Lundy’s Lane saw one of the deadliest battles ever fought on Canadian soil. Historian Donald Graves wrote about the battle in the June-July 2014 issue of Canada’s History. Here is an excerpt from his article:
Most visitors to Niagara Falls, Ontario, know Lundy’s Lane as a busy urban thoroughfare leading to one of the world’s most famous natural wonders. But, two hundred years ago, it was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812.
The story of that famous action properly begins in the early hours of July 3, 1814, when a formidable American army crossed the Niagara River at Fort Erie to commence the seventh enemy invasion of Canada since the war had begun. Led by Major General Jacob Brown, a thirty-nine-year-old former Quaker and the most successful of America’s wartime leaders, the army was largely composed of well-trained veterans. The result was that the Niagara campaign of 1814 would be the most hard-fought military operation of the war.
For Brown, the campaign started well. The British garrison of Fort Erie was hopelessly outnumbered and quickly surrendered. Brown then advanced north up the Canadian side of the Niagara River and reached the hamlet of Chippawa. There he was attacked by British regulars under the command of Major General Phineas Riall.
Riall (pronounced “Rye-all”) was a somewhat hot-tempered forty-nine-year-old Irishman who held a very low opinion of the fighting abilities of American soldiers. His underestimation of the enemy would prove his undoing.
To read the complete article, subscribe to Canada’s History now.
Click here to view a quick video overview of the battle hosted by historian Tim Compeau.
And, don’t miss this PBS feature-length documentary on the War of 1812.