The Second War with England
We have explained the influence of the life and death of General Brock
in the upper province sufficiently for the reader to conceive, perhaps,
an unusual interest in the course of the war that soon was raging, in
reality or in burlesque, as it sometimes appeared, along the northern
border; no one can take any interest in Brock's career without wondering
whether his province was invaded or conquered despite the sacrifices of
this undefeated but dead hero.
Upon Brock's return from Detroit he found General Stephen Van Rensselaer
commanding the American shore of the river, preparing, according to
report, to begin the conquest of the upper province. There was much
cause for delay, which in turn provoked criticism and unrest, but as
October of 1812 drew near it was considered necessary and possible to
execute the advance upon Brock's positions along the river and on
Queenston Heights and Fort George. The first attempt to advance on the
night of the 10th proved abortive through the treachery of an
irresponsible lieutenant. Instead of quieting the ardour of the army
this disgusting mishap made the troops the more eager for the conflict,
and a new plan was very secretly arranged, with such success that it is
pretty sure that General Brock was in doubt up to the last moment where
the attack was to be made. A strong force had been kept at Fort Niagara,
and this, with the stationing of Colonel Chrystie's troops at Four Mile
Creek, caused Brock to believe that the attack was to be made on Fort
George.
The night of the twelfth was set as the time for the second attempt to
cross the Niagara. Soon after dark, Chrystie with his three hundred men
marched from Fort Niagara by interior routes to Lewiston, reaching his
destination before midnight. Re-enforcements had also come from the
Falls, as well as Colonel Scott who had just arrived at Schlosser,
aroused by the information that a battle was soon to be fought and glory
to be won. Scott presented himself to the General asking permission to
take part in the engagement, and though Van Rensselaer could not change
his plans he offered to let Scott take position on Lewiston Heights and
co-operate with the rest of the army as he saw fit.
Solomon Van Rensselaer was again placed in command but Colonel Chrystie
was allowed to lead an equal force, thus recognising his rank. Three
o'clock in the morning, October 13th, was the time set for crossing the
river. The night was very dark. The plan was for Chrystie and Van
Rensselaer to cross and storm the heights, when the rest of the army
should follow on the second trip and attack Queenston. The boats,
however, would not carry more than half the desired number; these with
their leaders landed on the Canadian shore not more than ten minutes
after leaving Lewiston landing, at the very spot aimed at, at the foot
of the cliff under Lewiston suspension bridge. The British were found
very much on the alert and opened fire from the heights the moment the
boats touched land. Lovett's battery on Lewiston Heights immediately
opened fire in answer, and this, with a charge by the regulars of the
Thirteenth under Wool, soon drove the enemy backward toward Queenston.
Wool took position just above Queenston when orders were given him to
storm the heights. Eager and anxious for the struggle, his troops were
immediately put in motion, but he soon received orders countermanding
the first just as he was moving rapidly toward the heights. No sooner
had his men taken position in accord with it than the right flank was
fiercely attacked by Dennis's full force. At the same moment the British
opened fire upon the little body from the heights. Wool immediately,
without tarrying for orders, faced about and poured such a fierce fire
into Dennis's command that it was compelled to fall back. In the
meantime Van Rensselaer had come up with his command and taken position
on Wool's left. In this short engagement, the Americans suffered most
severely. Van Rensselaer was so severely wounded that he was forced to
relinquish the command, and Wool had been wounded though refusing to
leave the field.
The British on the heights kept up a continual fire on the Americans,
which from their position could not be returned with effect, and the
little invading army fell back to the shore below the hill where they
occupied a more sheltered position.
Daybreak had now come, and a storm which had raged all morning had
ceased with the retreat of the Americans; but the storm of lead was soon
to break more furiously than before, although the little army was in a
sorry plight. Wool was only twenty-three years old. The commanding
officer, Solomon Van Rensselaer, was forced to retire. What was to be
done? Wool had asked for orders. The heights must be taken or the
enterprise abandoned; Wool was ordered to storm the heights and Lush
commanded to follow and shoot the first man that wavered--for signs of
disaffection were already showing themselves. No sooner did Wool receive
his orders than, fired by the frenzy of the battle, forgetting wounds
and all else, he sprang forward to its execution. Up the ascent the men
rushed, protected from fire to a degree by bushes and rocks. Many parts
of the hill were so steep that there was nothing for it but to pull
themselves along by the roots and shrubs. General Brock, in the
meantime, hardly knew what to expect. He was at Fort George and seems to
have had a determined suspicion that the main attack would be made upon
Fort George from Fort Niagara. He heard the early cannonading but
supposed that it was only a feint to conceal the point of real movement.
However, the true soldier mounted his horse and raced away immediately
to the scene of action and death. On arriving and taking a view of the
field Brock considered affairs favourable to the British; however, he
had hardly dismounted at the redan battery than Wool's men scrambled
upon the heights and opened up a galling fire. So hot was the attack
that the Canadians were immediately forced from their stronghold; a few
moments later the flag of the Union waved there.
[Illustration: "Queenston or Landing near Niagara."
A drawing on bark by Mrs. Simcoe.]
