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Stories of
Canadians
in the War of 1812
JACQUES VIGER (1782-1858)
Voltigeurs
Canadiens
The son of a prominent Montreal family, Viger was well educated and worked as a journalist on a Quebec newspaper. Viger always had a strong interest in military affairs and procured a captain's commission in the Voltigeurs Canadien in 1812. HIs company was ordered to Kingston in the spring of 1813 and it participated in the attack on Sackets Harbor in May of that year. Viger left a detailed memoir of his wartime experiences and this is his account of the attack on the Harbor:
We advanced slowly and with little noise along the channel which divides Horse Island from the mainland, still believing that we would take the enemy by surprise! We found them quite awake and on their guard, positioned on both banks [of the channel] behind the trees which border them. It was from there that they sounded the alarm for the rest of the garrison by letting loose a loud musketry. Soon the batteries of the fort joined in; two field pieces placed in a barbette on the bank also aimed their round shot at our vessels. We continued to advance, with the intention to land on one side or the other of the channel, but the musketry was constant and the round shot began to drop quite close to us. It was at that moment that one of them, passing by the front part of my boat, splashed in the water a few feet away, after grazing the heads of the Indians who were manning the first bark canoe.
The governor was standing in the second [canoe]. I would not say our warriors dirtied their pants -- they were not wearing any -- but letting out a muffled cry, they made their way with their stomachs over their knees for the tip of the island, in order to find shelter from the guns. The canoe flew over the water; nothing I believe can surpass the speed with which it went ahead. The boats in front of mine followed the course of the canoe, as ordered by Colonel Baynes, and since the first duty of a soldier is to obey without question or protest I did the best I could to motivate my paddlers to obey the order and the example set.
We were soon out of danger but nevertheless within the nearer prospect of a glorious peril. While we were seeking shelter behind Horse Island, keeping ourselves out of musket range at all times, our gunboats let loose one of the most frightful bombardments on them and their field pieces, and no matter how obstinate the enemy's resistance was at first they had finally to yield to the bravery of our sailors and abandon the island.
We no sooner saw them leave the bank to reach the mainland when a thousand hurrahs rose from the boats and the landing was effected at the same time -- without opposition, in spite of the orders to the contrary from the governor and in the greatest hurry. We did not wait for the boats to ground before disembarking -- as soon as we caught sight of the fine gravel that forms the lake bed in this vicinity, we took to the water to reach land while running. Everybody was in up to their knees. Without giving the troops time to rally or to form, the order was given to advance. A number of our men were already fighting the enemy on the mainland and had taken a six-pounder [gun] from them, while the remainder, who were following on the run and in disorder, had not yet crossed the island.
On arriving at the far side of the island we found three soldiers from the 100th Regiment stretched on the ground. One of them was not yet dead and stretched out his hand to those passing as a gesture of eternal farewell! The small channel which separates the island from the mainland is rather wide and deep, although fordable. The heavy gun in the fort poured forth shot and grape-shot, as did a field piece on the road which leads to the works positioned to protect the causeway. When the grenadier company of the 100th, which formed our advance guard, arrived at the channel this last piece was, as I mentioned to you, captured. It was won at the bayonet point before its second discharge, as well as its ammunition wagon, by this intrepid forlorn hope.
By the time we arrived at the ford, only the guns in the fort were left to thunder out reassuringly a Memento homo!" In any case, we crossed over, leaving our assistant surgeon (Mr. Casimir Truteau), nearby to receive and bandage ... or finish off the wounded.
While our voltigeurs were skirting the shore of the island, without becoming too excited about the fire of the batteries, the troops were fighting the enemy on the opposite side of the channel and had their backs to us. Smoke was literally concealing their position from us. Major Heriot was in front and I was busy forming our troops in line in order to concentrate the fire of our men, when one of our officers (Captain Johnson), coming suddenly from the rear, had the misfortune to cause the detachment to fire by asking them rather foolishly, "whether they were afraid to shoot?" That was all that was necessary to people itching to use their powder to make them fire a volley into the backs of our own men. I was lucky enough to prevent a second offence and went across at once. Colonel Drummond came in the opposite direction to order us to cross and tell us that our fire had hit eight of his soldiers.
Soon we were chasing the troops of the Yankees, who abandoned their position and retreated at a redoubled pace. Our regulars, far from letting them go, gave chase spiritedly (and not without the help of the voltigeurs) along the lakeshore road, until they reached a path which wound into the forest on our right. Since a good number of the hares that we had started and tracked thus far ran quickly down this path, while others continued heading straight for the fortifications along the lake, Colonel Baynes believed he had to make the following dispositions.
He ordered the brigade of Colonel Young to follow this last road and that of Major Heriot and Colonel Drummond to scour the path [into the forest] and pursue the runaways who had flung themselves into there. The voltigeurs were part of this last brigade. Until then they had not acted as a corps but had skirmished separately in small squads commanded by the major and others of their officers. As a result of the order given by Colonel Baynes they finally came together, and Major Heriot assumed from this time the sole command.
The bugle sounded, and the brigade or left division under the command of Colonel Young grappled with the dragoons and other regular enemy troops, while our brigade or right division went along the trail in search of mainly American militia.
We had hardly begun to move along it when Major Heriot received special orders, in consequence of which we separated from the [other] troops and went with the Indians deep into the forest to cover the right flank of the army. Without any knowledge whatever of the locality and without a guide, we rushed into the bushes at random. Soon we met the enemy in an open field. The shrieks of death uttered by the Indians and repeated by the voltigeurs in a frightful manner announced to them at the same time as our musket shots that we were on their heels. Ah yes, it was fun to see them clear out! I never saw in my life people so strong in the hams and using their legs so well. After crossing this field, we entered the woods again and then came to another clearing where I took leave of the major -- at his orders -- to go farther to the right for the purpose of dislodging the enemy, if any still remained in the forest, and to protect our line from any surprise attack from that quarter. There were no similar concerns on the left because it was protected by the gunboats, which maintained a hellish fire during the whole engagement.
Sackets Harbor was Viger's last battle as he took leave shortly afterward and the lost his commission through a misunderstanding. By the time he regained it, the war was over. Viger was later surveyor of roads for Lower Canada and served as the first mayor of Montreal, 1828-1832. He had a life long interest in history and spent much of his leisure time collecting artefacts and documents. He left behind 43 volumes of notes and documents which include not only a detailed account of his experiences in the war but also research for a history of Frnech Canada. (Source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography and Jacques Viger, "Ma Saberrdache").
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The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. - Benjamin Disraeli