The early parts of 1814 had proven to be a quiet point in the war. While there was some action, it was almost a pause in the war, and both sides regrouped from a fiery 1813. While the British took the time to regroup, lick their wounds and prepare for renewed conflict and the promised reinforcements from Europe, the Americans took a different approach. Secretary of War John Armstrong would mostly be free of some of the older Generals, those who had achieved their rank through appointment rather than merit. As those officers had failed on the front lines, Armstrong either reassigned them to less public roles or dismissed them outright. He had the chance to advance younger officers who had proven themselves in the early actions of the war. Armstrong also authorised instruction schools to better train the infantry troops. The goal of these schools was to standardise the drill of the US army using the 1791 French Drill manual, the first school under Brigadier-General George Izard at Plattsburg and the second under Brigadier-General Winfield Scott in Buffalo. General Scott took things one step further, purging any officer in his brigade who had received their commission through appointment, promoting those who proved their worth. The troops were drilled ten hours daily, and the camps had better food, shelter, and sanitation. Scott also ensured that each regiment had the same uniform among all the troops. After ten weeks, the brigade resembled professional soldiers.
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Two actions taken unofficially at the end of 1813 at Nanticoke and Chatham had resulted in a large number of prisoners who had allied themselves to the Americans. These men had been imprisoned in York (Toronto). Since December 1813, John Beverly Robertson, the acting attorney-general for Upper Canada, had been building a case against these men. This job would usually be done by D’Arcy Bolton, the appointed Attonrey-General and Solicitor General for Upper Canada but remained in France’s custody, leaving the job on the young Robertson. The problem would be holding trials, under English Civil Law, the accused was entitled to the trial in the county where the alleged crimes had occurred. Those counties were only loosely under British control and nominally under Occupation; of course, Robertson felt that the charge of High Treason could be levelled against the men who opened up having the trial anywhere. This was thanks to a change in the law first passed during the reign of King Henry VIII and, more recently, by the Upper Canada Parliament. As there were nineteen men to be tried, ample space would be needed to convene a court, and the village of Ancaster was selected with the Union Hotel to act as the courthouse. The hotel was already being used as a hospital. The wounded were relocated, and a set of prison cells were constructed nearby in the Ancaster Mill. On 23 May, the charges were read against the nineteen charged with high treason, with an additional fifty (including Joseph Willcocks) charged in absentia with high treason. The juries were empanelled, witnesses subpoenaed, and the court recessed. Those who needed to travel could come to Ancaster. The trials started on 7 June, and each of the nineteen received a separate trial overseen by one of three judges. Chief Justice Thomas Scott was a moderate judge with no real drive for additional power, Justice William Drummer Powell was a fiery judge with little taste for treason, and the third Justice William Campbell rarely sought conviction but, if secured, was harsh and seldom changed his mind. Each prisoner had their day in court; of the nineteen charged, fifteen were convicted by the time the trials ended on 21 June. The court then agreed to delay the sentencing to allow those found guilty to seek royal mercy, as the book’s only punishment for high treason was death by hanging. Almost immediately, petitions for mercy started to come in, and all those were taken into account when Robertson and Scott met with the Executive Council. Of the fifteen, seven had their sentences commuted to life imprisonment, while eight were transferred to Burlington Heights for execution. Those who were executed at Burlington Heights were Dayton Lindsey, Noah Payne Hopkins, John Dunham, Aaron Stevens, Benjamin Simmons, George Peacock Jr., Isaiah Brink and Adam Chrysler. The sentences were carried out privately, a rarity for the time and the heads were removed and the bodies buried with little ceremony. The heads were paraded through different villages as a warning against further treason. Samuel Hartwell, Stephen Hartwell, Cornelius Howey, Isaac Petit, Jacob Overholzer, Garrett Neill and John Johnson were sentenced to life in prison and escorted to Kingston for removal to Quebec City and were joined by another prisoner, Dr Calvin Wood. While en route to Kingston, Calvin, Cornelius, Samuel, and Stephen escaped, with all but Stephen recaptured.