Brock immediately sent to Fort George for re-enforcements, rallied the
disorganised force, and with Williams's and Dennis's commands attempted
to turn the American right flank; Wool perceived the move and tried to
anticipate it by sending fifty men to its protection. These were forced
back by superior numbers, and the whole command was compelled to give
ground until the edge of the precipice was reached with the rushing
river flood two hundred feet below. It seemed that they must either
surrender or perish; one captain attempted to raise a white flag but was
stopped by Wool, who, having addressed a few hurried words to his men,
led them to the charge with such fierce zeal that the British in turn
gave back. The brave Brock saw this movement in dismay; with a stinging
rebuke, which called every man back to a realisation of his duty, the
General placed himself at the head of the column to lead it back to
victory. His tall form, towering above that of the soldiers around him,
made a conspicuous mark for the American sharpshooter, and he was soon
struck in the wrist but bravely pressed on; shortly after a ball entered
his breast and passed out of his side, inflicting a death wound. He
scarcely had time to make a few last requests when he died. As soon as
the soldiers knew of their commander's death, they became infuriated.
The column charged up the hill toward the Americans. Wool's little
command, doubtful of victory, spiked the cannon in the redan. The
struggle was fierce for a few moments; but the British were again made
to retire, leaving Wool master of Queenston Heights.
Re-enforcements were slowly crossing the river. Colonel Scott had
arrived early in the morning and had placed his cannon to protect the
crossing as far as possible. Later he received permission to cross over
as a volunteer. Having met with Wadsworth of the New York militia, that
officer unselfishly waived his rank on account of Scott's superior
military experience, and allowed him to take command of regulars and
militia, amounting in all to some six hundred. While Scott was
superintending the unspiking of the cannon in the redan his command on
the heights was assailed by a band of Indians under John Brant, son of
the famous Mohawk chieftain. So furious and unexpected was their attack
that the pickets were driven in immediately and the main body began to
draw back. This was shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon. The
militia, unused to being under fire, were beginning to break away when
Scott appeared and by his commanding presence and steady nerve led the
men back to order. A charge was immediately ordered, which was executed
so fiercely that the Indians retired; however, they kept up a fire on
the Americans from sheltered positions until Scott ordered a general
assault and drove them from the heights. Lieutenant-Colonel Chrystie
then appeared on the field for the first time and ordered Wool to the
American shore to have his wounds dressed.
General Sheaffe now arrived from Fort George with re-enforcements and
took command of the British forces; these now numbered about thirteen
hundred while the Americans could not count over six hundred. Sheaffe
marched to the east to St. Davids and by brilliantly counter-marching
gained the rear of the American army. Van Rensselaer was on the heights
at this time; seeing these movements he returned to send over
re-enforcements. But to his surprise, and their own eternal disgrace,
the American militia, which had been crying out so long for action,
refused to budge. He, as well as others, threatened, entreated, and
implored; all in vain. The men who but a few hours before had demanded
to be led to the war, now, at sight of blood and the smell of
gun-powder, refused to help their comrades threatened with destruction
on the heights across the river. Van Rensselaer transmitted this
information to Wadsworth and promised boats if he wished to retreat, but
he could not even make this promise good, as the frightened boatmen
refused to raise an oar. Nothing was left for the little band on the
heights but surrender or death! It has been offered in extenuation of
the action of the militia that there had been gross mismanagement of the
boats, only one or two being at hand, necessitating their being sent
across the river in dangerously small parties. Wherever the blame should
be placed, there was enough of it to go around and to make any patriot
blush. The militia were within their legal rights in refusing to pass
beyond the boundaries of their State, and may have been entirely right
in refusing to attempt the crossing if it could not be made in force.
The final engagement of the battle of Queenston Heights was inaugurated
about four o'clock in the afternoon by General Sheaffe directing a large
body of Indians and regulars against the American right. The superior
numbers, together with the impetuous advance, threw the Americans into
confusion. Sheaffe ordered an advance along the whole line and the
American ranks were soon broken, most of those fleeing toward the city
being cut off by the Indians; some few escaped by letting themselves
down the steep hill by roots and bushes. Several attempts were made to
surrender, but it is said that even those bearing the flag were shot
down by the Indians. Colonel Scott was attacked by two savages while on
this mission, but was valiantly rescued by a British officer. On
reaching headquarters terms were soon agreed upon by which all the
Americans on the Canada side became prisoners of war.
Thus ended this, the spectacular battle of Queenston Heights. In many
ways it was typical of so many battles in American military annals; the
eagerness of hot-headed militia to hear the guns popping, the daring
attack, the heroism of cool, undaunted officers, the loss of enthusiasm
as the struggle wore on, the final conflict of regular and militia, the
seemingly inexcusable lack of interest on the part of the
non-combatants, the flight and surrender--all are typical.
