While much of the fighting in the War of 1812 was on land, it was accompanied by naval warfare on the Great Lakes, especially Lake Ontario. Robert Legget, a historian of some note, states that "It was naval superiority which enabled General Isaac Brock to gain his victories in 1812 and the corresponding lack of naval strength in lake Erie which led to the loss in 1813 of the western part of Upper Canada . . . this directed attention to the vulnerable position of Kingst

as a supply route was taken into consideration, the Rideau Canal was not such a preposterous idea as was first imagined. The cost involved transhipping one piece of artillery from Montreal to Kingston using the St. Lawrence was comparable to what it cost to ship a frigate full of guns, cables, and ammunition all the way from England! The reason that the costs were so close is due to all the extra time spent on navigating the shallow waters of the St. Lawrence. So it was in 1815 that the Rideau Canal had its first motion for existence. On October 10, 1815, the first orders were given to Sir Gordon Drummond to get estimates to make this supply route navigable. This order for an estimate by Lord Bathurst was quite possibly influenced by the endorsement made by Captain Gaugreben of the Kings German Legion. He recommended a military waterway along the Rideau because "It would be far enough north of the St. Lawrence to insulate loyal Upper Canadians from ‘those turbulent!

In conclusion, the building of the Rideau Canal caused a permanent change in the area surrounding it. While it was built in response to the War of 1812, it accomplished far more than its military expectations. It not only provided a military supply route from Ottawa to Kingston in case of a recurrence of the hostilities, it also brought about increased stability both economically and socially.

5. Legget, Robert Ferguson. Canals of Canada. Revised Edition (Vancouver, ON: Douglas, David & Charles, 1976)

The Rideau Canal caused there to be a huge rise in population. Even before settlers started to use it, there were the thousands of canal workers who settled down along its banks. Since they were already displaced from their original homes, many decided that it was as good a place as any to settle down and start their life again. As well, there were the established British immigrant settlers from many of the crowded military settlements. There were also many French Canadians from the seigniories of Lower Canada. As the Rideau Canal became a mainstay of transportation and travel, many people began to buy and claim land on it's banks and the surrounding areas. Land that was formerly inaccessible became available and farmers without land of their own migrated to the cheap land, creating more communities and thus more business.

2. Dicaire, Linda M. M. "Rideau Canal Driveway: Founding Element in Ottawa's Evolving Landscape." Ontario History 89:2 (June 1997): 141-159.

3. Francis, R. Donald, Richard Jones and Donald B. Smith. Editors. Origins: Canadian History to Confederation. Fourth Edition (Toronto, ON: Harcourt Brace & Company, Ltd, 2000).

3. Francis, R. Donald, Richard Jones and Donald B. Smith. Editors. Origins: Canadian History to Confederation. Fourth Edition (Toronto, ON: Harcourt Brace & Company, Ltd, 2000).

Some common words found in the essay are:
Rideau Canal, River Kingston, St Lawrence, rideau canal, Toronto Press, Creative Printing, Canadian Geographic, Ontario Doors, Samuel Clowes, Colonel John, Upper Canada, edition toronto, revised edition, october 10, supply route, october 10 2000, st lawrence, robert ferguson, 10 2000, legget robert, press 1972, toronto university toronto, toronto press 1972, legget robert ferguson, university toronto press,
Approximate Word count = 2118
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)