Home > CMH > Vol. 11 (2002) > Iss. 3
Abstract
To upgrade the fighting ability of the Provincial Marine, the Royal Navy sent one of their best young commodores along with 465 officers and ratings to operate the ships of the Lake Ontario squadron. This detachment of Royal Navy personnel, including four commanders, were all veterans with a wealth of sea experience. Commodore Sir James Lucas Yeo was described as a zealous, enterprising officer whose daring was unequalled in the annuals of the Royal Navy. Hence his rapid rise to flag rank and his knighthood at the age of thirty-one.
The purpose of this article is to illustrate that the way in which Chauncey and Yeo conducted their operations on Lake Ontario was very much in keeping with their background and experience. It was evident from their first encounter that Yeo, the veteran, was the confident aggressor while Chauncey, the administrator, was wary of the reputation of his knighted opponent and unsure of his own squadron’s capabilities.
Recommended Citation
Williamson, Robert James "The First Encounter: Fighting for Naval Supremacy on Lake Ontario, 7–10 August 1813." Canadian Military History 11, 3 (2002)