The death of the noble Brock has thrown a halo over the Niagara frontier
for Briton and American alike. As you wander to-day across the pleasant
commons at Niagara-on-the-Lake to the site of old Fort George, or
scramble up the steep sides of beautiful Queenston Heights, you will
find yourself thinking of the heroic leaders at the battle of
Queenston--Brock, Wool, Chrystie, and the impetuous Scott; to one
rambler, at least, amid these striking scenes, the battle, as such,
quite faded out of the perspective, leaving the fine military figure of
the British commander looming up alone beside that of the
twenty-three-year-old boy Wool, who had jumped from his law books down
in New York to come here as captain of militia and give the world
another clear picture of absolute daring not surpassed in any point by
Wolfe's at Quebec; the young Scott appears too, so willing to be in the
fracas across the river that he crosses as a private soldier. Had the
faltering militia caught his spirit there would have been, perhaps,
another story to tell of the outcome of the battle! It is to be hoped
that the year 1912 will not pass without seeing raised on Lewiston
Heights a monument to these noble men equal in point of beauty to the
splendid shaft raised across the river to the memory of Brock.
On the 17th of November, a bombardment was opened on Black Rock from
batteries which had been constructed across the river. The firing was
kept up all day; but little damage was done to the Americans, and almost
none to the British, as few cannon were mounted against them. On the
21st of November a fierce cannonade was opened from a number of
batteries which had been erected opposite Fort Niagara. At the same time
the guns of Fort George, and all those of the vicinity which could be
brought to bear, directed their fire against Fort Niagara, and kept up
all day. The fort was fired several times by red-hot shot as were also
the works of the enemy. Two Americans were killed and two by the
bursting of a cannon, while four were wounded; night ended the fight and
it was not renewed.
General Smyth had succeeded in the command of the American forces in Van
Rensselaer's place after the engagement at Queenston. He had given it as
his opinion that the invasion should have taken place at some point
between Black Rock and Chippewa Creek and was now in position to carry
out his own plans. After a number of boastful proclamations, orders were
given the army on the 25th to be ready to march at a moment's notice.
The line of advance was planned and the whole campaign marked out. Boats
sufficient for men and artillery were provided, and Lieutenant-Colonel
Boerstler was to cross in the darkness and destroy a bridge about five
miles below Fort Erie, capture all men and supplies possible, and
return to the American shore. Captain King was to cross higher up the
river and storm the batteries. But the enemy was not to be caught
napping; Smyth's idle boasts and proclamations, together with his
statements as to the proper place for crossing, had put the British on
their guard with the result that the whole upper river was well guarded.
The advance parties embarked at three o'clock on the morning of the
29th. Of King's ten boats only four were able to effect a landing. His
small command jumped ashore into the very thickest of the fire and
almost immediately captured two batteries. Angus and his seamen who had
accompanied King rushed upon the Red House, captured the field-pieces
stationed there, spiked them, and threw them and the caissons into the
river. Angus returned to the river, and, not knowing that the other six
boats had been unable to land, supposed King had either returned or been
taken prisoner. It being too dark to reconnoitre, he struck away to the
American shore in the four boats, leaving King and his handful of men
helpless in Canada. King, on the other hand, not receiving
re-enforcements, returned to the landing and found all the boats gone,
and passing down the river about two miles he discovered two boats in
which he placed his prisoners and half his command, and started them for
the American shore. Only a few moments later he and all with him were
taken prisoners.
[Illustration: Lieutenant Pierie's Sketch of Niagara, 1768.
From an old print.]
The firing had roused the British all along the line. A number of
Boerstler's boats were not able to find the point designated as their
landing-place, and of those that did all were driven off but Boerstler's
own. In the face of a hot fire, he landed, forced back the enemy to the
bridge, but when he attempted to destroy that structure he found that in
the excitement the axes, militia-like, had been left behind, so that his
work was only partly accomplished. While thus engaged he received the
interesting intelligence that the whole force at Fort Erie were only
five minutes distant. In the darkness the enemy could not be seen; but
their advancing tramp could be easily heard. Boerstler, addressing his
subordinates as field officers, succeeded in deceiving the British as to
the size of his command. The Americans fired one volley and then charged
with such spirit that the British fell back, and the little command
recrossed the river without being further molested.
It was late in the afternoon before all was in readiness for a general
advance and the enemy were on the alert ready to give a warm reception.
Smyth had not been seen all day. When finally all was prepared orders
came to disembark and dine and, as nothing could be done, the soldiers
retired to their quarters.
A council was called, but no agreement could be reached. Smyth ordered
another advance on the 30th which never took place. Disagreements
between officers and insubordination among the soldiers soon led to the
abandonment of the plan entirely. General Porter openly attributed the
failure to Smyth, which shortly led to a duel in which neither was
injured and each one's honour was vindicated.
While these absurd pantomime war measures were transpiring on land the
little American navy covered itself with glory. By hard work Lieutenant
Oliver H. Perry had gotten ready nine vessels and fifty-five guns at
Erie, Pennsylvania, to oppose six vessels and sixty-three guns under the
English commander Barclay. After a careful cruise of the Lake, Perry met
the enemy in ill condition for a battle near Put-in-Bay on the 10th of
September, 1813. The completeness of his victory was described in his
famous despatch to Harrison: "We have met the enemy and they are ours;
two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop."
