The Burlington Races Revisited: A Revised Analysis of an 1813 Naval Battle for Supremacy on Lake Ontario

Authors

Robert J. Williamson

Abstract

From the safety of the Lake Ontario shore near Burlington, military and civilian observers witnessed the jockeying for position for many sailing vessels during the afternoon of Tuesday, September 28, 1813. They likened the event to a yacht race. Thus, a pivotal naval engagement that would determine the outcome of the War of 1812 was facetiously labelled, "The Burlington Races." The facts of this important piece of Canadiana, have, like so many significant historical events, been cloaked by myth and misconception until recently. The discovery in the US National Archives of the log of the British flagship of the Lake Ontario Squadron, HMS Wolfe, has made it possible to interpret this episode in Canadian history more accurately.

Recommended Citation

Williamson, Robert J. "The Burlington Races Revisited: A Revised Analysis of an 1813 Naval Battle for Supremacy on Lake Ontario." Canadian Military History 8, 4 (1999)