Introduction

For two decades, Britain and France had been locked in a life-and-death struggle. Through 1811 and into 1812, hostilities in Europe expanded into a global conflict, forcing Britain to the breaking point. In this environment of global warfare, it became increasingly difficult for the United States to protect its trade links and maintain its rights as a neutral on the high seas. In its view, the Royal Navy posed the greatest challenge to freedom of the seas and routinely insulted its flag. To add to their frustration, Americans firmly believed that the British were continuously thwarting their ambition to expand their frontier westward. With all of Britain’s resources focused on the desperate struggle with Napoleon, the timing would never be more propitious for the United States to confront its traditional antagonist. On June 18, 1812, President James Madison declared war on Britain.

The threat of war with the United States had existed for years, but when it finally came it was met by Britons with a sense of disbelief and dismay. Could Americans not understand that the real threat was Napoleon’s unquenchable thirst for world domination? Could they not see that the Royal Navy had kept the tyrant from American shores? With war a sudden reality, the people of New Brunswick, fearing for their lives, families, and property, felt extremely vulnerable; the province’s extensive border with the United States made invasion a distinct possibility. The response by the provincial legislative assembly and the general public was both patriotic and immediate. Despite the lack of military resources, every possible measure was taken to put New Brunswick in the best possible state of defence. Plans were made, militia training intensified, and fortifications built.

Strategists in Washington seriously considered invading across the Maine border with the goal of capturing the vital naval base at Halifax. Fortunately for Britain’s Atlantic colonies, the Madison administration found it impossible to wage total war. The New England states did not support what they considered to be “Mr. Madison’s War,” going so far as to threaten separation if Washington tried to coerce them into any kind of military operation. Lieutenant-General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, the governor of Nova Scotia and commander-in-chief in the Atlantic region, took full advantage of New England’s reluctance to become involved in the conflict by offering to abstain from offensive operations and issuing licences to those willing to continue normal peacetime trade across the border. New Brunswick was quick to follow this initiative, and in short order an extensive and mutually beneficial trade blossomed between the enemies. Trade flourished to such an extent that it was facetiously claimed that British soldiers ate American beef while American soldiers slept under British blankets and marched in uniforms made from British cloth.

To the great relief of New Brunswickers, the undeclared state of neutrality along the border held for two years. As the threat of invasion faded, the focus of New Brunswick’s war effort turned to supporting the campaigns in Upper and Lower Canada and naval operations along the Atlantic coast, including taking an active role in privateering. With the sudden collapse of Napoleon’s armies in Europe, the war in North America took a dramatic turn. For Britain, the freeing up of military resources enabled it to adopt a more aggressive stance against the Americans. In New Brunswick, the provincial authorities considered this a golden opportunity to settle the still-disputed boundary with Maine in their favour. At their instigation, British military forces occupied Eastport, Maine, and the Penobscot River valley, and for a short period, the British regarded northern Maine as part of New Brunswick. The Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812, coincided with the final defeat of Napoleon and peace in Europe. With peace came a substantial reduction of British military forces. Many of the British regiments in North America were disbanded, and their veterans were offered free land grants. These military settlers would be a major legacy of the war for New Brunswick.

Major-General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, governor of Nova Scotia and commander-in-chief of British forces in the Lower Provinces from 1811 to 1816. National Gallery of Canada

While New Brunswick was not in the forefront of hostilities, the War of 1812 was a defining event for the fledgling province. New Brunswick and the other British North American colonies rejoiced in Britain’s military successes, which enhanced their mutual sense of empire. New Brunswick’s economy, moreover, had matured during the conflict, which would be remembered as a prosperous period in the province’s history. Finally, what might have become a nasty and bitter experience with its American neighbours led instead to a sense of shared history and a uniquely friendly relationship between New Brunswick and Maine. The War of 1812 was truly a “Neighbourly War.”