Shortly before the victory on Lake Erie, Gen. W. H. Harrison, who now
commanded the North-western army, accompanied by Johnson and his
Kentucky rifles, crossed into Canada and during the last week of August
and the first week of September was kept busy by the enemy. Proctor did
not, however, seem anxious to fight but kept falling back before the
Americans, much to the disgust of the famous Shawanese chieftain
Tecumseh, who was anxious for a battle. The army at last took position
on the Thames River on the 5th of August. Here they were attacked by
Harrison's forces, Johnson's Kentuckians leading the successful charge.
In a few minutes the British army with its Indian allies was routed and
Tecumseh killed. The North-west was relieved of further danger; and much
that was lost by Hull was regained with something in addition.
The Army of the North under General Dearborn, during the year of 1813
was to co-operate in the invasion of Canada, and on the 27th of April,
1813, the American army crossed Lake Ontario to York, now Toronto, and
were entirely successful in capturing that point, as more fully noted in
our chapter on that city.
It was part of Dearborn's plan on capturing York to press on over the
thirty miles to the River Niagara and take Fort George. On account of
unfavourable weather the army did not leave York until the 8th of May,
the fleet being under command of Chauncey and being joined in the
evening of the 25th by Perry, who had come hastily from Erie. The attack
was to be made on the morning of the 27th. Dearborn was himself sick,
being confined to his bed most of the time, but his orders were
faithfully carried out by his under officers. An attempt to launch
several boats on the evening of the 26th brought on a cannonade from the
batteries along both shores as well as from Fort George and Fort
Niagara. Darkness, however, came on and the preparations were made by
the Americans under its cover without further molestation. The morning
was somewhat foggy but a light breeze soon dissipated this and revealed
a fine sight for friend and foe alike. The waters of the lake were
covered with boats large and small, crowded with guns and soldiers, all
advancing bravely on the British position.
As soon as the fog lifted the batteries of both sides began a brisk
fire. Colonel Scott was in command of the landing party, assisted by
Chauncey with four hundred seamen to be used if necessary. Lieutenant
Brown directed such a hot fire against the battery at the landing that
it was finally silenced and Perry then, being in command of the boats,
rushed in despite a somewhat rough sea, to effect a landing, many of the
troops in their eagerness leaping into the water before the boats
touched land. The landing party was assailed by a heavy, well-directed
musketry fire from a neighbouring ravine, which caused them to scurry
for shelter under the bank. Perry seemed everywhere present, urging the
gunners on the boats to greater efforts and cheering on the landing
parties with words of confidence. In attempting to scale the bank, the
Americans were several times hurled back to the beach, but Scott was
finally successful in gaining a sheltered position in a neighbouring
ravine where a sharp conflict ensued for several minutes, but between
the execution of the American rifles and a well-directed cannonade from
one of the vessels the doughty British were compelled to retreat.
General Vincent, being persuaded that Fort George could not be saved,
ordered its destruction, which information reached Scott by two escaped
prisoners. He immediately attempted to save it if possible, but a short
distance from its walls one magazine blew up, though he reached his
destination in time to extinguish two other fuses and save the remainder
of the fort. He then continued his pursuit but was ordered to return and
had to give up what he thought half the glory of the contest.
Hearing that Colonel Proctor was coming from the West to help regain the
Niagara region, General Winder was sent in pursuit of Vincent. On the
5th he was joined by Chandler with five hundred men, who took the chief
command. At Forty-mile Creek they encountered a body of the enemy and
drove them off; twice now they drove the pickets in on the main body of
the army, causing no little alarm, but finally on account of treacherous
negligence in the American camp the British effected a night attack so
well planned and brilliantly executed that the force was in the heart of
the American camp while the soldiers were still sleeping. In the
confusion that followed, the Americans several times attacked their own
men. The British loss was the heavier, and they were compelled to
retire, but the victory was felt to be a decided one from the fact that
they captured two American generals.
The Americans, fearing a renewal of the attack, began to retreat. Near
Forty-mile Creek they were joined by Colonel Miller with reinforcements,
and retreat was continued with a fleet watching them from the lake and a
small army of regulars and a body of savages following in the rear. The
army finally reached Fort George after having lost several prisoners who
had been picked up in the rear. For several days the vessels were a
continual menace to the passage of American supplies, but on the 20th
the squadron sailed for Oswego. Not daring to make an attack here, they
again turned westward and took position off Niagara River.
While the operations were going on against the Niagara frontier, a
British squadron appeared against Sacketts Harbour. On the morning of
May 29th the attack was made, but so vigilant a defence was made by
General Brown with his raw militia that the enemy were forced to
withdraw.
General Dearborn, now at Fort George, sent a force to attack the enemy
at Beaver Dam and Ten-mile Creek, by way of St. Davids, on June 23d. It
was annoyed for a greater part of the way by Indians, and when near the
enemy's camp, having been deceived as to the opposing force, the whole
command was surrendered. The British, emboldened by this success,
suddenly retook Queenston and shortly after invaded Fort George, General
Dearborn being relieved of command by the still more incompetent General
Wilkinson.
The British, encouraged by their success, now began to make raids into
the American territory. One of these expeditions was directed against
Black Rock on July 11th. The expedition put to flight the American
guards with almost no fighting, took the city and supplies, and obtained
a large amount of booty. General Porter, however, rallied a small body
of the retreating militia and with these and reinforcements which had
arrived from Buffalo and about fifty citizens he fell with such force
upon the invaders that they retreated precipitately to their boats.
