Battle of Lundy's Lane
Part of War of 1812
American Infantry attacks at Lundy's Lane
Date July 25, 1814 Location Niagara Falls, Ontario Result Indecisive
Combatants
Britain	United States
Commanders
Gordon Drummond Phineas Riall	Jacob Brown Winfield Scott
Strength
At start: 2,200, 5 guns Reinforcements: 1,800, 3 guns	At start: 2,000, 3 guns Reinforcements: 1,000, 6 guns
Casualties
84 dead 559 wounded 193 missing 42 captured	171 dead 572 wounded 110 missing 7 captured

The Battle of Lundy's Lane was a battle of the War of 1812 on July 25, 1814, fought in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was the bloodiest battle ever fought in Canada. Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom Canadian colonial forces Native Americans Native Canadians Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:3 •Other... Image File history File links Battle_of_Lundys_Lane. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Niagara Falls, Ontario from Niagara Falls State Park in winter Location of Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region Niagara Falls, Ontario (2001 population 78,815) is a city on the Niagara River, in the Golden Horseshoe region. ... Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond holds the honour of being the first Canadian-born officer to command the military and the civil government. ... Phineas Riall (December 15, 1775 - November 10, 1850) was a British army officer, who fought in the War of 1812. ... Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775-February 24, 1828) was an American army officer in the War of 1812. ... Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786 – May 29, 1866) was a United States Army general, diplomat, and presidential candidate. ... The Niagara campaign was the final campaign to invade Canada during the War of 1812. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Isaac Brock † Roger Sheaffe Stephen Van Rensselaer Strength 1,300 regulars, militia, and natives 6,000 regulars and militia Casualties 14 dead 77 wounded 100 dead 300 wounded 925 captured The Battle of Queenston Heights was a British victory of the War of 1812 which... The Battle of Fort George was a battle fought during the War of 1812, in which the Americans captured the British fort on western Lake Ontario. ... The Battle of Stoney Creek was a battle fought on June 6, 1813 during the War of 1812 near Stoney Creek, Ontario. ... The Battle of Beaver Dams was a small battle on June 24, 1813 during the War of 1812. ... After the successful bayonet charge of the British the Fort of Niagara was quickly captured and along with it a large number of American prisoners. ... A new invasion of Canada was planned under the command of General Jacob Brown, aimed at the Niagara Peninsula. ... The Battle of Chippawa (sometimes spelled Chippewa) was a decisive victory for the American army which allowed for the invasion of Canada along the Niagara River. ... The Battle of Cooks Mills was the last engagement between U.S. and British/Canadian armies fought on Canadian soil during the War of 1812. ... Combatants Britain United States Commanders Gordon Drummond Edmund P. Gaines Jacob Brown Strength 2,200 3,000 Casualties 966 dead, wounded, or captured 540 missing 630 dead or wounded The Siege of Fort Erie was one of the last engagements between British and American forces during the Niagara campaign of... Combatants United States Native Americans United Kingdom Canadian colonial forces Native Americans Native Canadians Commanders James Madison Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson Isaac Brock George Prevost Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war): •Frigates:3 •Other... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Niagara Falls, Ontario from Niagara Falls State Park in winter Location of Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region Niagara Falls, Ontario (2001 population 78,815) is a city on the Niagara River, in the Golden Horseshoe region. ...

Prelude

On July 3, 1814, an American army under Major General Jacob Brown launched an attack across the Niagara River, near its source on Lake Erie. His force quickly captured the British position at Fort Erie and then advanced north. Two days later, one of his two brigades of regular U.S. Infantry under Brigadier General Winfield Scott won a decisive victory against an equal British force at the Battle of Chippawa, putting them to flight. July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining. ... 1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775-February 24, 1828) was an American army officer in the War of 1812. ... View from near Horseshoe Falls looking across the Niagara River toward Rainbow Bridge in winter Niagara Glen features many treacherous rapids downstream of Niagara Falls The Niagara River flows to the north from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. ... Lake Erie, looking southward from a high rural bluff near Leamington, Ontario Lake Erie (pronounced ) is one of the five large freshwater Great Lakes in North America, which are among the largest in the world. ... Location of Fort Erie in the Niagara Region Fort Erie (2001 population 28,143) is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. ... Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786 – May 29, 1866) was a United States Army general, diplomat, and presidential candidate. ... The Battle of Chippawa (sometimes spelled Chippewa) was a decisive victory for the American army which allowed for the invasion of Canada along the Niagara River. ...