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On the Niagara Peninsula, Major-General Phineas Riall faced the same problems as all the previous commanders of the area, the lack of troops to defend a long frontier and the general unknown of where and when an American invasion would come. He had authorised the construction of a new fort in Niagara, Fort Mississauga, as a forward artillery battery to better defend the entrance to the Niagara River. The post is a simple earthwork structure with a brick blockhouse at the centre constructed using the brick from the ruins of a town and the lighthouse that had stood there since 1804. The Coloured Corps would be instrumental in building the new fort. Riall maintained troops at Queenston, Chippawa and assigned a small garrison to continue the reconstruction of Fort Erie. Under the command of Major Thomas Buck, the garrison at Fort Erie had a small detachment of the 8th (King’s) Regiment and Royal Artillery gunners. It was far too few to defend the post. Across the river, Major-General Jacob Brown had initially been tasked with assaulting Kingston. He lacked the needed troops to assault the well-defended position. Instead, Brown would relocate to the Niagara Region. On 3 July, two brigades landed on the Canadian side of the river, General Scott to the North and Brigadier-General Eleazar Ripley’s troops to the south. While there had been a plan to have Brigadier-General Peter Porter land near Chippawa with a force of New York Militia that never materialised because of weather. The two brigades marched on Fort Erie; Major Buck fired several rounds from the batteries before surrendering. Scott would allow Major Buck and the garrison to march out under a flag of truce with the garrison and arms intact. The swift capture of Fort Erie allowed General Brown to bring the rest of his division across the river and begin to secure a beachhead, but Brown had no intention of stopping and securing the post; he immediately ordered General Scott and General Porter to advance along Portage Road to the British fortifications at Chippawa. The Americans moved forward quickly, and the British pickets were forced back without being able to hamper the American advance. General Riall, still unaware of the loss of the garrison at Fort Erie, planned to move his troops up to Chippawa and capture the Americans between the army, the fort and the river. He had not counted on Buck’s quick surrender and soon found the Americans on the doorstep of Chippawa. But the artillery at Chippawa forced the Americans back to Streets Creek on 4 July. Scott would set up camp and give the men a parade celebrating American Independence Day. The next day, Riall’s light infantry troops moved up and began to engage Scott’s pickets from his headquarters; Scott realised the British were rattling the sabre and ordered Porter to take his men out and clear the woods of the British troops. Little did he realise that the British had nearly captured the house where Scott had established his headquarters, and only Porter’s movement prevented it from happening. Scott then moved his brigade up and lined up in perfect order, but an entire regiment, the 9th US Infantry wore simple grey jackets, making the British commanders believe they were mainly facing militia troops. Riall moved his main force out to counter the Americans. He firmly believed they would soon cut and run once the men of the 1st (Royal Scots) and 100th Regiments opened up with volley fire. But the American artillery quickly opened up, and the British batteries were too small and close to do the same on the Americans. Scott’s training paid off, and his men stood up to the punishing volleys from the British lines and handed out similar punishment. Riall ordered his troops to fix bayonets and charge, hoping to break the American line, but something strange happened. As the British charged in, the American gunners switched to canisters. Scott ordered his flank troops to move up, enveloping the British line. The effect proved devastating, and Riall would call up the 8th (King’s) to cover the retreat. As the British retreated, the Americans moved forward again, stopped short at Chippawa by the artillery behind the fort’s walls. However, one thing became clear: this new American army was nothing like what had been seen in the past two years. It had stood up to the British in one of the only pitched line-infantry battles of the war. Taking advantage of Riall’s defeat at Chippawa, Brown moved quickly, outflanking the defences. Riall retreated rapidly to Niagara, allowing the Americans to advance to Queenston.