During the remainder of the summer little fighting was done in the
vicinity of Fort George except by foraging parties.
Most of the troops had been withdrawn from the fort in the early winter,
leaving only about sixty men within its walls; news was being
continually received of forces marching to the Niagara region and,
fearful of losing the fort, McClure, its commander, determined to
destroy it and retreat to Fort Niagara. The fort was partially
demolished, December 10th, but Newark was wantonly fired, leaving
hundreds of people homeless in the severest weather and rousing the
British to a revenge which they now visited on the Americans.
[Illustration: Old View of Fort Mississauga.]
On the 12th, Fort Niagara was invested. So negligent were the officers
that on the morning of the 13th one of the gates was found open, and the
enemy entered without opposition to a victory which might have been
almost bloodless had not the attacking force, incensed by the burning of
Newark, been led to revenge; a number of the garrison were bayoneted;
Lewiston was sacked, plundered, and almost entirely destroyed. A body of
soldiers pressed on to the town of Niagara Falls. They were met on the
heights by a small force which was not able to check them and the whole
Niagara region was laid waste. The Indians were turned loose and many
innocent persons perished at their hands. The advance on Buffalo and
Black Rock was only temporarily checked and on the 30th these cities
were captured and plundered as elsewhere described. Only four houses
were left in Buffalo and one in Black Rock. Such was the revenge of the
burning of Newark. These were dark days along the Niagara, when hatred
never bred in honest warfare flamed up in the hearts of men, and the
beginning of the story goes back to the inhuman destruction of old
Newark.
Toward the latter part of March the campaign of 1814 was opened by
General Wilkinson in the north, but little being accomplished he was
soon superseded by General Brown. By the end of June the Northern army
was gathered under Brown, once more prepared to carry the war into
Canada, Buffalo being the headquarters. On the morning of the 3d of
July, before daylight, General Scott crossed the river from Black Rock
to invest Fort Erie. General Ripley was to have followed immediately,
but he was delayed so long that it was broad day before he reached the
Canadian shore. Scott pushed forward and drove the enemy's pickets into
the fort. Brown, not waiting for Ripley, pushed into the forest in the
rear of the fort, extending his lines so as to enclose the post. Ripley
then appeared and took position in connection with Scott's command. The
fort was then summoned to surrender, which summons, on account of its
weak condition, was soon complied with just as reinforcements were on
their way to give aid.
To stop the advance of these troops, Scott was sent with his command
down the river. His march of about sixteen miles was a continual
skirmish with the British, and finding the enemy in force across the
Chippewa Creek he encamped for the night. Before morning of the fifth he
was joined by the main body of Brown's army. On the east was the river,
on the west a heavy wood, and between the armies the Chippewa and
Street's creeks. The British had also received reinforcements during the
night, and the battle of Chippewa was opened by each army attempting to
test the other's strength.
The American pickets on Scott's left were in trouble by four o'clock and
Porter was sent to relieve them; he drove back the British and Indians,
but in following up his success found himself suddenly confronted by
almost the whole of the enemy's army which attacked immediately. Porter
maintained his ground at first but was finally compelled to give the
order to retreat and this soon became a panic. General Brown noticed
this and correctly supposed that the whole force of the enemy was
advancing. Ripley and Scott were immediately rushed to the rescue,
Ripley to fall on the rear of the British right by stealing through the
wood, Scott to make a frontal attack.
The latter advanced across Street's Creek and the engagement became
general along the whole line of both armies. Time and again the British
line was broken but it sternly closed and continued the contest. Scott
finally decided to take advantage of what he considered the unskilful
manoeuvres of his foe; advancing, he ordered his forces to charge
through an opening in the lines. Almost at the same instant Leavenworth
executed a like movement, while Towson's battery poured canister into
the British ranks. They were completely demoralised and gave back.
Jesup on the American left had suffered greatly during the battle;
forced to fall back, he finally found a better position, and now poured
such a well-directed fire that the troops before him also retired. The
British retreat did not stop until the troops were behind their
entrenchments below Chippewa and the bridge across its waters destroyed.
This stronghold could not be taken by the Americans; the command was
given to retreat, and the same relative positions were occupied by the
armies the night after the battle as the night before.
On the eighth the whole American force again moved forward. The British
broke camp and retreated down the river closely pursued by Brown, who
took possession of Queenston on the 10th. The enemy occupied Fort George
and Fort Mississauga. Here Brown decided to await reinforcements from
Chauncey and his fleet. News, however, soon came of the commander's
illness and his blockade in Sacketts Harbour, whereupon Brown on the 23d
fell back to the Chippewa. In case Riall did not follow, he expected to
unlimber and fight wherever the enemy might be found; the night of the
24th, the army encamped on the battle-ground of the 5th, unconscious of
the laurels to be won in a few short hours at far-famed Lundy's Lane.
