Scenario 3

The specter of revolution loomed over Canada in 1837. William MacKenzie's abortive uprising against British rule had been quashed in what is now the province of Ontario, but the remnants of his rebel band retreated into the United States, especially into upstate New York, to regroup and resupply, as well as to recruit new members.

On December 11–13, 1837, in a series of rousing mass meetings in Buffalo, MacKenzie issued a new proclamation for insurrection and earnestly solicited private American citizens to join his quest to oust the British overlords. He established a makeshift headquarters on Navy Island, a small British possession in a narrow portion of the Niagara River. Rallying to his support, an eager American, Rensselaer Van Rensselaer, who had been appointed a general by MacKenzie, raised a “Patriot Army” of 300 and advanced to Navy Island, unfurling a new Canadian flag. Within two weeks, the force had grown to 1000 well-armed men, encamped on Navy Island and also at Black Rock on the American side of the river.

The Caroline was a small steamer (46 tons displacement, 71 feet long), owned by an American and chartered by the rebel force to shuttle men and materiel. On the morning of December 29, the Caroline left Buffalo, called at Black Rock and then at Navy Island, and discharged a quantity of men and freight.