Frédérick Rolette (September 23, 1785 to March 17, 1831), born in

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

on September 23, 1785, was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

who served in the

Provincial Marine Provincial Marine was a coastal protection service in charge of the waters in the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence River and parts of Lake Champlain under British control. While ships of the Provincial Marine were designated HMS, they were ope ...

during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

Biography

Frédérick Rolette (spelled “Frédéric” in his birth records) was born in Quebec City and entered the Royal Navy at a young age. Some secondary accounts have him serving (and being wounded) at the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; french: Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the Navy of the French Republic at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the ...

in 1799John Richardson, "The War of 1812" (1842) p. 88 http://elginhistoricalsociety.ca/content/richardsons-war-1812-notes-and-life-author and also serving at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

in 1805. However, he is not listed among officers wounded at the Nile nor among British participants at Trafalgar. Whatever his role in the Royal Navy, he is said to have returned to Canada and to have taken a commission as a second lieutenant in the Provincial Marine in October 1807. Just before the outbreak of the

, Rolette was posted to

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town is ...

, Upper Canada, now as first lieutenant in command of the 10-gun brig . When word of the outbreak of war reached Amherstburg in early July 1812, Rolette captured an American vessel, the ''Cuyahoga Packet'', before the crew of that vessel was aware that war had been declared. As reported by Thomas Vercheres de Boucherville, Rolette seized the vessel by leading some two-dozen sailors and Indians in a long boat and canoes who boarded the ship without meeting any resistance. The capture of the ship meant that the papers of

William Hull William Hull (June 24, 1753 – November 29, 1825) was an American soldier and politician. He fought in the American Revolutionary War and was appointed as Governor of Michigan Territory (1805–13), gaining large land cessions from several Ame ...

, the general assigned the task of leading the American invasion of Canada across the

Detroit River The Detroit River flows west and south for from Lake St. Clair to Lake Erie as a strait in the Great Lakes system. The river divides the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Windsor, Ontario—an area collectively refe ...

, fell into British hands. Rolette then served at the subsequent capture of Fort Detroit in August 1812, where the entire American invasion force was compelled to surrender. Of his service, the British commander, Major-General

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. Brock was assigned to Lower Canada in 1802. Despite facing desertions and near-mutinies, he c ...

, is reported to have commented that: “I have watched you during the action ... you behaved like a lion and I will remember you.” Rolette was in command of the brig ''Detroit'' in October 1812 when he and his ship (along with the brig ''Caledonia'') were captured by the Americans in a surprise raid in which the defenders were heavily outnumbered. Despite the capture of his ship, Brock again referred to him as a having had "the character of a brave attentive officer". Quickly exchanged as a prisoner, he then commanded a naval gun contingent on land during the

Battle of Frenchtown The Battles of Frenchtown, also known as the Battle of the River Raisin and the River Raisin Massacre, were a series of conflicts in Michigan Territory that took place from January 18–23, 1813, during the War of 1812. It was fought between the ...

in January 1813, where, although suffering a head wound, he refused to leave the field. As captain of the ''General Hunter'' in 1812–13, he captured more than a dozen prizes. Rolette served as second-in-command of British schooner ''Lady Prevost'' at the

Battle of Lake Erie The Battle of Lake Erie, sometimes called the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was fought on 10 September 1813, on Lake Erie off the shore of Ohio during the War of 1812. Nine vessels of the United States Navy defeated and captured six vessels of the Briti ...

on September 10, 1813. When the captain, Lieutenant James Buchan, was mortally wounded, he assumed command until he himself was severely wounded as the result of an explosion. He was forced to surrender his ship and again became a prisoner of war, this time for the remainder of the conflict. Rolette returned to Quebec City at the conclusion of the war and was presented a fifty-

guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

sword of honour by its citizens. He died on March 17, 1831, never having fully recovered from his many wounds.

Legacy

The Canton of Rolette, Quebec, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, was established in 1868 in his honour. An

Arctic Offshore Patrol Ship ''Harry DeWolf''-class offshore patrol vessels are warships of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) built within the Government of Canada Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship (AOPS) procurement project, part of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy ...

of the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

, which started construction in May 2021, is named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolette, Frédérick Royal Navy personnel of the War of 1812 1785 births 1831 deaths Provincial Marine British people of the War of 1812 British military personnel of the War of 1812 Canadian people of the War of 1812