Editing Isaac Brock (section)

==Military service==
Brock had a successful pre-war military career and a quick rise through the ranks, which many commented on at the time. Some credited luck, and others skill, in his rapid promotions. Brock had substantial portions of both on his way to prominence. Lacking special political connections, his ability to gain promotions even when Britain was at peace attests to his ambition, and his skills in recruiting men and organizing finances.{{sfn|Tupper|1847|p=6}}

===Early career===

Brock joined the [[8th (The King's) Regiment of Foot]] on 8 March 1785 with the rank of [[ensign (rank)|ensign]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=12627|page=121|date=5 March 1785}}</ref>  As was common at the time, Brock's commission was [[Sale of commissions|purchased]] for him by his family. When Brock joined the 8th Foot, its commanding officer was Lieutenant Colonel [[Arent DePeyster]] who had served in North America during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] as commandant of [[Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit|Fort Detroit]], and who had substantial experience negotiating with Britain's Indigenous allies.{{sfn|Riley|2011}} On 16 January 1790, Brock purchased the rank of [[first lieutenant|lieutenant]]<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13166|pages=25–26|date=12 January 1790}}</ref> and later that year raised his own [[company (military)|company]] of men.<ref name=ODNB>[[#Sweetman2004|Sweetman (2004)]]</ref> As a result, he obtained a commission as [[Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)|captain]] of an [[Independent Company|Independent Company of Foot]] on 27 January 1791,<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13278|page=63|date=29 January 1791}}</ref> but transferred to the [[49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's) (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot|49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot]] on 15 June 1791.{{sfn|Stacey|1983}}

At the time of Brock's transfer, the 49th Foot was stationed in [[Barbados]] in the [[West Indies]]. His nephew and biographer, [[Ferdinand Brock Tupper]], asserts that shortly after Brock arrived in Barbados, a "professional dueller" forced a match on him. As the one being challenged Brock had his choice of terms, and he insisted that they use pistols. His friends were shocked as Brock was a large target and his opponent an expert shot. Brock, however, refused to change his mind. When the duellist arrived at the field, he asked Brock to decide how many paces they would take. Brock insisted that the duel would take place not at the usual range, but at handkerchief distance (i.e., close range). The duellist declined and was subsequently forced out of the regiment. This contributed to Brock's popularity and reputation among his fellow officers, as this duellist had a formidable reputation and was regarded as a bully.<ref>[[#refTupper1847|Tupper (1847)]] pp. 5–6</ref>

Several months after Brock's arrival, the regiment was ordered to Jamaica. In 1793, Brock fell victim to yellow fever and became seriously ill. He did not fully recover until he returned home to Guernsey on leave. After regaining his strength, he became involved in recruiting efforts and the training of volunteer companies raised for home defence.{{sfn|Riley|2011}} Brock purchased his [[major (United Kingdom)|majority]] on 27 June 1795,.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=13790|pages=659–660|date=23 June 1795}}</ref> He rejoined the 49th Foot in the summer of 1796 when the regiment returned from the West Indies.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

===First command===
Brock purchased the rank of [[Lieutenant-Colonel (United Kingdom)|lieutenant-colonel]] for £3,000 in October 1797.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=14059|pages=1023–1024|date=24 October 1797}}</ref> He served as the acting [[commanding officer]] of the 49th Foot for several months, and officially assumed command of the regiment on 22 March 1798 with the retirement of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Keppel.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

[[File:Landing Calantsoog.jpg|thumb|''Landing of the English Troops at Calantsoog'' by Dirk Langendyck, 1799]]In 1799, during the [[War of the Second Coalition]], the 49th Foot was assigned to the [[Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland|Anglo-Russian expedition]] against the [[Batavian Republic]]. The 49th Foot were attached to Major General [[John Moore (British soldier)|John Moore's]] 4th Brigade, part of the [[Division (military)|division]] commanded by Lieutenant General Sir [[Ralph Abercromby]]. The expedition faced minimal opposition when they landed at [[Callantsoog]], south of [[Den Helder]] on 27 August. Brock first saw combat when the 49th Foot helped fend off a French attack on 10 September. On 19 September, the 4th Brigade captured [[Hoorn]] without a shot but withdrew from the city shortly thereafter.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