The morning of the 25th dawned clear and beautiful. Unconscious of the
proximity of the enemy, the Americans were enjoying a much-needed rest
behind the village of Chippewa, when about noon news came that the
British were in force at Queenston and on the heights, and that Yea's
fleet had appeared in the river. Next came information that the British
were landing at Lewiston and were threatening the supplies at Fort
Schlosser. These reports were partly true. Pearson had advanced, unknown
to the Americans, and taken position at Lundy's Lane a short distance
from the Falls. Brown seemed impressed with the idea that the British
were after the supplies at Schlosser and he was ignorant of the size of
the force opposed to him. He at once determined that the best way to
recall the British was to threaten the forts at the mouth of the river
and Scott was detailed to accomplish this task. Eager for the conflict
his whole command was in motion twenty minutes after having received the
order. Between four and five o'clock the march of twelve hundred men
began toward the forts.
Near Table Rock, Scott was informed that General Riall and his staff had
just departed. In fact the Americans saw the troops move off from the
house as they were advancing toward it, and the informant also stated
that the enemy were in force behind a small strip of woods in front; but
so convinced was the American leader that Fort Schlosser was the
objective point of the British movement that he would not credit the
story. Believing that but a small force was in front, he dashed into the
woods to dispel them. Imagine his surprise when he found himself faced
at Lundy's Lane by Riall's whole force! Scott's position was indeed
perilous. To advance seemed destruction, to stand still would be equally
fatal, while to retreat would probably throw the whole army into
confusion. With that resource which always distinguished him, he quickly
decided to engage the enemy, and if possible deceive them into believing
that the whole American army was present while he sent back for
reinforcements.
General Brown had been misinformed as to the enemy's movements. No
soldiers had crossed to Lewiston, but the whole force was with Riall
preparing for the present move. Scott found himself opposed to fully
eighteen hundred men. The English lines extended over the hill in a
crescent form with the horns extending forward. In its centre and on the
brow of the hill, the strongest point of the position, was placed a
battery of seven guns. Into the very centre of this crescent he had
unconsciously led his army.
Scott immediately perceived on the enemy's left flank an unprotected
space of brushwood along the river and instantly he ordered Major Jesup
to seize this and turn the flank if possible. While this move was being
accomplished Scott's troops engaged the enemy in front, only hoping to
hold the army in check until the reserves arrived.
Jesup was more than successful. He turned the left flank of the enemy,
gained his rear, and kept the reinforcements sent to Riall's aid from
joining the body of the army. Besides this he had captured Riall himself
with a number of his staff. By nine o'clock at night Jesup had
accomplished this and in the meantime Scott had beaten back a fierce
charge made by the British right; only the centre stood firm now.
Informed of the true state of affairs, and leaving orders for Ripley to
make all haste possible with the whole reserve force, Brown mounted his
horse and rode to the field, arriving just at this critical juncture. He
immediately saw that the hill crowned with cannon was the key to the
enemy's position; Ripley was advancing along the Queenston road; Scott's
worn men had been recalled. The commander turned to Colonel Miller,
saying, "Colonel, take your regiment, storm that work, and take it."
"I'll try, Sir," said Miller, and at once moved forward. At this moment
the regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Nicholas, which was to draw the
enemy's fire from Miller, gave way. Nothing daunted, the young
commander, with three hundred followers, crept up the hill in the shadow
of an old rail fence thickly grown over with shrubbery. In this way they
reached unobserved a point only several rods distant from the enemy,
whom they saw around the guns waiting the order to fire. Resting their
pieces across the old fence the little command took deliberate aim, the
order was given by Miller in a whisper, a sheet of flame broke from the
shrubbery, and not a man was left to apply a match to the British
artillery. The men then broke from cover with a shout and rushed
forward, and all seven of the cannon were captured. A fierce
hand-to-hand contest was waged for a short time with the body of
infantry stationed behind the guns, but they were finally forced from
the hill. Four different attempts were made to recapture the position
but all were unsuccessful.
While these events were taking place Scott was maintaining his position
with great difficulty. His regiments were being literally cut to pieces
and, finally, he gathered the remnants into one mass, formed in line for
storming, and had given the order to move forward when the battery was
taken by Miller. Scott countermanded his order and returned to his
position at the base of the hill.
[Illustration: Monument at Lundy's Lane.]
Brown and Scott were both severely wounded and the command devolved now
on Ripley. When the battle was finally won Brown ordered Ripley to fall
back to the Chippewa to give the soldiers a much-needed rest during the
night, but to be back at Lundy's Lane by daybreak the next morning to
obtain the fruits of the victory. Day came and Ripley had not moved from
his quarters, but the British had returned and the two armies occupied
almost the same ground as before the battle. Ripley advanced but the
enemy's position was too strong to attack, so he discreetly returned to
camp. Brown was so disgusted that he sent to Sacketts Harbour for
General Gaines to come and assume command.
Generals Brown and Scott's troops were moved from the field supposing
that Ripley would at least hold his position. Hardly had they gotten out
of sight when Ripley ordered a retreat to Black Rock. Here he was
forbidden by Brown to cross the river, so he took up a position above
Fort Erie; at the same time the fortifications were strengthened in
order to repel the expected siege.
The work on Fort Erie went forward unmolested until the 3d of August.
