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The Siege of Fort Erie was one of the last engagements between British and American forces during the Niagara campaign of 1814, in which the Americans made a successful defense of the fort against the British before abandoning it on November 5, 1814. Combatants United States United Kingdom Strength United States Regular army : 99,000 Volunteers: 10,000* Rangers: 3,000 Militia: 458,000** Naval and marine: 20,000 Indigenous peoples New York Iroquois: 600 Northwestern allies: ? Southern allies: ? United Kingdom Regular army: 10,000+ Naval and marine: ? Canadian militia: 86,000+** Indigenous...
August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ...
November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ...
1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Fort Erie was the first British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years War (or in North America the French and Indian War) was concluded by the Treaty of Paris (1763) at which time all of New France had been ceded to Great...
Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English (French has some legal status but is not fully co-official) Flower White trillium Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation - House seat - Senate seats...
Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond holds the honour of being the first Canadian-born officer to command the military and the civil government. ...
Edmund Pendleton Gaines was a United States army officer who served with distinction during the War of 1812 and the Seminole Wars. ...
Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775-February 24, 1828) was an American army officer in the War of 1812. ...
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 battle of the War of 1812 which took...
The Battle of York was a battle of the War of 1812 on April 27, 1813, at York, Upper Canada, which was later to become Toronto, Ontario. ...
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. ...
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. ...
Combatants Britain United States Commanders Gordon Drummond Phineas Riall Jacob Brown Winfield Scott Strength 2,200 1,800 reinforcements 8 guns 2,000 1,000 reinforcements 7 guns Casualties 84 dead 559 wounded 193 missing 42 captured 171 dead 572 wounded 110 missing 7 captured The Battle of Lundys...
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. ...
November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ...
1814 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...
Background After the bloody Battle of Lundy's Lane, during which the American General Jacob Brown had been severely wounded, the American forces now under the command of Eleazer Wheelock Ripley, withdrew to their base at Fort Erie. Once the American army reached the fort, command was given to Brigadier General Edmund P. Gaines. The British under the command of Gordon Drummond followed slowly behind but reached the fort on August 4. Combatants Britain United States Commanders Gordon Drummond Phineas Riall Jacob Brown Winfield Scott Strength 2,200 1,800 reinforcements 8 guns 2,000 1,000 reinforcements 7 guns Casualties 84 dead 559 wounded 193 missing 42 captured 171 dead 572 wounded 110 missing 7 captured The Battle of Lundys...
Jacob Jennings Brown (May 9, 1775-February 24, 1828) was an American army officer in the War of 1812. ...
Eleazer Wheelock Ripley (1782-1839) , was a graduate of Dartmouth College, distinguished Brigadier General in the War of 1812, and later Louisiana legislator. ...
Fort Erie was the first British fort to be constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years War (or in North America the French and Indian War) was concluded by the Treaty of Paris (1763) at which time all of New France had been ceded to Great...
Edmund Pendleton Gaines was a United States army officer who served with distinction during the War of 1812 and the Seminole Wars. ...
Lieutenant-General Sir Gordon Drummond holds the honour of being the first Canadian-born officer to command the military and the civil government. ...
August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ...
The Americans had captured Fort Erie on July 3, 1814 and had made significant improvements to the defenses since then. The original British fort consisted of two two-storey barrick buildings, with fortified cannon bastions connected to them. The two buildings were connected by a thick stone curtain with the main gate located in the centre. The rear of the Fort (facing away from Lake Erie) consisted of an open terreplein with two redoubts located on the corner. The terreplein was not totally exposed though, it was raised 6 feet above the base of the dry ditch which surrounded the fort and wicker baskets filled with mud had been stacked to created makeshift defenses. The front of the fort was protected by a large earthen wall with a forward gun emplacement. The fort was also divided in half by an earthen wall and ditch with a gun emplacement in the centre redan (raised platform). The entire fort was surrounded by a dry ditch which had a 9 foot high wooden wall placed in the centre. The wall was angled outwards and was sharpened to prevent any enemy from leaping into the ditch. The ditch also had sharpened sticks placed up and down the ditch walls to help impale or wound enemy soldiers. The ditch was also used as a garbage dump and a sewer by fort inhabitants creating a slippery and smelly swamp at the base that would not only slow enemy attacks, but they would encourage disease in any wounds. A new invasion of Canada was planned under the command of General Jacob Brown, aimed at the Niagara Peninsula. ...
