The
Caroline Affair refers to a series of events beginning in
1837 that strained relations between the
United States and
Canada (and thus
Great Britain). A band of Canadian rebels, led by
William Lyon Mackenzie, seeking a more democratic Canada, took refuge on
Navy Island[?] on the Canadian side of the
Niagara River, which separates the two counties (between
Ontario and
New York). American sympathizers supplied them with aid via the
steamboat Caroline. On
December 29, Canadian forces crossed to the
United States and set the
Caroline ablaze, sending the ship over
Niagara Falls and killing one American in process.
In response on May 29, 1838 American forces burned British steamer Sir Robert Peel while it was in the United States. The tensions were ultimately settled by the Webster-Ashburton Treaty.
President Martin Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott to prevent further American incursions into Canada.