Drummond then appeared before the fort with his army, which had been
resting at Lundy's Lane since the battle of the 20th of July.
Lieutenant-Colonel Tucker was sent across the river with a body of
troops to capture Black Rock and Buffalo. These were met so gallantly by
Morgan and his riflemen that they were compelled to return. Drummond at
the same time opened fire on the fort; this was discontinued until the
seventh, the respite being spent by both parties in preparing for the
siege. Gaines arrived on the 5th and assumed command while Ripley
returned to the head of his own brigade. On the 6th Morgan and his
riflemen attempted to draw the enemy from his trenches but were
unsuccessful; the cannonade was opened on the fort on the morning of
the 7th and was continued until the 13th. On the next day all the guns
possible were brought to bear on the fort, causing its commander to
believe that an assault was planned and arrangements were made to
receive the enemy. The guns were heavily shotted, vigilance of the
guards doubled, and things made ready for the warm reception of the
enemy. At midnight of the 14th, all was still quiet; a body of a hundred
men under Belknap had been thrown out toward the British army to do
picket duty as the night was so dark that the movements of the enemy
could not be seen. Their stealthy advance, though cautious, was detected
by the sharp ears of the waiting men; an alarm gun was fired and the
advance party fell back toward the fort. Fifteen hundred men came
charging against Towson's battery on the left, expecting to find the
soldiers asleep, but a broad sheet of flame burst from the long
twenty-four pounders here which made the line waver in its advance. At
the same moment the line of the 21st shone forth in its own light, then
all was darkness except as the guns were loaded and fired. Five times
the attack was renewed by the two columns; each time they were beaten
back.
Almost simultaneous with the attack on the left, another was made on the
American right, against the old fort; this was repelled, but Drummond,
valiant man, could not be held in check, and under cover of a heavy
cloud of smoke, followed by a hundred of the Royal Artillery, he crept
silently around the fort and by means of scaling ladders gained the
parapet almost unobserved. All attempts to dislodge the enemy failed.
Time and again they were charged, but each time they beat back their
assailants. Lieutenant-Colonel Drummond commanded his men to give no
quarter, and in a short time he fell, pierced through the heart by a man
to whom he refused mercy. Daylight dawned with the enemy repulsed on the
left. Reinforcements were brought to the right but there was no room to
use them. The Americans were finally gathered for a furious charge, when
that part of the fort which the British had seized was blown suddenly a
hundred feet into the air and fell in ruins. At the same instant a
galling fire was opened from the batteries and the enemy was compelled
to retire.
Both armies now received reinforcements and kept preparing for a second
engagement. A continual cannonade was kept up, when on the 28th of
August General Gaines was so injured by a shell that he had to retire
from action. General Brown, though shattered in health then resumed
command. The British were continually strengthening their works and he
saw that his only hopes lay in a sortie. The weather had been rainy
which inconvenienced the enemy as their works were located on the low
ground. Their numbers had also been greatly reduced by fever. These
facts were learned from prisoners which had been captured. The sortie
was planned for the 17th of September, all the officers acquiescing
except General Ripley. The plan was laid with great secrecy and was
favoured by heavy fog on the morning of the proposed action. The
Americans were entirely successful, the enemy being driven from their
works and almost all their supplies captured. This victory was hailed
with delight by the whole country. This, with the brilliant achievement
at Plattsburg, and the repulse of the British from Baltimore caused
rejoicing all over the nation, and restored the people from that gloom
into which they had been cast by the fall of the national capital.
On the 5th day of October General Izard arrived with reinforcements and
took command. With almost eight thousand troops he now prepared to
attack Drummond, but all attempts to draw him out of his trenches
failed.
Learning that there was a large store of grain at the mill on Lyons
Creek, Bissell was sent to destroy it. On the night of the 18th, he was
attacked but was successful in driving off the enemy and accomplishing
his task. Drummond, now perceiving that he could not hope to cope
successfully with the superior forces brought against him, fell back to
Fort George and Burlington Heights. General Izard soon removed his whole
force from Canada. On the 5th of November Fort Erie was blown up, to
keep it from falling again into the hands of the British.
On September 11th, the brilliant victory, mentioned before, was gained
by the Americans at Plattsburg and with the opening of winter, the
militia was disbanded and the war closed on the Canadian frontier.
In 1837 the Niagara was again the scene of military operations on a
slight scale when the Patriot War broke out, an uprising of
revolutionists who planned the overturning of the Canadian Government.
