps of observation totaling
roughly 1,000 regular troops, militia, and Indi-
ans and shadow American movements down-
stream. Morrison complied and, assisted by a
British gunboat flotilla, dogged Wilkinson’s
heels for several days. That general grew con-
cerned over the presence of so many British
troops operating at his rear, so on November
11, 1813, he ordered the army landed and ar-
rayed against its pursuers. Morrison, who had
also come ashore, deployed on Crysler’s
Farm, an open area astride the St. Lawrence.
His right flank was secured by the river and
gunboat squadron, and his left anchored upon
a deep woods. Thus, the Americans had no re-
course but to attack head-on, over land that
was deeply rutted by ravines and difficult to
traverse. Morrison commanded his own 89th
Regiment, a battalion of the famous 49th Foot
(the Green Tigers), three companies of
French-speaking chasseurs (light infantry),
and about 250 Mohawk warriors. He was also
ably seconded by his staff officer, Lt. Col.
John Harvey, one of the heroes of Stoney
Creek four months earlier.
The ensuing Battle of Crysler’s Farm con-
stitutes a unique tactical microcosm of the
War of 1812, for no encounter more clearly
highlights the profound tactical disparities
that separated the British and American
armies. With Wilkinson being sick, command
devolved upon Gen. John P. Boyd, a former
mercenary. He deployed three brigades of in-
fantry and one squadron of cavalry, in excess
of 3,000 men at his disposal. This was three
times the manpower that Morrison possessed,
and the American strategy was simply to
overwhelm the enemy by sheer numbers.
Boyd then made the mistake of committing
his brigades piecemeal along different por-
tions of the field. This allowed the British
commander to expertly change the facing of
his units under fire, confront the stumbling
Americans, and blast them back with accu-
rate musketry. In sum, Boyd had been lured
into a set-piece battle against highly trained
professional soldiers, fighting upon ground of
their own choosing. The result was a disaster.
For several hours the Americans fought
bravely, but ineptly, and could not drive back
the British. The red-coated regulars were ex-
ceptionally well drilled and inflicted punish-
ing blows upon their assailants. Once Gen.
Leonard Covington had been fatally wounded
and his brigade disrupted, Morrison judged
the timing ripe and ordered an advance
across the field. Boyd’s entire army then
bolted from the field in confusion, and only a
determined charge by the Second Light Dra-
goons temporarily delayed the surging tide of
bayonets. Within 30 minutes, the American
force had reembarked upon its boats and was
paddling downstream to safety. The thin red
line had never been stretched thinner or
proved more resilient. British losses were
heavy, amounting to 200 killed and wounded,
but Boyd lost twice as many casualties, in-
cluding 100 prisoners. It had been a stirring
performance by Morrison in his first indepen-
dent action—a stinging tactical reversal for
the United States!
As a consequence of Crysler’s Farm, Wilkin-
son and his subordinates decided to abandon
their offensive and enter winter quarters. This
coincided with Hampton’s decision to do the
same, following his embarrassing defeat at the
hands of Charles-Michael d’Irumberry de
Salaberryat Chateauguay three weeks ear-
lier. Morrison was awarded a gold medal, was
voted the thanks of the House of Assembly of
Lower Canada, and then proceeded back toMORRISON, JOSEPHWANTON