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On 11 July, a small British Squadron appeared off Moose Island, home to the small settlement of Eastport, then part of Massachusetts, today Maine, on the Cobscook Bay. Aboard HM Ship Ramillies and three other warships, Sir Thomas Hardy landed a large force of troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Pilkington from the 102nd Regiment. The American garrison, Fort Sullivan, quickly surrendered, knowing that they had no way to counter the large force. Hardy was quick to raise the Union Flag and declare the island and bay a part of New Ireland; those who wished to stay swore an oath of allegiance to the British Crown and those who did not, along with the garrison, were free to leave. Commodore Arthur Sinclair had entered Lake Huron in early July aboard US Brig Niagara along with US Schooners Tigress and Scorpion with a large force of troops under Lieutenant-Colonel George Croghan to capture or destroy HM Schooner Nancy and recapture Mackinac Island. Sinclair wanted to deny the island of their main supply ship first, but the British schooner proved harder to find than expected. But Sinclair made the most of it, destroying Fort St. Joseph along with many fur trading posts from the North-West Trading Company along the lake’s northern shores, reaching even Sault Ste Marie. Despite knowing the danger, McDouall had dispatched a force under Lieutenant-Colonel William McKay with a group of locally raised militia, volunteers, and warriors from the Sioux and Ho-Chunk to capture the garrison in Prairie Du Chen. For Lieutenant Joseph Perkins at Fort Shelby, things were getting worse. The first problem was that the enlistment of his small militia force had run out. While some volunteered to remain, the small force of regular troops, ammunition, and food ran low. To make matters worse, the well inside the fort’s wall had run dry, and efforts to deepen it resulted in the well’s collapse. McKay’s force landed on 17 July and began their march towards the American fort. In a strange twist, one of McKay’s captains encountered Perkins, who was out on a ride. The captain demanded the lieutenant’s surrender, to which Perkins’ replied his garrison would fight to the last man. Realising the biggest threat was the gunboat on the nearby river, McKay directed his single artillery piece to fire on the American gunboat. The gunners worked fast to make the appearance of multiple pieces, and the crew aboard the boat cut the ties and sailed back south. Perkins tried to signal them to stay, but the efforts fell short, with the boat almost the entire reserve of ammunition for the fort. McKay then turned his attention towards the fort. The two sides fought to a standstill, neither having the numbers to launch any direct assault. McKay would begin heating his ammunition red-hot, hoping to land a few shots on the wooden palisade and blockhouse and burn the garrison out. The move would not be needed; with water running out along with ammunition, Perkins gave his surrender, and McKay promised protection of the garrison from the Indigenous troops. With the Union flag flying over Prairie Du Chen, Colonel McKay renamed the garrison Fort McKay. General Brown’s rapid advance was aided by focusing on infantry warfare in men and artillery. He lacked the needed troops and heavy guns to lay siege to the entrenched army at Niagara. While Brown held out at Niagara, he hoped to get the required guns and additional troops delivered by Commodore Chauncy. The trouble was that Chauncy was still working on getting his big ships armed and in order but then fell ill and refused to let anyone else take command in his place, leaving Brown stuck. It also did not help that a group of militia troops under Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Stone took things too far when directed to occupy the village of St David’s. While the exact details are vague, Stone’s troops faced resistance from local militia troops and, after driving them back, started to loot the town and began to set fires in private homes and businesses. The destruction of the community turned the local temperament against the occupation, and General Brown, to his credit, dismissed Stone from command and, knowing his position would be quickly overrun, began to prepare for a retreat from the region.
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Taking advantage of the lack of American warships on Lake Ontario, General Drummond began to move British reinforcements into the region. As soon as Brown started to retreat back to Chippawa, the British pushed forward, nipping at the heels of the retreating Americans. Brown planned to consolidate his troops at Chippawa and then march on Burlington Heights. General Riall had other plans and sent a large force up to occupy a hill overlooking the intersection of Lundy’s Lane and Portage Road. Meanwhile, Drummond ordered Lieutenant-Colonel John Tucker to march out of Fort Niagara to threaten the American supply lines, hoping to redirect Brown to move troops across the River. Instead, Brown ordered General Scott to bring his brigade forward to threaten the British position on Lundy’s Lane. In the late afternoon of 25 July, the advance troops of Scott’s brigade came into view, and the artillery opened up. Having the high ground gave the British an advantage. But Scott hoped the training of his men would hold. It did, ordering Major Thomas Jessop and the 25th US Infantry to move into the woods, hoping to flank the British position, resulting in the Americans running into a group of British troops, and the general fighting started. The Americans quickly pushed the British back, giving Riall a start. He ordered a retreat to Queenston to bring up Colonel Hercules Scott and the 103rd Regiment to cover the retreat. Only the quick actions of General Drummond turned things around as he ordered Scott to march to Lundy’s Land and bring more troops forward. General Scott’s men had taken heavy punishment. They had forced the British centre back and opened a path for General Brown to move up additional troops. As the British centre retreated, it exposed the artillery crews, and Brown ordered Lieutenant-Colonel James Miller of the 21st US Infantry up to capture the guns. Colonel Miller’s now famous response was, “I’ll Try”, and try they did. With a bayonet charge, the Americans took the high ground. But the fight was far from other; British troops were still fighting, light infantry troops from the Glengarry Light Infantry had taken to the woods, and Drummond’s forces were moving up in quick order. As darkness grew, Drummond threw wave after wave of troops from the 89th and 103rd to take back the high ground and almost every time, the Americans repulsed the attacks. Bright flashes punched through the darkness as it became harder to see who was who; the Glengarry Light Infantry took a volley of friendly fire, and General Riall was wounded and captured, thinking he was among friendly troops. Drummond kept throwing attacks forward, and neither side was willing to give up. By midnight, neither side was in a position to fight, and the sound of guns faded to the sounds of the wounded. General Scott and General Brown were seriously injured, and both commanders ordered a retreat. Neither side intended to let the others retake the ground. It was Drummond who beat the Americans to the punch. When General Ripley returned the following day, he found a reinforced British force on the hill and retreated without a fight.