Navy Island was for a time the headquarters of the ferment, and from
here, under the date of December 17th, the leader, William Lyon
Mackenzie, issued a proclamation to the citizens of Canada. This strong,
misguided man is most perfectly described in Bourinot's _The Story of
Canada_:
He had a deep sense of public wrongs, and placed himself
immediately in the front rank of those who were fighting for a
redress of undoubted grievances. He was thoroughly imbued with
the ideas of English radicalism, and had an intense hatred of
Toryism in every form. He possessed little of that strong
common-sense and power of acquisitiveness which make his
countrymen, as a rule, so successful in every walk of life. When
he felt he was being crushed by the intriguing and corrupting
influences of the governing class, aided by the
lieutenant-governor, he forgot all the dictates of reason and
prudence, and was carried away by a current of passion which
ended in rebellion. His journal, _The Colonial Advocate_, showed
in its articles and its very make-up the erratic character of
the man. He was a pungent writer, who attacked adversaries with
great recklessness of epithet and accusation. So obnoxious did
he become to the governing class that a number of young men,
connected with the best families, wrecked his office, but the
damages he recovered in a court of law enabled him to give it a
new lease of existence. When the "family compact" had a majority
in the assembly, elected in 1830, he was expelled five times for
libellous reflections on the government and house, but he was
re-elected by the people, who resented the wrongs to which he
was subject, and became the first mayor of Toronto, as York was
now called. He carried his grievances to England, where he
received much sympathy, even in conservative circles. In a new
legislature, where the "compact" were in a minority, he obtained
a committee to consider the condition of provincial affairs. The
result was a famous report on grievances which set forth in a
conclusive and able manner the constitutional difficulties under
which the country laboured, and laid down clearly the necessity
for responsible government. It would have been fortunate both
for Upper Canada and Mackenzie himself at this juncture, had he
and his followers confined themselves to a constitutional
agitation on the lines set forth in this report. By this time
Robert Baldwin and Egerton Ryerson, discreet and prominent
reformers, had much influence, and were quite unwilling to
follow Mackenzie in the extreme course on which he had clearly
entered. He lost ground rapidly from the time of his indiscreet
publication of a letter from Joseph Hume, the English radical,
who had expressed the opinion that the improper proceedings of
the legislature, especially in expelling Mackenzie, "must hasten
the crisis that was fast approaching in the affairs of Canada,
and which would terminate in independence and freedom from the
baneful domination of the mother-country." Probably even
Mackenzie and his friends might have been conciliated and
satisfied at the last moment had the imperial government been
served by an able and discreet lieutenant-governor. But never
did the imperial authorities make a greater mistake than when
they sent out Sir Francis Bond Head, who had no political
experience whatever.
From the beginning to the end of his administration he did
nothing but blunder. He alienated even the confidence of the
moderate element of the Reformers, and literally threw himself
into the arms of the "family compact," and assisted them at the
elections of the spring of 1836, which rejected all the leading
men of the extreme wing of the Reform party. Mackenzie was
deeply mortified at the result, and determined from that moment
to rebel against the government, which, in his opinion, had no
intention of remedying public grievances. At the same time
Papineau, with whom he was in communication, had made up his
mind to establish a republic, _une nation Canadienne_, on the
banks of the St. Lawrence.
The disloyal intentions of Papineau and his followers were made
very clear by the various meetings which were held in the
Montreal and Richelieu districts, by the riots which followed
public assemblages in the city of Montreal, by the names of
"Sons of Liberty" and "Patriots" they adopted in all their
proceedings, by the planting of "trees" and raising of "caps" of
liberty. Happily for the best interests of Canada the number of
French Canadians ready to revolt were relatively insignificant,
and the British population were almost exclusively on the side
of the government. Bishop Lartigue and the clergy of the Roman
Catholic Church now asserted themselves very determinedly
against the dangerous and seditious utterances of the leaders of
the "Patriots." Fortunately a resolute, able soldier, Sir John
Colborne, was called from Upper Canada to command the troops in
the critical situation of affairs, and crushed the rebellion in
its very inception. A body of insurgents, led by Dr. Wolfred
Nelson, showed some courage at St. Denis, but Papineau took the
earliest opportunity to find refuge across the frontier. Thomas
Storrow Brown, an American by birth, also made a stand at St.
Charles, but both he and Nelson were easily beaten by the
regulars. A most unfortunate episode was the murder of
Lieutenant Wier, who had been captured by Nelson while carrying
despatches from General Colborne, and was butchered by some
insurgent _habitants_, in whose custody he had been placed. At
St. Eustache the rebels were severely punished by Colborne
himself, and a number burned to death in the steeple of a church
where they had made a stand. Many prisoners were taken in the
course of the rebellious outbreak. The village of St. Benoit and
isolated houses elsewhere were destroyed by the angry loyalists,
and much misery inflicted on all actual or supposed sympathisers
with Papineau and Nelson. Lord Gosford now left the country, and
Colborne was appointed administrator. Although the insurrection
practically ended at St. Denis and St. Charles, bodies of rebels
and American marauders harassed the frontier settlements for
some time, until at last the authorities of the United States
arrested some of the leaders and forced them to surrender their
arms and munitions of war.
The _Caroline_ incident most closely connects the immediate Niagara
region with the Patriot rebellion. This small steamer was chartered by
Buffalo parties to run between that city, Navy Island, and Schlosser,
the American landing above the Falls. The Canadian authorities very
properly looked upon this as a bold attempt to provide the freebooters
on Navy Island with the sinews of rebellion. Colonel Allan McNab was
sent to seize the vessel, and the fact that it was found moored at the
American shore in no way troubled the determined loyalists. It was about
midnight December 29th when the attacking party found the ship. In the
melee one man was killed; the boat was fired and set adrift in the
river, passing over the Horseshoe Fall while still partly afire.