The Battle of Malcolm's Mills was a brief skirmish during the War of 1812, in which a force of American cavalry overran and scattered a force of Canadian militia. The battle was fought on November 6, 1814 near the village of Oakland, in Brant County, Canada. The skirmish was part of a series of battles fought by American Brigadier-General Duncan McArthur on an extended raid into Upper Canada. Combatants Tecumsehs confederacy United States Commanders Tenskwatawa William Henry Harrison Strength 500+ 1,000 regulars and militia Casualties 50+ killed 70+ wounded 68 killed 120 wounded The Battle of Tippecanoe was fought between United States forces led by Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory and forces of... Combatants Britain Native Americans United States Commanders Captain Charles Roberts Lieutenant Porter Hanks Strength about 600 61 Casualties 0 61 surrendered The Battle of Mackinac Island (1812) was a British victory in the War of 1812. ... The Battle of Maguaga was a small battle fought between British troops, Canadian militia and Tecumsehs natives against a larger force of American troops in Maguaga, Michigan. ... Combatants Potawatomi United Kingdom United States Commanders Chief Blackbird Nathan Heald Strength 500+ 69 military + civilians Casualties 15 39 military + 27 civilians The Fort Dearborn massacre occurred on August 15, 1812 near Fort Dearborn in the United States during the War of 1812. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Isaac Brock William Hull Strength 100 regulars 300 militia 150 natives 2,500 Casualties None 2,500 captured For the 1763 action in Pontiacs Rebellion, see the Siege of Fort Detroit The Siege of Detroit, also known as the Surrender of Detroit or the... The Battle of Fort Harrison was a decisive victory for the United States against an Indian force which greatly outnumbered their own. ... The Siege of Fort Wayne took place during the War of 1812, between American and Indian forces in the wake of the successful British campaigns of 1812. ... The Battle of the Mississinewa also known as the Battle of Mississineway was an expedition ordered by William Henry Harrison against Miami villages in response to the attacks on Fort Wayne. ... Combatants Britain American Indians United States Commanders Henry Procter Tecumseh James Winchester Strength 200 regulars 300 militia 450 natives 1,000 regulars and militia Casualties 182 killed or wounded 958 killed, wounded or captured {{{notes}}} The Battle of Frenchtown also known as the River Raisin massacre, was a severe defeat... The Siege of Fort Meigs took place during the War of 1812 in northwestern Ohio. ... The Battle of Fort Stephenson was an American victory during the War of 1812. ... Combatants United Kingdom United States Commanders Robert Heriot Barclay Oliver Hazard Perry Strength 6 warships 9 small warships Casualties 41 dead 94 wounded 6 ships captured 27 dead 96 wounded 1 ship lost The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought... Combatants Britain Tecumsehs confederacy United States Commanders Henry Procter Tecumseh † William Henry Harrison Strength 800 regulars 500 natives1 2,380 militia 1,000 cavalry 120 regulars 260 natives1 Casualties 155 British dead or wounded 477 captured 33 natives dead 15 dead 30 wounded {{{notes}}} The Battle of the Thames... The Battle of Longwoods was a battle of the War of 1812 on March 4, 1814, fought near present-day Wardsville, Ontario. ... Combatants British Empire United States Commanders Robert McDouall George Croghan Andrew Holmes† Strength about 300 700 Casualties 1 dead, 1 wounded 13 dead, 51 wounded The Battle of Fort Mackinac was a British victory in the War of 1812. ... Combatants Great Britain United States Commanders Miller Worsley Arthur Sinclair George Croghan Casualties 3 killed 9 wounded 1 schooner destroyed 6 killed 6 wounded 2 gunboats captured The Engagement on Lake Huron was actually a series of minor engagements, which left the British in control of the Lake, and thus... Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom Canadian colonial forces Native Americans First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock† George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:3... November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The city of Brant (or County of Brant) is a single-tier municipality and a census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Duncan McArthur (January 14, 1772 - April 29, 1839) was a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. ... Map of Upper Canada (orange) Upper Canada was a British territory in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario. ...

