4 Simcoe and Dorchester

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when upper cAnAdA wAs creAted in 1791, the position of lieutenant governor was established to bring authority and government that would pass laws and policies. The first person who filled this position was John Graves Simcoe, a thoughtful and experienced British Army general who had fought in the Revolutionary War. On receiving his appointment, Simcoe left for Canada accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe.

An accomplished artist and author, Mrs. Simcoe wrote that her first view of Lake Ontario included the white waves on the distant water,1 which she saw while emerging from the Thousand Islands. Arriving at Kingston, she heard the gun salutes honouring the new lieutenant governor of the newly created province of Upper Canada. It was July 1, 1792.

Fig. 4.1A: The sketch by Elizabeth Posthuma Simcoe, dated July 27, 1792, several days after she departed Kingston, shows the town in the background and the south prominence of Point Frederick — still forested — on the right. Fig. 4.1B: A similar

view from south Navy Bay between Point Henry and Cedar Island.

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Mrs. Simcoe has provided us with the first visual representation of the south portion of Point Frederick. The sketch in Fig. 4.1A is titled A Distant View of Kingston in 1792. The south shore of Point Frederick appears to include small trees and shrubs, with the larger trees farther from the water. Fig. 4.1B, on the right, is a photograph-like rendering from a vantage point between Point Henry and Cedar Island.

When Simcoe inspected the Point Frederick dockyard for the first time, he found the new gunboats, HMS Sophia and HMS Catherine, under construction. 2 Simcoe was not impressed with the quality of construction and felt they were “unscientific” in their design. He wanted these vessels to act as transports to carry stores, although they were designed as gunboats meant to carry guns.3 Simcoe would eventually have the vessels stationed at his new capital of York.

Shipbuilding on Point Frederick had just begun. The wood used was unseasoned, in that it had not gone through the process of drying needed to prevent wood rot. The usual practice among lumbermen was to select trees, fell them in the autumn, leave them for a season or two, and then haul out the logs in the spring.4 But in this young settlement, with its high demand for timber, leaving trees in the woods meant deferring sales and may not have been practical. The use of unseasoned wood was reluctantly accepted at first but then became normal over time. As a result, the two gunboats inspected by Simcoe lasted only five years.

Simcoe was inaugurated at Kingston. The officers of the Provincial Marine attended the ceremony wearing gold-laced naval uniforms with large gold buttons embossed with the symbol of a beaver. While they might have looked smart, questions about the quality of the officers and sailors did not escape the governor or Mrs. Simcoe. After she later sailed on HMS Onondaga with Commodore Beaton, she wrote that the men “who navigate the ships on this lake have little nautical knowledge and never keep a logbook.”5

The lieutenant governor spent just over three weeks at Kingston, then a village of about 50 wooden houses and one of stone.6 He was lobbied by the military and local merchants to choose Kingston as the capital of Upper Canada. Simcoe took considerable time to inspect the ground around Kingston and visited Carleton Island. He soon concluded that Kingston could not be defended, an opinion shared with others.

Simcoe wanted to continue his journey to Niagara in an open boat to see the land in detail. He was convinced by others of the danger and

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impracticality of this plan, so he and Mrs. Simcoe left on July 23 in the Onondaga, commanded by Commodore Beaton. A description of sailing on Lake Ontario with the Provincial Marine during the summer of 1792 was provided by another traveller:

Those who want to proceed to Niagara, seldom want the opportunity of a passage, across the Lake Ontario, about two or three days during the summer season as vessels are constantly passing and re-passing, unless a contrary wind intervenes. All intercourse, however, by water, closes from the latter end of November, till sometime in April by which time the ice, that accumulates in winter, is dispersed. Most of the vessels, which navigate the lake are in the King’s service, others in the merchants. The price for cabin passengers is two Guineas, and one for a servant. For this, they undertake to furnish necessaries. It will, however, be a proper caution to make an extra provision, as the articles are seldom either abundant in quantity, or superior in quality. The distance, between the two places, is about 170 calculated miles. This inland voyage is performed in about 30 hours. It is however often extended, with unfavorable winds to three or four days.7

After anchoring on the Niagara River, Simcoe established his headquarters in an old naval storehouse that he named Navy Hall. It was not long before he and Dorchester came into conflict. In November, Simcoe usurped Dorchester by granting commissions to the “Officers of the Naval Department under the Governor of Upper Canada,” arguing that their earlier commissions from Dorchester were civil.8 To his credit, Simcoe was trying to address a legal loophole that exempted Provincial Marine sailors from both military and civilian rules. Without a firm legal framework to enforce laws, disobedience and poor discipline were problems.

Simcoe also argued with Dorchester that he needed greater autonomy to make decisions on the spot rather than suffer the delays inherent in seeking authorizations from Quebec. His push to be independent of Dorchester was not well received. Dorchester, who had sponsored and advocated for the

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creation of Upper Canada, was the governor general and viewed Simcoe as a subordinate. Simcoe did not see it that way and thought of himself as independent and responsive to other superiors in London. He aimed to create government administration, laws, and policy that would reinforce cultural norms that favoured an aristocratic class. This was at odds with Dorchester’s view and achievements for Lower Canada, so Dorchester informed Simcoe that all authority for discipline or commissions would remain with the governor general of the Canadas.

