The Battle of Saint-Denis was the only Patriote victory during the Lower Canada Rebellion of 1837, demonstrating that colonial forces were not invincible.
Key Facts
- Date
- November 23, 1837
- British commander
- Lieutenant-Colonel Gore
- Patriote commander
- Wolfred Nelson
- British cannon count
- 1 cannon
- Assault attempts on stone house
- 3 attempts
- Outcome
- Patriote victory; British retreated after running out of ammunition
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
British colonial authorities dispatched Lieutenant-Colonel Gore and Lieutenant-Colonel Wetherall to suppress the Patriote uprising in the Richelieu River valley of Lower Canada. Gore arrived first at the Patriote-held position, where Wolfred Nelson had organized a prepared defence centred on a fortified stone house overlooking the road.
On November 23, 1837, Gore attacked the Patriote position at Saint-Denis with only one cannon, making three unsuccessful direct assaults on the stone house and a failed flanking manoeuvre that encountered lightly armed militia. Unable to breach the defences and running out of ammunition, the British force was compelled to retreat.
The British withdrawal handed the Patriotes their sole military victory of the 1837 rebellion. However, the broader uprising failed; subsequent engagements at Saint-Charles and Saint-Eustache ended in decisive Patriote defeats, effectively crushing the rebellion in Lower Canada.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Wolfred Nelson.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lieutenant-Colonel Gore.