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). ...
Although the British fort was small, it was still formidable. The US army not only made it larger, but stronger. They extended the earthen wall to the south for an additional 800 metres (1/2 mile) to a rise made of sand, known as Snake Hill, which had been fortified with a large gun emplacement under the command of Nathaniel Towson (considered to this day to be one of the finest artillerymen in US history). To protect the North end of the fort, the US also built an earthen wall connecting the North-East bastion to the lake which had a fortified gun emplacement. The whole fort spanned nearly an entire kilometre from one end to the other.
The Siege
Preliminaries While the British constructed their siege lines and batteries, three American schooners hovered in the Niagara River and harassed them with gunfire. A party of sailors and marines under Commander Alexander Dobbs dragged boats overland from below Niagara Falls, and launched a boarding attack on them on the night of August 12. They captured the USS Ohio and the USS Somers. The USS Porcupine escaped. This victory raised British morale, but Drummond mistakenly believed that it depressed American morale to the same extent. He was encouraged in this belief by some American deserters. August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
British Assault On August 13 Drummond opened fire on the fort. The bombardment was ineffective against the fort's walls. Drummund nevertheless launched a 3-pronged attack on August 15. The first attack, of 1,300 soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Victor Fisher, was to flank the south end of the defenses at Snake Hill. The second attack (360 soldiers led by Drummond's nephew Lieutenant Colonel William Drummond), was to attack in the center against the fort with the objective of capturing the old British barrack buildings. The third attack, (700 soldiers under Colonel Hercules Scott), was to attack the north end of the defenses and sweep into the US camp. August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ...
August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ...
Most of the first attacking colummn was made of volunteers from De Watteville's Regiment of foot. Nominally Swiss, this was made up of men from all over Europe and were suspect to the British commanders. The men of de Watteville's were ordered to remove their firearms' flints and take the enemy battery on the hill by the bayonet. Unfortunately, any chance of taking the defenders by surprise was shattered when US pickets heard the British marching, due to rain the previous night which caused the tall grass to make loud swishing noises. The commander of the US gun battery, Nathan Towson, quickly organized his men and opened fire. The rate of fire from his battery would earn it the nickname "Towson's lighthouse". With this the British charged forward with shouts and screams towards the US embankment defenses.
Initially repulsed, the men of De Watteville's would eventually charge the battery five times, taking almost two-thirds losses in that night alone (although many were "missing" and actually deserted). One of the most fatal errors of the night which was quickly discovered was that many of the siege ladders built for the attack had been made without taking the ditch before the US defenses into account. Many of them were as much as five feet too short to get over the wall. In all this confusion, some of De Watteville's attempted to bypass the US defenses by swimming in the Niagara River. The current proved to be too swift and most of the men were swept away to their death, those who survived were quickly captured. Finally, after taking heavy losses, De Watteville's regiment fell back onto its supporting units, the 8th (King's) and the light companies of two other units, and in the confusion, the entire column retreated.
Colonel Hercules Scott's attack was launched upon hearing the attack begin in the South with Fisher's column and once again surprise was shattered. US pickets quickly noticed the movement and alerted the US battery commanded by David Douglass, who quickly ordered his men to load their cannon with canister shot. Once the British had moved close enough, the order to fire was given with horrific losses to the British. Colonel Scott was killed early on in his attack when he was struck in the head with a musket ball, although the men of his regiment (103rd Foot) fought on. In one point in the battle, a cry rose from the British forces of "Stop firing, you're shooting your own men!" and surprisingly enough the fighting ceased for almost an entire minute until a US officer unconvinced by the heavy accented appeal shouted back "To Hell with you!" and the firing continued.