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Pentax 645 – SMC Pentax A 645 35mm 1:3.5 – Kodak Tri-X 400 – Kodak Xtol (1+1) 9:00 @ 20C
By the end of July, Commodore Sinclair’s squadron had reached Mackinac Island, but they had not found Nancy. But Sinclair and Holmes were fully committed to retaking the island. Heavy fog would force them back onto the lake after an ineffective artillery bombardment that only damaged the post’s gardens. McDouall knew it was only a matter of time before the Americans would land infantry and moved his men into position to counter such an assault. McDouall also sent word to the schooner crew, ordering them to go to the ground without revealing the naval establishment. The crew would heed the warning and find a sheltered cove near the mouth of the Nottawasaga River and begin the construction of a defensive blockhouse. The month of July had moved quickly, and now the whole region stood on a precipice; the rapid invasion by the Americans had faltered, and the blood-soaked ground of Lundy’s Lane was only the start of what would be an even greater bloodletting by the army of General Drummond. In 1815, the prison housing those charged during the Ancaster Assizes had an outbreak of typhus; Garrett Neill, Jacob Overholzer, and Isaac Petit would all die in March 1815. Samuel, Cornelius, Calvin, and John had their sentences commuted on the terms of exile from British North America.
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In Ancaster, Ontario, there is a memorial plaque downtown to the Bloody Assizes located a block away from the site of the Union Hotel. The hotel burned down in 1878 and was replaced by the current buildings, which integrate sections of the old hotel, if you’re in the area be sure to have a drink at the Coach and Lantern which is in the same building. The Ancaster Mill burned down in 1818 and was replaced by the current structure, which also integrated sections of the old mill. It is said that the remains of the prison cells used during the trials are in the basement. Fort Mississauga still stands in Niagara-On-The-Lake and is currently located on a golf course but there is a public path that allows access. The fort is original to how it would have stood in 1814, but is completely self-guided as Parks Canada does not have any staff located here. Old Fort Erie, located in Fort Erie, Ontario, is a modern reconstruction of how it would have appeared after the Americans had completed the works and is open to the public; it also hosts an annual siege event in which the first battle on the Saturday is a recreation of Buck’s Surrender, but with far more shooting than happened in 1814. The Chippawa battlefield is located along the Niagara Parkway and has a memorial Carin and a self-guided tour of the battle through a series of plaques; the fields around the memorial park are original. I had the honour of being a part of the 200th Anniversary reenactment—the rough terrain made for tricky manoeuvring. The remains of Fort Sullivan in Eastport, Maine, are located near Shead High School. A period cannon is displayed outside the high school along with a historic sign. The old Powder magazine is nearby, although one of the original barracks buildings was relocated to 74 Washington Street and served until recently as a local history museum. However, it appears to be in trouble with a campaign to save the building. A historical plaque on York Rd. in St. Davids, Ontario, commemorates the community’s burning. The former site of Fort Shelby/Fort McKay is now part of Villa Louis Historic Site in Prairie Du Chen, where you can see a reconstruction of a blockhouse and even the ruins of a powder magazine and the well. The Lundy’s Lane battlefield is a cemetery still today and is known as Drummond Hill; there is an 1895 Soldier’s monument, a statue of General Drummond, and graves of unknown soldiers. The Niagara Falls History Museum across the road contains information about the battle and displays artefacts found all over the area.