Hunters’ Lodges

Hunters’ Lodges, secret organization of Canadian rebels and American adventurers in the United States, dedicated to freeing Canada from British colonial rule. Formed after the failure of the Canadian Rebellion of 1837, the lodges were concentrated in the northern border states. Lodge members (numbering perhaps 80,000) launched two abortive invasions of Upper Canada (now in Ontario).

On Nov. 11, 1838, about 400 lodge members crossed the St. Lawrence River at the village of Prescott, Ont. They were immediately engaged by local militia and a few regular troops. Many of the invaders escaped, but about half of them took refuge in a windmill, where they held out for five days before surrendering. About 30 of the invaders were killed in the battle and about 160 were made prisoners.

On Dec. 4, 1838, the Hunters launched a second invasion, this time at Windsor, Ont. Again, they were quickly scattered by the militia, and a large number of them were captured. After a number of other minor border incidents and raids, the Lodges ceased to be active in the 1840s.

Although they posed no threat to British rule in Canada, the Lodges’ open defiance of U.S. neutrality laws—and local officials’ refusal to enforce those laws—caused some tension in U.S.-British relations until President Martin Van Buren ordered the Lodges disbanded.