On December 5, Allan MacNab arrived in Toronto with sixty men from the Hamilton area. MacNab was named commander-in-chief and leader of the battle against the rebels by Bond Head. At a council-of-war meeting on December 6, James FitzGibbon was furious at this appointment because he felt he was the best person for the role, and he left the meeting early. The meeting decided to attack the rebels the next day, and MacNab informed FitzGibbon that he had resigned as the leader so FitzGibbon could take the role.