Wars and Battles
The Caroline Affair
1837

In 1837, a U.S. steamship, the Caroline, carried men and supplies to a site on the Niagara River a short distance above the falls. Their purpose was to render assistance to William Lyon Mackenzie, who was leading a rebellion in Upper Canada. Many in the United States were sympathetic to the rebels, seeing them as the successors to the American independence movement.

Late in December, Canadian loyalists crossed into American territory, cut the Caroline loose and allowed it to drift over Niagara Falls. One U.S. citizen was killed in the incident and American outrage quickly followed. In retaliation, one British ship was burned and several small raiding parties went into Canada.

General Winfield Scott was dispatched to the scene by President Van Buren, primarily for the purpose of restraining further American incursions into Canada.

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