McArthur's raid

In October 1814, an invading American force of about 700 men under Brigadier-General Duncan McArthur advanced rapidly as they left Detroit and raided the Thames Valley. The plan intended to devastate the Grand River settlements and the region around the head of Lake Ontario which supplied British forces on the Niagara frontier. The Canadian militia in the region were caught unaware by this swift raid from the west and McArthur's force continued east at a fairly rapid pace, arriving at Brant's Ford on the Grand River on November 5. Duncan McArthur (January 14, 1772 - April 29, 1839) was a Federalist and National Republican politician from Ohio. ... Motto: Speramus Meliora; Resurget Cineribus (We Hope For Better Things; It Shall Rise From the Ashes - this motto was adopted after the disastrous 1805 fire that devastated the city) Nickname: The Motor City and Motown Location in Wayne County, Michigan Founded Incorporated July 24, 1701 1815  County Wayne County Mayor... The Grand River is the name of several rivers in different countries: The Grand River in Ontario in Canada The Grand River in Michigan in the United States. ...

Stalled at Brant's Ford

McArthur reached Brant's Ford to find that the higher ground on the east bank of the ford was occupied by Major Adam C. Muir's 50 militia, and 50 Indian warriors under the command of Tyoninhakarawen who were prepared to dispute the passage. Brantford (2001 population 86,417)[1] is a city located on the Grand River in southwestern Ontario, Canada. ...

After exchanging fire with the Canadian defenders, and knowing that Canadian reinforcements were on the march from Burlington Heights, McArthur decided he was not willing to risk attempting to force a passage. In his journals, McArthur wrote that heavy rainfall had made fording the river impossible. McArthur turned his force south to raid the settlements along the north shore of Lake Erie along a route that would lead them back to Detroit. Burlington (2001 population 150,836)[1] is a city located in the Golden Horseshoe, across Lake Ontario and Burlington Bay harbour from Hamilton, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. ...

Malcom's Mills

On November 6, 1814 McArthur's men encounted a group of 400 Canadian militia drawn from elements of the 1st and 2nd Norfolk, 1st Oxford, and 1st Middlesex regiments. The aim of the Canadian militia was to deflect McArthur's force back the way they had come, or to keep them busy until reinforcements arrived from Burlington Heights. November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Under the command of Lt. Col. Bostwick of the Oxford Militia, the Canadians formed a defensive position at Malcolm's Mills, now the village of Oakland, nine miles southwest of Brant's Ford and blocking McArthur's route to the Lake Erie shoreline. The militia were stationed along the crest of a fairly steep slope overlooking a bridge at the bottom of a marshy valley. The planking on the bridge had been taken up, and a barricade was improvised on the road.

The Americans arrived early in the day and succeeded in sending a flanking force downstream unseen. When the attack began, the American cavalry easily forded the creek and began careful skirmishing to pin down the Canadian force while two columns outflanked the Canadian position on both sides. The flanking maneouvre caught the militia by surprise and the more experienced American force quickly drove them from the field.

In his journals, McArthur stated that his cavalry lost 1 man with 6 wounded. The Canadian militia suffered several dead and many wounded, but most of them escaped in the panic that ensued during the rout.

Forces

The Canadian forces engaged at Malcolm's Mills on November 6, 1814 included:

• 1st Regiment of Middlesex Militia, under Major John Eakins
• 1st Regiment of Oxford Militia, under Lt. Col. Henry Bostwick
• 1st Regiment of Norfolk Militia, under Lt. Col. Joseph Ryerson and Major William D. Bowen
• 2nd Regiment of Norfolk Militia, under Major George D. Salmon

Aftermath

The battle at Malcolm's Mill was the last land battle of the War of 1812 fought in Upper Canada. McArthur's force continued to the Lake Erie shore, burning and pillaging, then headed north and back to the River Thames before continuing down the Thames and along the south shore of Lake St. Clair, arriving back at Detroit on November 17, 1814. A small party of the British 19th Light Dragoons, led by Major Peter Chambers shadowed McArthur's force for a large part of the return to Detroit, but they met no resistance. 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Although McArthur's forces overpowered and scattered the local militia at Malcolm's Mills and were able to continue their raiding to Lake Erie, the cavalry lacked the power to push east of the Grand River and eventually retreated to Detroit.

References

• Major R. Cuthbertson Muir, The Early Political and Military History of Burford, La Cie D'Imprimerie Commerciale, 1913.
• Stuart A. Rammage, The Militia Stood Alone - Malcolm's Mills, 6 November 1814, Valley Publishing, 2000.