Which Canadian officer commanded defending forces at the Battle of the Chateauguay?

Charles de Salaberry commanded the defending British and Canadian forces at the Battle of the Chateauguay.

Fought on October 26, 1813, near present-day Ormstown, Quebec, the battle was part of an American campaign aimed at invading Lower Canada and ultimately capturing Montreal. De Salaberry led a mixed force of Canadian Voltigeurs, militia, regulars, and Indigenous warriors.

His defenders used the wooded terrain and the Chateauguay River to construct abatis—barriers made from felled trees—and several defensive positions. De Salaberry’s intelligence network also gave him a clearer picture of the approaching army than American commander Wade Hampton possessed. The smaller defending force repelled the invasion attempt, despite facing roughly 2,600 American regulars.

A common mix-up is confusing de Salaberry with other Canadian officers of the War of 1812, especially Isaac Brock, who had been killed at Queenston Heights in 1812. The related Battle of Crysler’s Farm, fought soon afterward, also helped stop the American Saint Lawrence campaign.