War of 1812 Lecture Series at the Niagara on the Lake Historical Museum
Last Thursday, Feb. 3, Sarah Maloney, Managing Director, introduced Dave Webb, Military Curator, Parks Ontario to an audience of 85 people who filled the museum's hall. The lecture series is to supplement activities that lead to the celebration of next year's bicentennial of the War of 1812. Dave Webb proved to have a good sense of humour, indicating that he was "heavily armed" (he brought several muskets and swords) and had prepared two talks, one for each side in the
"Battle of Fort George."
He claimed that the War of 1812 makes everyone happy, particularly "the British who have no idea that it took place." He lamented that especially for those with "selective memory," the battle for Fort George often gets neglected.
With Americans controlling Lake Ontario, they hoped that the British would send troops to try and rescue York (Toronto), allowing them to attack Fort George, using naval power to transport their men.
In May of 1812, John Vincent, British Commander had only 1800 men to safeguard the entire length of the Niagara River. He kept 1,000 close to the fort. John Norton led another 50 members of the Six Nations (Brant) contingent. From May 8-25 when the battle started, the British were hard pressed to know where the Americans would assault.
General Henry Dearborn, the American leader was not an inspiring figure - elderly, sickly and so heavy-set that he couldn't ride a horse, so a wagon was constructed to tote him around. In contrast, Winfield Scott was his aide de camp, a strong Virginian. Commodore Isaac Chauncy also was competent and in charge of the American fleet.
The plan of attack was to land west of the fort near St. Catharines and out flank the Brits while another force landed at Queenston, thereby employing a pincer movement.
On May 25 at 3 a.m., American vessels launched towards Four-Mile Creek. The Brits featured an artillery commander named Shrapnel and an advantage in height for shelling Fort Niagara. But the Americans, only 700 yards away, began a barrage of 25 guns which eventually caused every building in Fort George to burn and be destroyed. Townsfolk fled amidst the roaring cannonballs.
At Four-mile Creek, weeping women applied strips of white ribbon bands on the arms of citizen soldiers so as not to be shot by British red coats or scalped by First Nation warriors.
With a total of 70 guns firing from American ships and Fort Niagara, British Colonel Myers and 600 men, outnumbered four to one, met the foe on the shore. 450 Brits were lost. The Americans suffered 111 wounded and 39 killed, but were delighted to discover Jamaican rum in the British canteens. It was a total American naval and military victory allowing them a foothold in Upper Canada.
The British ultimately retreated to Burlington Heights and dismissed many of their Canadian militia with "parole documents" to deal with the Americans on their own. An occupation of Niagara on the Lake eventually turned ugly and on December 10, 1813, the town was burnt to the ground. However, a key outcome of the battle was the British escape, and they returned on June 6 to take Stoney Creek, causing the Americans to flee back to what remained of Fort George. For six months, between Stoney Creek and Niagara on the Lake was deadly no-man's land with multiple crossings and a scorched earth policy employed by both sides.
After his talk, Dave took questions and allowed us to examine his artifacts. He demonstrated a long sword used by horsemen that would inflict damage to those even lying on the ground. The musket was interesting from the point of view that it took a steady hand amidst the frenzy of battle to reload and shoot most often at a distance of 40 yards. A record of 12 seconds was recently established by a Canadian re-enactor.
Lectures take place at 10 a.m. every other Thursday morning until May 12, at the museum, located at 43 Castlereagh St. Remaining lectures include: February 17 - The War of 1812 and its Aftermath: Gender, Race, and the Colonial Context by Cecilia Morgan; March 3 - The Life & Family of Laura Secord by David Hemmings; March 17- Disputed Victory: Did anyone win the War of 1812? by Ron Dale; March 31 - Contemporary Concepts of Commemoration at Six Nations by Keith Jamieson; April 14 - Time Lag, A Flag and the Right to Brag: Some American Perspectives on the War of 1812 by Doug Decroix; April 28 - The Life & Death of Isaac Brock by Wes Turner; and May 12 - The War of 1812: Local Historians and Local Histories by Julia Roberts. Lectures are free for Niagara Historical Society members and volunteers or $5 per person for non-members. Also, take note that in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the month of February is set aside for locals to visit their museum for free.
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