Editing War of 1812 (section)

=== British ===
{{see also|Canadian units of the War of 1812}}
[[File:100th Regiment of Foot c1812-1814.jpg|thumb|Depiction of a British private soldier (left) and officer (right) of the period]]
The United States was only a secondary concern to Britain, so long as the [[Napoleonic Wars]] continued with France.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} In 1813, France had 80 ships-of-the-line and was building another 35. Containing the French fleet was the main British naval concern,{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} leaving only the ships on the [[North America and West Indies Station|North American]] and [[Jamaica Station (Royal Navy)|Jamaica]] Stations immediately available. In Upper Canada, the British had the [[Provincial Marine]]. While largely unarmed,{{sfn|Crawford|Dudley|1985|p=268}} they were essential for keeping the army supplied since the roads were abysmal in Upper Canada.{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} At the onset of war, the Provincial Marine had four small armed vessels on [[Lake Ontario]], three on [[Lake Erie]] and one on Lake Champlain. The Provincial Marine greatly outnumbered anything the Americans could bring to bear on the Great Lakes.{{sfn|Caffrey|1977|p=174}}

When the war broke out, the British Army in North America numbered 9,777 men{{sfn|Hitsman|1965|p=295}} in regular units and [[Fencibles#War of 1812|fencibles]].{{efn|units raised for local service but otherwise on the same terms as regulars}} While the British Army was engaged in the [[Peninsular War]], few reinforcements were available. Although the British were outnumbered,{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} the long-serving regulars and fencibles were better trained and more professional than the hastily expanded United States Army.{{sfn|Elting|1995|p=11}} The militias of Upper Canada and Lower Canada were initially far less effective,{{sfn|Benn|2002|p=21}} but substantial numbers of full-time militia were raised during the war and played pivotal roles in several engagements, including the [[Battle of the Chateauguay]] which caused the Americans to abandon the Saint Lawrence River theatre.{{sfnm|Benn|2002|1p=21|Ingersoll|1845|2pp=297–299}}