Fitzgibbon was stationed, but the British,
forewarned by Laura Secord, were ready
and successfully ambushed Boerstler at
Beaver Dams on June 24, 1813, capturing his
entire force. The American remained cooped
up at Fort George for the next six months.
Dearborn’s invasion, begun so promisingly in
May, had completely unraveled.
Vincent remained at Niagara well into the
fall, when news of the October 5, 1813, defeat
of Proctor at the Thames arrived. He feared
that Gen. William Henry Harrison would con-
tinue advancing up the Thames Valley and cut
him off from York, so he withdrew once again
back to Burlington. Fortunately for the
British, expiring army enlistments forced Har-
rison to return to Detroit. The ailing Vincent
remained at Burlington until December 1813,
when a new commander, Gen. Gordon
Drummond, ordered him to Kingston. He
was also replaced at Niagara by Gen. Phineas
Riall. From Kingston, Vincent went on to
Montreal the following summer, where he re-
quested sick leave. He departed Canada on
July 18, 1814, concluding 14 years of dedi-
cated service to the Crown.
Back in England, Vincent gained an ap-
pointment as lieutenant governor of Dunbar-
ton Castle, Scotland, and saw no further ac-
tive service. He nevertheless rose to
lieutenant general in 1825 and general in No-
vember 1841. Vincent died in London on Janu-
ary 21, 1848, a forgotten defender from the
War of 1812 whose success helped preserve
Canada for the empire.Bibliography
Chartrand, Rene.Canadian Military Heritage.2 vols.
Montreal: Art Global, 1994–2000; Coleman, Margaret.
The American Capture of Fort George, Ontario.Ot-
tawa: National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks
Canada, 1977; Johnson, Charles. The Battle for the
Heartland, Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813.Stoney Creek,
Ontario: Pennell Printing, 1963; Myatt, Frederick. The
Royal Berkshire Regiment (the 47th/66th Regiment
of Foot).London: H. Hamilton, 1968; Stanley, George
F.G. Battle in the Dark: Stoney Creek, June 6, 1813.
Toronto: Balmuir Book, 1991; Suthren, Victor J.H. The
War of 1812.Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1999;
Turner, Wesley. The War of 1812: The War That Both
Sides Won. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1990.WILDCAT
Wildcat
(ca. 1810–1857)
Seminole War Chief
Y
outhful Wildcat was one of the fiercest,
most unyielding warriors of the Second
Seminole War in Florida. Afterward, he
tried uniting various Native Americans in the
West and served as a colonel in the Mexican
army.
Wildcat (Coacoochee) was born about
1810 in the Seminole village of Yulaka, along
the banks of the St. Johns River in northern
Florida. He was the son of Chief Emathla (or
King Philip) and a nephew of the leading
Chief Micanopy. Because Wildcat was born
with a twin sister (who later died), he was at-
tributed with special powers by his people.
The Seminole nation to which he belonged
was an offshoot of the mighty Creek nation of
southern Alabama, who had recently entered
Florida to escape pressure from white set-
tlers. The Seminoles were also unique among
Native American tribes for freely intermin-
gling their blood with escaped African Ameri-
can slaves from Georgia. These fugitives were
also employed as laborers, but several among
them eventually rose to serve as chiefs.