On 2 October, the 49th Foot was actively involved in heavy combat at the [[Battle of Alkmaar (1799)|Battle of Alkmaar]]. During the battle, the 4th Brigade served as the vanguard of a column that steadily proceeded south along the beach from [[Petten]] towards [[Egmond aan Zee]]. As it advanced, the column was increasing harassed by French [[sharpshooter]]s hiding in patches of thick scrub. Eventually, the French blocked the advance by taking up a strong position in the sand dunes overlooking the beach. Moore's brigade was ordered to dislodge the French from their position with a bayonet charge.{{sfn|Riley|2011}} In a letter to his brother Brock wrote that he "ordered a charge, which I assure you was executed with the greatest gallantry, though not in the greatest order, as the nature of the ground admitted of none."<ref name=Tupper13>[[#refTupper1847|Tupper (1847)]] p. 13</ref>

The engagement continued for several hours until the French finally gave way and the British were able to push forward. By the end of the day the 49th Foot had suffered 33 killed including 2 officers, 56 wounded, and 24 missing. Brock himself was injured during the fighting when he was hit in the throat by a spent [[musket]] ball. His neck cloth prevented a possibly fatal injury.{{sfn|Riley|2011}} Brock wrote, "I got knocked down shortly after the enemy began to retreat, but never quitted the field, and returned to my duty in less than half an hour."<ref name=Tupper13/>

[[File:Nelson Forcing the Passage of the Sound, 30 March 1801, prior to the Battle of Copenhagen RMG BHC0522.tiff|thumb|''Nelson Forcing the Passage of the Sound, 30 March 1801, prior to the Battle of Copenhagen'' by Robert Dodd.]]

The 49th Foot returned to Great Britain at the end of October, and garrisoned Jersey for several months beginning in July 1800. Early in 1801, the regiment was chosen to act as marines for a naval expedition against Denmark. The 49th Foot was tasked with assaulting the forts at [[Copenhagen]], however, the outcome of the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|naval battle]] made such action unnecessary. Brock sailed aboard the 74-gun [[HMS Ganges (1782)|''HMS Ganges'']] commanded by Captain [[Thomas Fremantle (admiral)|Thomas Fremantle]], with the rest of the regiment distributed on seven other ships. One of these ships, [[HMS Monarch (1765)|''HMS Monarch'']], suffered the highest number of fatalities during the battle, including eight members of the 49th Foot.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

===Transfer to Canada===
Brock and the 49th Foot were back in England by September 1801. The following spring they were ordered to the [[Canadas]]. Brock arrived at [[Quebec City|Quebec]] on 25 August and then headed up the [[St. Lawrence River|St Lawrence River]] to [[Montreal]] where the regiment would spend the winter.<ref name=ODNB/> The following spring, the 49th Foot was assigned to garrison [[Fort York]] on Lake Ontario and [[Fort George, Ontario|Fort George]] on the Niagara River, as well as several smaller posts. Brock established his headquarters at [[Toronto|York]], the capital of [[Upper Canada]].{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

In the summer of 1803, Brock was confronted with the desertion of several men, which was an ongoing problem at posts located close to the American border. Five men of the 49th Foot and three others had stolen a boat, fled across Lake Ontario, and landed near the mouth of the Niagara River. Despite having no jurisdiction on American soil, Brock set across the lake in pursuit. From Fort George he dispatched a party across the border and the fugitives were soon apprehended.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

===Mutiny===
A short time later, Brock received a report from Fort George that some of the [[garrison]] were planning to confine their officers then cross over to the United States. Brock immediately boarded the [[schooner]] that had brought the message and headed to Fort George. According to Tupper, a hastily assembled honour guard formed to greet Brock's unexpected arrival. Alone on entering the fort, Brock ordered the [[sergeant]] of the guard to disarm and had him arrested. As it was the dinner hour, all the soldiers were in [[barracks]]. Brock ordered the drummers to call out the men. He ordered the first officer on the scene, Lieutenant Williams, to bring him a soldier suspected of being one of the mutiny's ringleaders. Ten other suspected mutineers were also taken prisoner.{{sfn|Tupper|1847|pp=26–30}}

