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By the end of 1813 the majority of US regulars had been drawn away from the Niagara frontier for Major General James Wilkinson’s expedition to capture Montreal. Efforts by Brigadier General George McClure to entice militia from New York State to reinforce US positions on the Canadian side of the Niagara river had been met with disinterest. With British pickets pressing closer and closer, McClure in early December saw little choice but to abandon his footing in Canada and retreat across the river to the United States. Before leaving McClure had to fulfill one order from the Secretary at War John Armstrong: burn the town of Niagara...
An extract from Essential Histories 41
There was one more outbreak of fighting along the Canadian border before the close of 1813. With the movement of US troops east to attack Montreal, and the expiration of many militiamen’s terms of service, the American garrison at Fort George dropped to less than 600 men by early December. At that point, and with the passing of Harrison’s threat to Burlington, the British resolved to recapture the post; their opponents, suffering steady harassment, decided to consolidate their forces on their own side of the border. Before withdrawing, the American commander, Brigadier-General John McClure, turned the people of the town of Niagara out of their houses on a frigid December day and burned down their homes, ostensibly to prevent the British from quartering their troops there over the winter and to improve Fort Niagara’s defensibility. The next day, American artillery at Lewiston destroyed part of the village of Queenston by firing red-hot shot (heated canon balls) to set its buildings on fire. The new British commander in Upper Canada, Lieutenant-General Gordon Drummond, arrived on the peninsula soon afterward, determined to avenge the destruction of these settlements.
Drummond’s men crossed the Niagara River and made a surprise night assault on the sleeping garrison of Fort Niagara on 19 December. After a short, sharp fight, the fort fell. The British seized vast quantities of supplies, and killed, wounded, or captured over 400 Americans, losing only 11 of their own. Drummond then cleared the Americans out of the region completely: over the next few days, the settlements along the New York side of the river fell to the torch and the Americans and their native allies suffered a series of small defeats. Once he had captured Buffalo (and destroyed four vessels of the US Lake Erie squadron wintering there), Drummond thought he might continue westward, make a surprise attack on the rest of the American Lake Erie squadron, destroy it, and perhaps even retake Detroit. However, a January thaw melted the ice on the rivers he needed for a quick strike, so Drummond abandoned the idea and retired to the Canadian side of the river, maintaining a garrison on American territory only at Fort Niagara, which the British retained until the return of peace, in 1815.
The United States emerged from the second year of the war in a better position than they had had in 1812. With a number of victories behind them, they had also regained most of the lost territory in the west, occupied a small part of south-western Upper Canada, and seemed to have killed off the possibility of an aboriginal homeland being created at their expense in the Old Northwest. However, their main objective — the conquest of at least all of Upper Canada — had not been accomplished. The British, Canadians, and natives had performed well, despite the odds against them. This had bought the colony another year’s grace, but the question now was what would happen with the coming of spring.
Further reading
Essential Histories 41: The War of 1812 places this episode amongst other key events in a comprehensive, but succinct, examination of the three year war. The book explores what led to America’s decision to take up arms against Great Britain, assesses the three terrible years of fighting that followed on land and sea, details stories of both famous and forgotten individuals caught up in the strife and looks at the ways of war of the First Nations, American, and British combatants.
Men-at-Arms 226: The American War 1812-1814 details the history, uniforms and equipment of the British, American and Militia forces which fought in the American war.
An extract from Essential Histories 41
There was one more outbreak of fighting along the Canadian border before the close of 1813. With the movement of US troops east to attack Montreal, and the expiration of many militiamen’s terms of service, the American garrison at Fort George dropped to less than 600 men by early December. At that point, and with the passing of Harrison’s threat to Burlington, the British resolved to recapture the post; their opponents, suffering steady harassment, decided to consolidate their forces on their own side of the border. Before withdrawing, the American commander, Brigadier-General John McClure, turned the people of the town of Niagara out of their houses on a frigid December day and burned down their homes, ostensibly to prevent the British from quartering their troops there over the winter and to improve Fort Niagara’s defensibility. The next day, American artillery at Lewiston destroyed part of the village of Queenston by firing red-hot shot (heated canon balls) to set its buildings on fire. The new British commander in Upper Canada, Lieutenant-General Gordon Drummond, arrived on the peninsula soon afterward, determined to avenge the destruction of these settlements.
Drummond’s men crossed the Niagara River and made a surprise night assault on the sleeping garrison of Fort Niagara on 19 December. After a short, sharp fight, the fort fell. The British seized vast quantities of supplies, and killed, wounded, or captured over 400 Americans, losing only 11 of their own. Drummond then cleared the Americans out of the region completely: over the next few days, the settlements along the New York side of the river fell to the torch and the Americans and their native allies suffered a series of small defeats. Once he had captured Buffalo (and destroyed four vessels of the US Lake Erie squadron wintering there), Drummond thought he might continue westward, make a surprise attack on the rest of the American Lake Erie squadron, destroy it, and perhaps even retake Detroit. However, a January thaw melted the ice on the rivers he needed for a quick strike, so Drummond abandoned the idea and retired to the Canadian side of the river, maintaining a garrison on American territory only at Fort Niagara, which the British retained until the return of peace, in 1815.
The United States emerged from the second year of the war in a better position than they had had in 1812. With a number of victories behind them, they had also regained most of the lost territory in the west, occupied a small part of south-western Upper Canada, and seemed to have killed off the possibility of an aboriginal homeland being created at their expense in the Old Northwest. However, their main objective — the conquest of at least all of Upper Canada — had not been accomplished. The British, Canadians, and natives had performed well, despite the odds against them. This had bought the colony another year’s grace, but the question now was what would happen with the coming of spring.
Further reading
Essential Histories 41: The War of 1812 places this episode amongst other key events in a comprehensive, but succinct, examination of the three year war. The book explores what led to America’s decision to take up arms against Great Britain, assesses the three terrible years of fighting that followed on land and sea, details stories of both famous and forgotten individuals caught up in the strife and looks at the ways of war of the First Nations, American, and British combatants.
Men-at-Arms 226: The American War 1812-1814 details the history, uniforms and equipment of the British, American and Militia forces which fought in the American war.
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