Neither Simcoe nor Dorchester trusted the Americans to remain peaceful for long. Both assumed that there would be another conflict, a continuation of the Revolutionary War. Dorchester had been happy to keep a small armed detachment at Carleton Island, even after the move to Point Frederick, believing that any agreement on boundaries would be redundant with a new war. Simcoe’s concerns about war increased when he learned that U.S. general Anthony Wayne was building forts in the west, an openly hostile act.

Simcoe’s headquarters at Navy Hall, just across the river from American territory, could be easily captured. Wanting separation from the threat, Simcoe searched for a capital farther from the border. Although Kingston fit the bill, Simcoe still considered it vulnerable to winter attack and difficult to defend. Looking for alternatives, he scouted Toronto harbour in May 1793 and used the Provincial Marine’s Caldwell and Onondaga9 to transport him between destinations as he investigated other options.

After consideration, Simcoe recommended to Dorchester that the capital be moved inland to the Thames River, near today’s London, Ontario. Dorchester was cool to the idea, because the area was sparsely settled and remote. Unable to sell that idea, Simcoe decided that his capital should be located on the north shore of Lake Ontario at Toronto, which had a protected bay. He had the bay surveyed for a town, which he named York.

As soon as he transferred his government to York, Simcoe decided that the Provincial Marine should be moved there, as well. Dorchester had faced this issue before when he had considered a move to Carleton Island or Kingston a few years earlier. Despite the known difficulties of defending Kingston, Dorchester understood that the key to control of Lake Ontario was the ability to dominate the outlet of the lake, a difficult task for a naval station far away at York. Over Simcoe’s continuing objections, Dorchester decreed that the Provincial Marine dockyard would remain at

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Point Frederick. This was a point of irritation that contributed to the steady deterioration in their relationship.

On December 8, 1793, the Onondaga parted from its cable while anchored outside York Harbour and was driven onto the sand peninsula that is now the Toronto Islands. The hull started taking in water. The acting captain was Lieutenant Hugh Earl. He was serving in the absence of more senior captains, David Beaton and William Baker, who were both ill. To free the Onondaga, Earl enlisted the help of Lieutenant Thomas Paxton of the Caldwell. They tried to save the vessel by removing small quantities of cargo, but the prospect of refloating the ship was remote. They eventually gave up and put a young ensign in charge of the Onondaga — Joseph Bouchette, who commanded the gunboat Sophia. 10 Earl and Paxton soon left for Kingston in the Caldwell to report the loss.

Word reached Dorchester in Quebec that the Onondaga was lost. He was upset, knowing that it would critically affect his ability to supply the western stations. He immediately ordered construction of a replacement of nearly the same size. Dorchester used the bad news to pointedly upbraid Simcoe regarding his ambitions to be the military authority of Upper Canada — authority that Dorchester made clear would remain with himself.11

Ensign Joseph Bouchette was the son of Captain Jean-Baptiste Bouchette and likely lived with his family at their home on Point Frederick. Left in charge of the Onondaga, he somehow managed to find a way to free the ship. He assembled a crew and soon had the ship sailing on Lake Ontario. According to Henry Scadding, Ensign Bouchette took command of the Onondaga, Beaton’s flagship, and sailed it to Niagara. There, he was met with cheers from the garrison for his rescue of the vessel.12

Meanwhile, Simcoe persisted with his wish to move the Provincial Marine to York. Dorchester pointed out that the St. Lawrence River was a ready invasion route to Montreal and Quebec, as was shown by Major-General Amherst during the final push to defeat the French. Dorchester pointed to the doctrine that they should occupy the land at the nearest river closest to the outlet of the lake to prevent an invading force from gaining access to the St. Lawrence River. But because he understood the importance of the issue, Dorchester directed Simcoe to have a suitable person conduct a survey and study the matter.13

Lieutenant Alexander Bryce of the Royal Engineers was assigned to investigate the issue. In his report of July 29, 1794, Bryce noted that Point

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Henry, still forested and unoccupied, could command the dockyard at Point Frederick. He viewed both Kingston Harbour and Navy Bay as suitable dockyard sites. But there remained the question of whether each, or both, could be properly defended during an attack. Bryce noted that any successful defence required that both Point Henry and the rising ground west of Kingston Harbour be strongly occupied. The two sites would be unable to communicate or support each other if bombarded over distances of 900 to 1,200 yards. A loss of one would be nearly as bad as both.

