The York Militia was a volunteer militia unit in
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...
formed after the passage of the
Militia Act of 1793
The Militia of Great Britain were the principal military reserve forces of the Kingdom of Great Britain during the 18th century.
For the period following the creation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1801, see Militia (United ...
. Members of the York Militia were drawn from the settlers of
York County, an area mostly made up of present-day
Greater Toronto
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
.
The Militia consisted of 3 line infantry regiments:
* 1st Regiment of York Militia
*
2nd Regiment of York Militia
* 3rd Regiment of York Militia - recruited around the present-day York Region (Markham), Toronto (Scarborough, old Town of York later as Toronto, Etobicoke) and Durham (Pickering and Whitby). The regiment can be partially traced back to
John Button's 1st York Light Dragoons (c. 1810) from
Markham, Ontario
Markham () is a city in the Regional Municipality of York, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately northeast of Downtown Toronto. In the 2021 Census, Markham had a population of 338,503, which ranked it the largest in York Region, fourth largest ...
.
The three regiments of the York Militia fought in several engagements 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 ...
.
The 1st Regiment of the York Militia was involved at the
Siege of Fort Mackinac
The siege of Fort of Mackinac was one of the first engagements of the War of 1812. A British and Native American force captured the island soon after the outbreak of war between Britain and the United States. Encouraged by the easy British vic ...
, the
Siege of Detroit
The siege of Detroit, also known as the surrender of Detroit or the Battle of Fort Detroit, was an early engagement in the War of 1812. A British force under Major General Isaac Brock with Native American allies under Shawnee leader Tecumseh ...
, the
Battle of Queenston Heights
The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada (now Ontario).
The battle was fought between United States regulars wit ...
, and the
Battle of York
The Battle of York was a War of 1812 battle fought in York, Upper Canada (today's Toronto, Ontario, Canada) on April 27, 1813. An American force supported by a naval flotilla landed on the lakeshore to the west and advanced against the town, whi ...
.
The 2nd Regiment of the York Militia fought at
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Queenston Heights
The Queenston Heights is a geographical feature of the Niagara Escarpment immediately above the village of Queenston, Ontario, Canada. Its geography is a promontory formed where the escarpment is divided by the Niagara River. The promontory fo ...
, and at the
Battle of Lundy's Lane
The Battle of Lundy's Lane, also known as the Battle of Niagara, was a battle fought on 25 July 1814, during the War of 1812, between an invading American army and a British and Canadian army near present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one o ...
The 3rd Regiment of the York Militia fought at Detroit, Queenston Heights, and York.
Within the
Canadian Army
The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...
, the 1st and 3rd Regiments of York Militia are perpetuated by the
Queen's York Rangers
la, celer et audax, lit=swift and bold
, colors = Green and amethyst blue
, identification_symbol =
, identification_symbol_label =
, march = "Braganza"
, notable_commanders ...
while the 2nd Regiment is perpetuated by the
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry.
See also
*
Canadian units of the War of 1812
When the United States and the United Kingdom went to war against each other in 1812, the major land theatres of war were Upper Canada (broadly the southern portion of the present day province of Ontario), Michigan Territory, Lower Canada (rough ...
References
Military history of Canada
Canadian military units and formations of the War of 1812
Queen's York Rangers (1st American Regiment)
Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (Wentworth Regiment)
{{Warof1812-stub