Near Chippawa in Niagara Region, Ontario — Central Canada

The Destruction of The Caroline, 1837

By Mike Wintermantel, April 21, 2013

1. The Destruction of The Caroline, 1837 Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

On the night of December 29-30, 1837, some 60 volunteers acting on the orders of Col. Allen Napier MacNab, and commanded by Capt. Andrew Drew, R.N., set out from Chippawa in small boats to capture the American steamer "Caroline". That vessel, which had been supplying William Lyon Mackenzie's rebel forces on Navy Island, was moored at Fort Schlosser, N.Y. There she was boarded by Drew's men, her crew killed or driven ashore, and after an unsuccessful attempt to start the engines, her captors set the ship afire and left her to sink in the Niagara River. This action almost precipitated war between Britain and the United States.

Erected by Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board.

Location. 43° 3.343′ N, 79° 1.583′ W. Marker is near Chippawa, Ontario, in Niagara Region. Marker is at the intersection of Niagara Parkway and Service Road 30, on the right when traveling north on Niagara Parkway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Chippawa, Ontario L2E 6S6, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Niagara River Remedial Action Plan (a few steps from this marker);

By Mike Wintermantel, April 21, 2013

2. The Destruction of The Caroline, 1837 Marker

Chippawa Battlefield Panel 6 (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chippawa Battlefield Panel 4 (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chippawa Battlefield Panel 5 (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chippawa Battlefield Panel 3 (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chippawa Battlefield Panel 1 (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Chippawa Battlefield Panel 2 (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); The Battle of Chippawa (approx. 0.4 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chippawa.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry for the Caroline affair. “This action outraged the United States. In retaliation, a group of American and Canadian raiders attacked a British ship and destroyed it. There were several other attacks in 1838 between the British and Americans. The diplomatic crisis was defused by the negotiations that led to the Webster-Ashburton Treaty in 1842, where both the Americans and British admitted to wrongdoing.

“In the aftermath, the incident led to the legal principle of the Caroline test. The principle states that the necessity for self-defense must be ‘instant, overwhelming,

<i>Destruction of the American Steamboat "Caroline"</i> image. Click for full size.

By Detroit Publishing Company, circa 1900

3. Destruction of the American Steamboat "Caroline"

Image provided courtesy of the US Library of Congress.

and leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation’ ... the Caroline Test remains accepted as part of international law today.” (Submitted on December 29, 2018.)

Categories. • Waterways & Vessels •

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Credits. This page was last revised on December 29, 2018. This page originally submitted on April 21, 2013, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 479 times since then and 52 times this year. This page was the Marker of the Week December 30, 2018. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 21, 2013, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. submitted on April 23, 2013.