Battle of Odelltown National Historic Event
Lacolle, Quebec
Location of plaque
© Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, 1989
Address :
intersection of Hwy 221 and Montée d'Odelltown, Lacolle, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1924-06-04
Other Name(s):
-
Battle of Odelltown
(Designation Name)
-
Battlefield of Odelltown
(Plaque name)
Importance:
Last battle of the 1837-38 Rebellion
Plaque(s)
Original Plaque: Highway 9a, Lacolle, Quebec
In abiding memory of Captain Donald McAllister, James Allen, Thomas Durham, Martin Flowers, Robert and William McIntyre, killed; Lewis Bartlett, William Durham, William Kidd and Hiram Odell, wounded in action, and of their brave comrades of the loyal Militia of Canada who fought here on the 7th and 9th November, 1838.
Existing plaque: Highway 9a, Lacolle, Quebec
Following the failure of the 1837 rebellion, a faction of the patriote party gathered in the United States under the leadership of Robert Nelson to proclaim the Republic of Lower Canada and plot the overthrow of the government. Their invasion in 1838, however, was a fiasco, largely due to poor planning and inadequate supplies, and on November 8 the rebel force retreated toward Odelltown. On November 9 and 10 they attacked the defending militia, but were finally repulsed by reinforcements. Although Nelson escaped, the subsequent dispersal of his men virtually ended the insurrection.