Battle of Saint-Denis (1837)

Battle of Saint-Denis
Part of the Lower Canada Rebellion
Les Fils de la Liberté hurl back British regulars at the Battle of Saint-Denis. Contemporary watercolour.
Date November 23, 1837 Location Saint-Denis, Quebec Result Patriote victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Patriotes
Commanders and leaders
Charles Stephen Gore	Wolfred Nelson
Strength
300 regulars 1 cannon	200 militia 600 lightly armed civilians
Casualties and losses
7 to 54 killed 20 wounded 6 missing 1 cannon	12 dead 7 wounded

The Battle of Saint-Denis was fought on November 23, 1837, between British colonial authorities under Lieutenant-Colonel Gore and Patriote rebels in Lower Canada as part of the Lower Canada Rebellion. The Patriotes were led by Wolfred Nelson. Gore was sent to quell the uprising in the Richelieu River valley in conjunction with a force led by Lieutenant-Colonel George Wetherall. Gore was the first to arrive at a Patriote-held site. Nelson had organized the defence with most of the well-armed rebels within a stone house that overlooked the road. Gore, accompanied by only one cannon, attempted to take the stone house three times, with the cannon providing ineffective fire. Another attempt to flank the house to the left failed when Gore's soldiers encountered the less well-armed militia. Running out of ammunition, the British retreated. This marked the only Patriote victory in 1837, as this battle was followed by two defeats at Saint-Charles and Saint-Eustache.