Lieutenant Colonel Drummond's attack initially made little headway, being forced back repeatedly by US forces. He then moved his men using the cover of darkness and the heavy smoke that hung over the field, through the defensive ditch to assault the North-East Bastion. The British caught the US gunners completely by surprise and they quickly fled their guns. Those who stood and fought were quickly killed as Drummond cried out "Give no Quarter to the Damn Yanks!" and charged deep into the parade square. A group of US infantry from Ohio (21st regiment) had organized themselves in the parade square and poured fire into the bastion. According to one soldier, in the thick of the fighting he saw a "Red-coated demon, armed with a pike and screaming for his own death which we quickly obligued him to. He fell not far from our feet, no less than a musket's length away. It is with this that we hear of the death of the brave Lt. Col. William Drummond.
Drummond's death though would not belay the conflict which continued with vicious back and forth fighting for nearly another hour. With the fighting getting more and more desperate, US forces turned an 18-pdr cannon on the rear redan and began to fire into the bastion less that 50 yards away. The British quickly responded by turning one of the captured cannons around and knocking the US 18-pdr off of its carriage. The fighting ended shortly thereafter when a large powder magazine beneath the feet of the British soldiers in the bastion ignited. The explosion was immense, destroying the entire bastion as well as two thirds of the attached barracks building. The force of the explosion even flung a two ton cannon 100 yards out of the fort. The powder magazine would take with it anywhere between 150 and 250 men, British, Canadian (largely from a regiment from New Brunswick), and US, making it the bloodiest point in Canada.
With this explosion, the British retreated to their siege lines having suffered nearly 1,000 casualties in that night alone. The journal of a surgeon in the British Army, William Dunlop, described working on the wounded for nearly 3 days straight.
American Sortie In September General Jacob Brown, having recovered from his wounds, returned to command to replace the extremely unpopular Gen. Ripley. On September 17, Brown launched an attack against Drummond's siege lines. The attackers moved through dense woods which ran along the right flank of the British position and surprised the first of the four gun batteries constructed. The attack was initially a success at first, with US forces capturing and destroying the first and second batteries with barely any casualties. When the attackers attempted to move on the third battery, they were quickly met by British troops and heavy fighting broke out. The sortie ended with the US retreating back to the fort with nearly 500 losses and the British retaking their positions with around 600 losses. September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ...
The siege would continue for about another month when cold, wet weather and disease forced General Drummond to abandon the siege and retreat to Fort George in the North. Drummond reinforced a defensive position along the Chippewa river with elements of the Glengary Light Infantry and Light Infantry companies of various regiments. This defensive position was attacked once by US forces who were repulsed at the brief Battle of Cook's Mill.
Evacuation General George Izard arrived from Plattsburg, New York and being senior officer, assumed command of the American forces. Brown, being more aggressive wished to attack the British with the combined US forces. Izard chose not to attack the British. Instead after a sortie at Cook's Mill he decided to abandon the fort and on November 5 the Americans set mines and demolished it. Many officer's accused Izard of cowardice and he was nearly court martialled as a result; but due to Izard's military expertise and excellent service record, he was moved to a civil position and made governor of Arkansas. When the British returned to the site, they chose not to rebuild the fort. The Niagara campaign was over and so were the invasions of Canada. The siege had been a disaster for the British militarily and personally for Gordon Drummond. 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. ...
Plattsburgh, New York refers to two locations in Clinton County, New York: City of Plattsburgh Town of Plattsburgh This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Battle of Cooks Mill - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...
November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ...
A siege is a prolonged military blockade and assault of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by force or attrition. ...
See also Capture of Fort Erie A new invasion of Canada was planned under the command of General Jacob Brown, aimed at the Niagara Peninsula. ...
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