A few days after the battle, Brown outflanked the British defences along the Chippawa River and the British fell back to Fort George. Brown lacked the necessary numbers and heavy artillery to attack this position. At the time, a British naval squadron controlled Lake Ontario. The American flotilla under Commodore Isaac Chauncey was waiting for new ships to be completed before they could challenge the British squadron and as a result, no reinforcements or siege guns could be sent to Brown. Meanwhile, the British were able to move several units of reinforcements across the lake to Fort George. Fort George is a historic military structure at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, that was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812. ... Lake Ontario (French: lac Ontario), bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by Ontarios Niagara Peninsula and by New York State, is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. ... Isaac Chauncey (20 February 1779 – 27 January 1840) was an officer in the United States Navy. ...

For most of July, Brown's army occupied Queenston, a few miles south of Fort George. In this forward position, his supply line was harrassed by British light infantry, and Canadian militia and Indians. On July 24 Brown fell back to the Chippawa River, intending to secure his supply lines before advancing west to Burlington. As soon as Brown retired, a British force under Major General Phineas Riall advanced to Lundy's Lane, four miles north of the Chippawa. The Village of Queenston (Latitude 43°10N Longitude 79°03W) is located 5km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... Burlington (2001 population 150,836)[1] is a city located in the Golden Horseshoe, across Lake Ontario and Burlington Bay harbour from Hamilton, in Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. ... Phineas Riall (December 15, 1775 - November 10, 1850) was a British army officer, who fought in the War of 1812. ...

Approach to Lundy's Lane

Early on July 25, the British Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Lieutenant General Gordon Drummond, arrived in Fort George to take personal command on the Niagara peninsula. He immediately ordered a force under Lieutenant Colonel John Tucker to advance south along the east side of the Niagara River, hoping to force Brown to evacuate the west bank. Instead, Brown ordered an advance north, intending to force Tucker's column to be recalled to protect Fort George. July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Map of Upper Canada (orange) Upper Canada was a British territory in what is now the Canadian province of Ontario. ... Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond holds the honour of being the first Canadian-born officer to command the military and the civil government. ...

The Americans apparently did not know that the British held Lundy's Lane. In fact, as soon as Riall knew the Americans were advancing, he ordered his troops to fall back to Fort George, and ordered another column in the area under Colonel Hercules Scott to retreat to Burlington. These orders were countermanded by Drummond, who had force-marched a detachment of reinforcements to Lundy's Lane from Fort George. The British were still reoccupying their positions as the first American units came into view.

The Battle

The Niagara Frontier in 1814

Lundy's Lane, a spur from the main portage road alongside the Niagara River, ran along the summit of some rising ground and therefore commanded good views of the area. The British artillery (two 24-pounder and two 6-pounder guns, one 5.5-inch howitzer) was massed in a cemetery at the highest point of the battlefield. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (520x825, 226 KB) Uploaded from Archives of Ontario Government Illustration Reference Code: 971 . ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (520x825, 226 KB) Uploaded from Archives of Ontario Government Illustration Reference Code: 971 . ...

The American brigade of Winfield Scott, who had won the Battle of Chippawa, emerged in the late afternoon from a forest into an open field, and were badly mauled by the British artillery. Scott sent the 25th U.S. Infantry to outflank the British left. They caught the British and Canadian units there while they were redeploying, and briefly drove them back in confusion, but the British rallied. General Riall was severely wounded at this point, and while riding to the rear was captured by some American dragoons. A light dragoon from the American Revolution French dragoon, 1745. ...

By 9:00 pm, as night fell, Scott's brigade had suffered heavy casualties, but Brown arrived with the American main body (a brigade of regulars under Brigadier General Eleazer Wheelock Ripley and another of volunteers from the militia under Peter B. Porter). As Ripley and Porter relieved Scott's brigade, Brown ordered the 21st U.S. Infantry under Lieutenant Colonel James Miller to capture the British guns. While the British were distracted with another attack on their right, Miller's troops deployed within a few yards of the British artillery. They fired a volley of musketry which killed most of the gunners and followed up with a bayonet charge which captured the guns and drove the British centre from the hill. Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (1782-1839) , was a graduate of Dartmouth College, distinguished Brigadier General in the War of 1812, and later Louisiana legislator. ... Peter Buell Porter (August 14, 1773 - March 20, 1844) was a U.S. political figure and soldier. ... James Miller (25 April 1776 - 7 July 1851) was a member of the United States House of Representatives from New Hampshire, the first Governor of Arkansas Territory, and a Brigadier General in the United States Army during the War of 1812. ...

At this point the British column under Colonel Hercules Scott began arriving on the field, already tired from their futile march and countermarch. Unaware of the situation, they blundered into Ripley's brigade and were also driven back in disorder. (They briefly lost their own three guns, but these were quickly recovered.)

Although wounded, Drummond now reorganized his troops and mounted three determined attempts to retake his own cannon and capture the American guns which were being deployed on Lundy's Lane. All three attempts were beaten off, as was another American attack by Winfield Scott. In the smoke and confusion, both sides several times fired on their own troops as the battle revolved around the cemetery.