Then there was the problem of high elevations north of Point Henry. Bryce thought that Hamilton Cove (Deadman Bay) might be a more suitable dockyard location, since it would require less extensive works. If the dockyard were to remain at Point Frederick, the cost of the overall defensive works would be great but possibly justified because of its advantageous location.14 Although Bryce acknowledged that Kingston did not command the entrance to the river, he knew of no other site near the outlet of Lake Ontario that would be better.15

Despite Bryce’s report, Simcoe was unable to let the issue go. He again recommended that York become the permanent naval arsenal of Ontario. Simcoe argued that the north and south outflow channels at Kingston made it impossible to block access to the river from the lake, even with a large body of troops. To address Dorchester’s points about the St. Lawrence invasion route, Simcoe recommended that a series of armed blockhouses be built at critical points along the river. In addition to his usual reasoning, Simcoe noted that the French shared his view of the Fort Frontenac area and had not expended much labour or cost to build it up. Simcoe correctly indicated that “a War is inevitable.” 16 When his arguments again failed, Simcoe proposed that a winter and refitting port be located at York. He wanted to build 10 gunboats for Lake Ontario.17

By the fall of 1794, Dorchester’s new vessel was on the stocks at Point Frederick. With the expectation of war still high, Dorchester wanted a purpose-built warship instead of the armed transports that existed. The Office of Ordnance at Quebec noted that the 12 six-pound guns requested for the new ship were not to be found at Quebec. Additional orders were needed to round them up from other places.18

When Simcoe returned to Kingston in December 1794, he learned that Commodore David Beaton had died on board the Onondaga at Niagara.

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With the death of the “Senior Officer of the Marine on Lake Ontario” came the need for a replacement.19

Concern about a war caused Mrs. Simcoe and her children to relocate to Quebec, where they spent the winter. The lieutenant governor remained at York. He returned to Kingston to meet her after she returned in midwinter, having travelled overland and along the north shore, making quick progress with horses and sleighs over the frozen rivers and bays. In the process, Mrs. Simcoe discovered her fear of travelling over the ice, especially at night, and the anxiety of drifting off a marked path. A Kingston merchant had lost two of his horses when they crashed through the ice. Nevertheless, Mrs. Simcoe arrived safely and was soon lodged in the barracks at Kingston with the lieutenant governor, where they stayed until May. Simcoe was ill most of the time and unable to travel.20

On May 12, 1795, the Simcoes finally embarked on the Onondaga but were held up by contrary winds and remained in Navy Bay until May 15. On the previous day, Mrs. Simcoe witnessed the launch of a new HMS Mohawk, not to be confused with the Mohawk built at Carleton Island. “She came with such rapidity that it appeared as if she would have run down the ship we were in, which was at anchor ahead of her.” She described the ship as the size of HMS Mississauga.

21 With no further likelihood of sailing that day, Mrs. Simcoe went ashore and into the dockyard, walking along Point Frederick and up the Point Henry hill.

While Mrs. Simcoe has not left any description or drawings of the scene, possibly because the forest obscured her view, she would have followed a path that coursed around the head of Navy Bay and to the height of Point Henry. Many RMC cadets have covered this same ground, not always by choice, and would be surprised to learn that the first historically documented person to run or walk “the fort” was Mrs. Simcoe.

Lieutenant Governor Simcoe had his own preferences to replace Commodore Beaton. But it was Dorchester who decided to appoint Captain Jean-Baptiste Bouchette, the man who had saved him from capture by the Americans so many years before. Bouchette would become the next senior officer of the Provincial Marine on Lake Ontario.

Commodore Bouchette’s residence was located on Point Frederick.22 He likely had a wharf built nearby, which would have made the commute to the garrison convenient. Bouchette’s better-known son, Joseph, served under his

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father as a junior officer in the Provincial Marine, and it is his 1796 map of Kingston (see Fig. 3.10A) that provides the only clue of the location of the Bouchette house.

With poor morale an issue, there were disciplinary problems and frequent desertions. Dorchester’s approach to this was punitive. If Bouchette could not legally punish the men, Dorchester encouraged him to send to Quebec those who committed a crime or deserted. There, offenders would be put on man-of-war ships going to sea and experience what they were hoping to avoid by being on the lakes. Provincial Marine crews were lodged on board their ships during the winter, an austere proposition and an indication of the lack of barrack space ashore.23

Constantly ill and repeatedly stung by the frequent disagreements and admonishments from Dorchester, Simcoe applied for leave to regain his health. News reached him on July 14, 1796, that his request was approved. He left York on July 20, leaving only the remains of his youngest daughter, which today lie in the unmarked cemetery in Victoria Square, Toronto. Simcoe remained in office but administered from a distance while Peter Russell, the receiver-general, acted in his place.24 He then returned to England, soon after was offered another assignment, and finally resigned as lieutenant governor of Upper Canada in 1798.

Dorchester sailed for England just ahead of Simcoe on July 9, 1796. He left Robert Prescott, the lieutenant governor of Lower Canada, as his representative until Prescott became Dorchester’s successor the following year.25 Prescott was to spend much of his time outside Canada, which was left with two “acting” governors.

Both a soldier and diplomat whose great talents had a lasting effect on Canada, Dorchester was a student of military history who understood the realities of war and politics. He recognized that British stewardship of Canada depended on sound planning to ensure naval control of the Great Lakes, starting with Lake Ontario. The key to Lake Ontario was regulation of the outlet, the source of the St. Lawrence River. Although Carleton Island in the south channel may have performed as well as Point Frederick, politics dictated that a naval station be located on the north shore near the north channel. Point Frederick was the only option. Others, besides Simcoe, would not agree.

And they, too, would be proven wrong.