In accordance with the plan of invasion, several "armies" of 2,000 or 3,000 men were pushed to the Canadian frontier; but in the very first fight the tables were turned, and Detroit was captured by the British. It took more than a year and 20,000 men to push back the British into Canada. Five different American commanders were ignominiously headed or defeated in attempting to invade Canada across the Niagara River or the St. Lawrence River. Except for Harrison's little victory at the Battle of the Thames, and for the drawn Battle of Lundy's Lane, the Canadian campaigns were all humiliating defeats. [Illustration: THE DEATH OF GENERAL ROSS AT BALTIMORE On September 12, 1814, General Ross in command of the British force advancing on Baltimore, was shot as he rode at the head of his troops by two American troopers concealed in a hollow. Baltimore was defended bravely, and the British were repulsed] This disagreeable chapter in our military history was due to the fact that the government had made no sufficient preparation of men or materials, and was obliged to rely upon untrained volunteer militia. These were men of personal courage and intelligence; and under such commanders as Jacob Brown and Andrew Jackson they showed that they had the instincts of soldiers. Nevertheless they were poorly drilled and equipped. In one campaign they stopped short when they reached the Canadian line, because they said they were not constitutionally bound to fight, except for the defense of their own country. [Illustration: JAMES MONROE Secretary of State, 1811-1817. He also acted as Secretary of War in 1814-1815. President, 1817-1825. From the portrait by John Vanderlyn] The result was that, starting with a regular army of only 7,000, which finally included about 50,000 men, 400,000 additional recruits were raised during the war. The total number of Canadians and British troops engaged in the war was not over 20,000. The Americans lost 30,000 men; and when the war was over the United States was not in possession of one foot of Canadian territory, while the British were occupying about half of the present state of Maine. This heartbreaking result ought not to be charged to the soldiers so much as to the administration. John Armstrong, Secretary of War, allowed the British to land 5,000 men on the Chesapeake and to march fifty miles overland to Washington. Within a distance of two days' land travel from that city lived nearly 100,000 able-bodied men, most of them accustomed to handle a gun. Yet the British force was allowed to capture Washington, to burn the public buildings, and to retire to its fleet almost without losing a man. Till James Monroe became Secretary of War the whole administration was slack and incompetent. [Illustration: ANDREW JACKSON Victorious leader at the Battle of New Orleans. President, 1829-1837. From a drawing from life by J.B. Longacre] WAR AT SEA