Brock sent the twelve mutineers and the eight deserters to Quebec for [[court martial]]. Nine were transported for life and seven were sentenced to death. The mutineers testified that they were forced to such measures by the rigid discipline imposed by Lieutenant Colonel Roger Hale Shaffe, who commanded at Fort George. They said if they had served under Brock's command, they would never have taken such action.{{sfn|Tupper|1847|pp=26–30}} Subsequently, Brock was ordered to move his headquarters to Fort George. In a letter to his brother, Brock expressed regret that the conspirators had been executed, as some had been men who had been with him in Holland and at Copenhagen.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

===Pre-war preparations===

Brock went on leave to Guernsey in October 1805, and received a promotion to [[colonel (United Kingdom)|colonel]] that same month.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15856|page=1341|date=29 October 1805}}</ref> When he arrived back in Canada in September 1806, he found himself in temporary command of all British forces in Upper and Lower Canada.{{sfn|Riley|2011}}

By 1806, the United States had becoming increasingly hostile to the United Kingdom. Relations between the two nations continued to deteriorate until the Americans declared war in 1812. Many in the United States were upset by British violations of American sovereignty and the restriction of trade during the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. Their grievances included the searching of American ships for deserters, the [[impressment]] of American sailors by the [[Royal Navy]], and the [[Orders in Council (1807)|naval blockade]] of French and allied ports. In response to incidents such as the [[Chesapeake–Leopard affair]], an influential group of American congressmen known as the [[War hawk|War Hawks]] began to lobby for an invasion of Canada to punish the British. At the same time there was growing sentiment that the British were supporting Indigenous attacks on frontier settlements. Finally, the War Hawks were convinced that the inhabitants of Upper and Lower Canada would rise up in support of any invasion.<ref>Marsh, James H. and Berton, Pierre (2018) [https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/war-of-1812 "War of 1812"]. ''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Historica Canada. Accessed 08 March 2025.</ref> Shortly after war was declared, [[Thomas Jefferson]] wrote, conquering Canada would be "a mere matter of marching".<ref>[https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-05-02-0231 “Thomas Jefferson to William Duane, 4 August 1812"], Founders Online, National Archives.</ref>

In response to this emerging threat, Brock moved quickly to bolster Canadian defences. He strengthened the [[fortifications]] of [[Quebec City|Quebec]] by reconstructing the city's western wall and creating an elevated [[artillery battery]]. He reorganized and strengthened the [[Provincial Marine]], creating a naval force capable of giving the British command of the [[Great Lakes]]. Brock's appropriation of civilian land and labour for military use, however, brought him into conflict with civil authorities including [[Thomas Dunn (lieutenant-governor)|Thomas Dunn]], the Lieutenant Governor of Lower Canada.{{sfn|Stacey|1983}}

Brock remained acting commander-in-chief of all British forces in Upper and Lower Canada until the arrival of [[James Henry Craig|Sir James Henry Craig]], the newly appointed [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] of [[British North America]]. In March 1808, Craig moved  Brock to [[Montreal]] and appointed him a [[Brigadier (United Kingdom)|brigadier]]. Brock remained in Lower Canada until the summer of 1810 when he was given command of all British forces in Upper Canada. In June 1811 he was promoted to [[Major general (United Kingdom)|major general]], and in October of that year was appointed administrator of Upper Canada when [[Francis Gore]], the [[Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada|Lieutenant Governor]], went to England on leave. Brock was now both the senior military officer in Upper Canada and the leader of its civil government.{{sfn|Stacey|1983}}

As Upper Canada's administrator, Brock made a series of changes to prepare for war. He convinced the Legislative Assembly to amend the 1808 Militia Act to allow for the formation of flank companies for each militia battalion, which were to train for six days every month. He continued to strengthen Upper Canada's fortifications, and ensured that the militia was adequately equipped. He began seeking out Indigenous leaders, such as the [[Shawnee]] chief [[Tecumseh]] and the [[Mohawk people|Mohawk]] chief [[John Norton (Mohawk chief)|John Norton]], hoping to secure alliances in the event of war. Although conventional wisdom held that Upper Canada would fall quickly in the event of an invasion, Brock pursued these strategies to give the colony a fighting chance, however, his attempt to have the [[Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada|Legislative Assembly]] partially suspend ''[[habeas corpus]]'' failed.

In the years immediately prior to the War of 1812, Brock had occasionally petitioned for a posting to Spain or Portugal. In early 1812, when he was finally offered a position in Europe, Brock declined the offer, believing that he now had a duty to defend Upper Canada against the United States.{{sfn|Stacey|1983}}