American forces attacked Fort York in present-day Toronto in 1813.
The Battle of York began on April 27, 1813, when an American force supported by ships on Lake Ontario landed west of York, the capital of Upper Canada. Fort York formed part of the settlement’s defensive system, alongside batteries and blockhouses.
The outnumbered British, Canadian militia, and allied First Nations warriors could not stop the landing. Lieutenant Governor Roger Hale Sheaffe ordered the surviving British regulars to withdraw, and the fort’s gunpowder magazine was blown up to prevent its capture. The explosion killed American commander Zebulon Pike and many other soldiers.
The Americans occupied York and captured supplies, but withdrew after several days. The attack is often confused with later actions at Fort George or Fort Niagara, but those were separate sites and battles.