Home


HISTORY

July 25, Battle of Lundy's Lane

After the Battle of Chippawa, the Americans decided that they couldn't advance (without the unwilling Lake Ontario Fleet) and the British decided that they couldn't drive the Americans back across the river. To resolve this Canadian standoff, the British ordered troops from Ft. Niagara (which they still held) to advance and capture the US supply base at Ft. Schlosser. The thinking was that this would cause the Americans to withdraw and defend the supply depot rather that being cut off.

But Gen. Brown didn't bite. Figuring that Ft. Schlosser would fall before he could get his army back across the river, he decided to attack, hoping this would cause the British to withdraw their attack to repel the American advance. Brown ordered Winfield Scott to take his 900 man force and advance towards Ft. George. They only got as far as a road called Lundy's Lane.

The battle got started very late in the day . . . after 6PM . . . and everyone in the American command must have been tired from the heat. Scott moved his command quickly into line, but at the extreme range of US muskets. Hindman's artillery, which had done so well supporting the infantry in the past, also setup outside of effective range.

The British, on there part, mistook Scott's Brigade for Gen. Brown's entire force. They quickly lined up to repel the attackers, but they placed their artillery on a low hill far to the front of their lines. They then opened up on the Americans. Scott's Brigade took heavy losses, while inflicting few blows of their own. Finally seeing the problem Scott advanced his men and captured the British artillery position. The rest of the battle . . . which went long into the night . . . consisted of British attempts to take their artillery back from the Americans.

In the dark the battle did not go well for anyone.

Ripley's Brigade arrived late, lead by the 23rd regiment. While marching in column they ran right smack into a British counterattack. Only 8 members of the first company managed to escape and one of their chief casualties was their newest commander, Maj. Daniel McFarland. The 23rd regrouped and pushed the British back. Then the British drove off Porter's militia on the left of the 23rd . . . the 23rd, now without the firm leadership of its commander, fell back as well.

The battle when on and on, with American units fed into the fight piecemeal and the British launching ineffective frontal assaults to regain their guns. In the dark, virtually every American officer was wounded and by the end, Scott's 900 man brigade was down to 100 men.

The British were able to capture their guns for a brief period, but were unable to take them off the field (for lack of horses) and the guns were left on the field. It was, as I said, a tiring day, for the American did the same and just left the guns on the field.

Long and bloody the battle was a partial American victory in that they held the field, but not for long. With the heavy American losses and the prospect of the British being reinforced from Ft. Niagara, the Americans withdrew to Ft. Erie. With no prospect of American reinforcements or replacement the final American invasion of Canada was effectively over.

July 26, Ft. Mackinac Recapture Champaign

The United States Secretary of the Navy, William Jones, was determined to attack Ft. Mackinac and recapture it from the British as this would allow the American squadron on Lake Erie, which otherwise would have little further to do, to take part. Brig. Gen. Duncan McArthur built Ft. Gratiot at the southern end of Lake Huron as an advanced base for the recapture of Ft. Mackinac.

On 3 July, a squadron of five American brigs and gunboats sailed from Detroit, carrying an embarked landing force of 700 soldiers under the command of Lt. Col. George Croghan. The force consisted of companies of the 17th, 19th and 24th US Regulars and some Ohio militia. They sailed to St. Joseph Island, which had been the original British military post in 1812, but found it had been abandoned and they burned what remained.

The Americans arrived off Mackinac on July26, the long trip giving the British ample warning of the attack. The US Flotilla bombarded the fort ineffectively for two days. The American gunboats also bombarded the woods around the landing site, eliminating any chance of gaining surprise.

The British left a skeleton force at the fort and moved the main body of the defenders to entrenchments facing the landing site.

August 1 - September 19, Siege of Fort Erie

After withdrawing from the battle at Lundy's Lane, the Americans moved to Ft. Erie. A number of officers wanted to continue the retreat to the US side of the river, but Gen. Brown stubbornly demanded that the fort be held. On August 2nd the British army began building trenches to the north of the fort, and constructing batteries in front at points from which an effectual fire might be poured upon the American works.

The British continued their objective of cutting of the American's by first taking Buffalo and destroying the remaining American naval forces on Lake Erie. As that tactic progressed, Drummond opened artillery fire on Ft. Erie.

Gen. Gaines arrived at Ft. Erie on August 5th and began probing British defenses the very next day to try to break the siege. The attacks were turned back and the next day the siege began in earnest with the British bombarding the fort until the 14th. Parts of the 9th, 11th, and 25th Regiments (the remnants of Scott's veteran brigade) were posted on the right, under the command of Lt. Col. Aspinwall. Gen. Ripley's brigade, consisted of the 21st and 23rd, were posted on the left, with Gen. Porter's militia in between.

August 3, Battle of Scajaquada Creek

The British were determined to regain Ft. Erie and compel American troops to surrender. Lt. Col. Tucker was ordered to take 600 men, cross the Niagara, and destroy "the enemy's depot of provisions and stores at Buffalo." Maj. Gen. Brown was equally determined that Buffalo be defended at all costs. On August 3, he directed 240 riflemen of the combined 1st and 4th Regiments under the command of Maj. Ludowick Morgan to dismantle the bridge at Scajaquada Creek. British attempts to cross the bridge were driven back by intense fire from the outnumbered riflemen. More British attacks were mounted while British soldiers tried to repair the bridge under fire.

None of the efforts at crossing the bridge were successful. Finally a flanking attack was attempted, but this too was driven off and the British retreated to Canada.

August 4, Attack on Ft. Mackinac

After almost a week of maneuver, an American force attacked Ft. Mackinac at 2PM, landing as the British had done on the south side of the island. The British, expecting the attack formed up in the woods where a road led up to the fort.

The Americans attacked the British line at 3PM, but were unable to gain any headway. Flanking attacks of the British line also failed. By 6PM the American forces withdrew.

Leaving two schooners on Lake Huron to intercept British traffic, the American force returned to Detroit. The British were later able to capture both vessels. The fort would remain in British hands until the war's end.

August 9 -12, Naval Raid on Stonington

On Aug. 9, 1814, at about 5PM, four British ships under Capt. Thomas Hardy, who was Adm. Horatio Nelson's flag captain, sent a written message informing the residents of Stonington Connecticut that they had one hour to leave.

The town refused the demand. At 8PM, in reply to this refusal to surrender, the bomb ship HMS Terror began firing 130-pound incendiary shells on the village. It also fired rockets and cannonballs, the latter of which tore through wooden structures. Over the next three days, the Americans returned fire with a mere two cannons, doing serious damage to the brig HMS Dispatch. The town was aided by local sailors who had escaped after being impressed and trained to fire cannon by the Royal Navy. Another of the ships, the frigate HMS Pactolus, got stuck in shallow water off Sandy Point and had to unload cargo in order to float free.

The British fleet withdrew on August 13th.