The Commander-in-Chief of these forces was Sir George Prevost, who had come to Quebec as Governor in succession to Sir James Craig, a change much welcomed by the French Canadians; for although the new Governor was not an able general, he possessed the gentle art of conciliation, a gift of almost equal value at that critical time. As the New England States had been averse to war from the beginning, the adjoining Maritime Provinces of Canada were spared the trial of invasion, and the quarrel was fought out along the southern border of Upper and Lower Canada. [Illustration: MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK, K. B. (Administrator of Upper Canada, 1812)] The American Commander, General Dearborn, divided his army of invasion into three parts, intending first to secure a base of operations at the three important points of Detroit, Niagara, and Queenston, and thence to overrun the Upper Province. He was confident that, with the help of the disaffected colonists, these columns would soon be able to converge and march together upon the capital. General Hull, of Michigan, commanded the army of the west; Van Rensselaer led the army of the centre against Niagara and Queenston; while the army of the north, under Dearborn himself, moved from Albany by Lake Champlain towards Ontario. On the Canadian side, Major-General Brock appeared to realise most clearly the need for decided measures. His commanding presence--he was six feet three inches in height--and his immense muscular strength were joined to an intense and chivalrous spirit which was a deciding influence in uniting the colonists to energetic defence. His practical sense appears in an order directing officers "On every occasion when in the field to dress in conformity to the men, in order to avoid the bad consequence of a conspicuous dress,"--an expedient only lately adopted in more modern warfare, and not until bitter necessity forced it. In other respects, however, we have outgrown the ideas entertained at that time on the subject of martial appearance, for the writer of the _Ridout Letters_[44] says, immediately after the battle on Queenston Heights-- "The American prisoners, officers, and men are the most savage-looking fellows I ever saw. To strike a greater terror in their enemies they had allowed their beards on their upper lips to grow. This, however, had no other effect upon us than to raise sensations of disgust." [Footnote 44: _Ten Years of Upper Canada in Peace and War_, 1805-1815, _being the Ridout Letters, with Annotations_, by Matilda Edgar, 1891.]