Fire on Yonge Street: The Queen’s Rangers at Montgomery’s Tavern

Toronto’s Montgomery's Tavern is an historical site located on Yonge Street at its intersection with Eglinton. It was built in the 1820s. The site where the Tavern once stood is most famous for its use during the Rebellion of 1837, where William Lyon Mackenzie, the leader of the Rebellion, used it as a headquarters for his fight against the powerful Family Compact. The compact was an almost aristocratic group that ruled Upper Canada through control of much of the political, economic, and judicial power in the region. 

Mackenzie, who was previously elected Mayor of the newly established City of Toronto, opposed the Family Compact, viewing the group as corrupt and undemocratic because of the intertwined relations of the group. Following his failure to win legislative office in 1836, he believed that reform of the province’s political system was needed. 

Through his position as a journalist and owner of the Colonial Advocate newspaper, he attempted to persuade people to his position. Unfortunately, the Colonial Advocate printing press was destroyed by a group of Family Compact supporters, who later had to reimburse him for the damages. 

Mackenzie sought a responsible government that required the assembly's confidence and, if it lost that confidence, the assembly should resign and/or call a new election. He also sought to move away from the power of an executive council that was appointed by the government and to give that power to elected officials in order to better represent public sentiment when voting. 

He believed that change would only come with an armed citizens' uprising. Hence, he set out to find like-minded individuals primarily in the outskirts of Toronto, including farmers and blacksmiths who were against the seemingly aristocratic class of the Family Compact.

Planning for the Rebellion began in late July of 1837. Mackenzie urged communities to send a delegation to Toronto to address the concerns. He printed a declaration in his newspaper and urged farmers and blacksmiths to make weapons and start training with them. 

In October of 1837, Mackenzie received word that a Rebellion was to be undertaken in Lower Canada (Quebec), and so he set out to cement his support in the rural areas, mainly North of Toronto and recruited men of significance to support him, such as Samuel Lount, a former member of the legislature and  Anthony Van Egmond. 

After hearing of the planned Rebellion and despite warnings from James Fitzgibbon, of War of 1812 fame and a member of the Family Compact, Lieutenant-Governor Francis Bond Head still decided to send troops from Toronto to assist in Lower Canada. Fitzgibbon warned that moving the troops to Lower Canada left Upper Canada vulnerable to the rumoured Rebellion. He continued his warnings to little effect until a supporter was able to obtain some of Mackenzie's writing in his newspaper, which led to Fitzgibbon being appointed commander of the Militia.

Fitzgibbon heard of the rebels gathering at Montgomery's Tavern. He ordered the gathering of a force that numbered around 1200 with two cannons. Among the militia was a recently raised division of the Queen's Rangers. They had been raised at the behest of Samuel Peters Jarvis whose father had once served in the Rangers under John Simcoe. 

When the commander Anthony Van Egmond arrived, the rebel force was not what he expected. Van Egmond expected a large, well-equipped force and instead was met by a small and ill-equipped group of roughly 210 volunteers.  With his small group he sought to defend the position at the tavern. However, Mackenzie ordered Egmond to send out 60 men to distract and divert some of the incoming enemies to the Don Bridge.

On December 7th, 1837, as the Government force set out to Montgomery’s Tavern, a rebel sentry spotted them. This allowed the rebels to set up much of the force along the road to the tavern while the rest of the rebels, many without proper arms, remained inside the tavern.

As the Government forces arrived, they were fired upon by the rebels. Led by Fitzgibbon, the Government forces marched towards the tavern. They turned their cannons and fired them at the rebels, with one cannonball landing in the dining room. The rebels fled to the border with the United States. However, some rebels were captured on the way. 

The captured rebels were exiled to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) while others were hanged for treason, including Samuel Lount. Mackenzie made it to the United States, where he would live in New York until he and others who had taken part in the Rebellion were granted clemency in 1849. 

Upon Francis Bond Head's arrival at the tavern following the battle, he ordered it to be torched for its role in the Rebellion. In later years, Sir John A. Macdonald would recall the period when he served as a bank guard during the affair, and his company was even present at the Battle