By midnight, both sides were exhausted. Each sides had lost about the same number of men - 878 British and 860 American. On the American side, only 700 men were still standing. Winfield Scott and Jacob Brown were both severely wounded. With supplies and water short, Brown ordered a retreat. Ripley, Porter and Lieutenant Colonel Jacob Hindman (Brown's artillery commander) protested but complied. Although the British still had 1,400 men on the field, they were in no condition to interfere with the American withdrawal. The Americans could drag away only one of the captured British guns, and had to abandon one of their own with a broken carriage.

The battle had seen much messy fighting in close quarters. Veteran British soldiers, who had fought against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War, were horrified at the carnage they had witnessed at Lundy's Lane. Drummond reported, "Of so determined a Character were [the American] attacks directed against our guns that our Artillery Men were bayonetted by the enemy in the Act of loading, and the muzzles of the Enemy's Guns were advanced within a few Yards of ours". For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... The Second of May, 1808: The Charge of the Mamelukes, by Francisco de Goya (1814). ...

Aftermath

1869 map of the battle

In the early hours of the morning, Brown ordered Ripley to recover the abandoned British guns the next day. Ripley moved out with 1,200 exhausted soldiers but found that Drummond had reoccupied the battlefield with 2,200 men. Ripley withdrew, unmolested. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (520x782, 237 KB) Uploaded from Government of Ontario Archives Illustration Reference Code: 971 . ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (520x782, 237 KB) Uploaded from Government of Ontario Archives Illustration Reference Code: 971 . ...

The American army now fell back to Fort Erie, first deliberately destroying Riall's old fortifications along the Chippawa River and burning the bridges behind them. Because they were short of draught animals, they had to abandon some equipment and supplies to make room for the wounded on the available wagons. Drummond was later to claim from this that the Americans had retreated in disorder. In fact, after burying some of the dead on the battlefield, the British had themselves retreated to Queenston, until Drummond received reinforcements.

Outcome

The battle confirmed that the American regular forces had evolved from a poorly-trained militia into a professional army. Scott is widely credited for this change, having modelled and trained his troops using French Revolutionary drills and exercises. The standard of the Revolutionary 1ére Demi-Brigade dInfanterie de Bataille, 1794 pattern. ...

Like the overall war, there is some dispute about the actual outcome of the battle. Canadians will say, based upon General Drummond's report that the British held the field, that the Americans retreated. Americans will say the British retreated during the night, but took the position back when the Americans retreated due to lack of supplies in the morning.

Evidence compiled by Donald E. Graves, a Canadian historian employed at the Directorate of History, Department of National Defence Canada, provides what is likely the most complete and unbiased interpretation of the battle to date and appears to support the American argument. In summary, Graves argues that General Drummond failed to utilize skirmish pickets to protect his guns which were consequently captured by the Americans. The American force therefore appears to have won a pyrrhic victory, having captured the devastating British artillery and forcing the British to withdraw from the heights after failing to recapture their guns. A Pyrrhic victory (pronounced pirric) is a victory which comes at heavy cost to the victor. ...

In retrospect to the actual war, however, the British may also claim a victory, as they had driven the American army away from Fort George, and inflicted so many casualties that they could no longer mount a major attack. However, Drummond subsequently suffered a heavy defeat at the Siege of Fort Erie, which again reversed the odds, and might have been disastrous for the British, if Jacob Brown had not been superceded in command by the more cautious Major General George Izard. George Izard (21 October 1776 - 22 November 1828) was a General in the United States Army during the War of 1812 and a Governor of the Arkansas Territory. ...

The battle may therefore be declared as a narrow American tactical victory and a questionable British strategic victory.

Trivia

• In the movie Gangs of New York, the father of character Bill Cutting is said to have died in the battle.
• James Miller's response to Brown's order to take the British guns, "I'll try, Sir", is now the motto of the 21st U.S. Infantry.

Gangs of New York is a 2002 film set in the middle 19th century in the Five Points district of New York City. ...

Orders of Battle

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786 – May 29, 1866) was a United States Army general, diplomat, and presidential candidate. ... Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (1782-1839) , was a graduate of Dartmouth College, distinguished Brigadier General in the War of 1812, and later Louisiana legislator. ... Peter Buell Porter (August 14, 1773 - March 20, 1844) was a U.S. political figure and soldier. ...

References

• Graves, Donald E. "Where Right and Glory Lead! The Battle of Lundy's Lane 1814" Toronto: Robin Brass Studio Inc. 1997.
• Elting, John R. "Amateurs to Arms! A military history of the War of 1812", New York: Da Capo Press, 1995 ISBN 0-306-80653-3

External link

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Battle of Lundy's Lane

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