Title

Battle of Lundy's Lane

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http://www.nflibrary.ca/nfplindex/show.asp?b=1&ref=oo&id=298011

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c

Bibliographic Citation

The battle of Lundy's Lane / Mrs. Jesse Ketchum.

10168072

The battle of Lundy's Lane / Mrs. Jesse Ketchum.

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Text

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BATTLE OF LUNDY'S LANE
by
Mrs. ,Jesse Ketchum

The Battle of Lun.dy s Lane.
i

Late in 1518 Americans under Gen. McClure burned Niagara, driving out the inhabitants, destroying
grain and slaughtering cattle, before retiring to
winter at Lewiston and so hoped to prevent the British wintering at Fort George. The flames at Niagara
were the signal for the advance of & party of British
soldier*, who arrived in time to stop the work of dewtruction before the barracks and defences of St.
George were seriously in
Gen. Drummond attacked and took Oswego and so enabled Sir Jamss
Yea to have the American fleet strictly blockaded in
Sackett's Harbor.
In May American made a raid on the Erie coast,
burned Port Dover and many mills filled with grain.
In June Fort Erie was invested without orposItion by
Americans. July 5th, the sharp, short battle at
Chippewa was fought, the British being compelled
to retire. July 19th, the village of St. Deride' burned, and every house between Queenston and Niagara.

The most stubborn and sanguinary battle ever fought in
Ontario is called by American historians Bridgewater, is blazoned
on their colors by British soldiers as Niagara, while Canadians
proudly remember it as homely Lundy's Lane, now a street in
Niagara Falls South.
From severe cornpaigns during the two previous years, scarcity
of food, and lack of sufficient training, the British forces were in
poor shape to encounter the over-powering numbers brought against
them, even under the leadership of such men as Sir Gorden Drummond, who had been selected by the Duke of York as commander
of forces in Canada, on account of his " zeal, intelligence and
r local knowledge," Colonel Scott, who had served under Abercromby in Egypt and Wellington in India, General Riall, an active,
energetic leader, Harvey, Morrison and Pearson who had fought
travely and wisely in the previous year's campaign and Lieut. Col.
Wm. Drummond nephew of Gen. Drummond.

1 69

The AmeriCan army was under command of General Jacob
Brown, a politican rather than a soldier, but the brigades were led
by Gen. Winfield Scott, a veteran of the Revolution, and probably
one of the best drill masters in America. Their entire force consisted of nearly 5,000 men and 9 pieces of artillery.
General Brown, influenced by. his success at Chippawa, proposed to beat the British in the field, and then march in triumph
through the country, although he had hoped to have entrusted
the total demolition of the forts to Commodore Chauncey,who was
hindered from joining him through illness. This he might have
been reasonably sure of accomplishing, considering that the 36 miles
of Niagara frontier was guarded by less than 3,000 men, including
garrisons at Ports Niagara, George,and Mississauga, and fieldwork
at Queension and Chippewa.
On July loth General Riall gathered his forces together near
12 Mile Creek, numbering i7oo regulars, including the Glengarry
Light Infantry and Incorporated Militia, loo Lincoln Militia, boo
Indians ; in garrison at Fort George were 66o men, at Mississauga
goo, and at Niagara 550. Many among those in garrison were sick
and many too young to be fit for service.
The clean sweep proposed by General Brown was prevented,
however, by the coming of Sir Gordon Drummond from Kingston
with goo men of the 89th,undcr Col. Morrison (of Chrysler's farm
fame), and the sending of reinforcements under his nephew to
strengthen Riall, and at the same time the despatch. of Lieut.-Col.
Tucker in command of 1500 men with orders to assail the Americans at Youngstown on the 25th.
Brown had retired to Chippewa and Riall took advantage of
this to push forward and take his position at the junction of Lundy's
Lane and the Portage Road,. On the morning of the 25th the
British force was placed as follows :—
First Brigade, Col. Scott in command lay at 12 Mile Creek ;
2nd Brigade, Lieut.-Col. Tucker joined by Col. Morrison occupied
the forts at the mouth of the river ; 3rd Brigade, Lieut.-Col.
Pearson at Four-Mile Creek ; 4th Brigade, ,Lieut.-Col. Parry,
forming the right wing, stretched along the 12 Mile Creek as far
as De Cew's Falls ; while the flank composed of Royal Scots and
militia, under Lieut.-Col. John Gordon formed a reserve.
Col. Pearson was ordered to advance, which he did, and took
,

,

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171

possession of the high ground at Lundy's Lane. The entire force
was widely ranged, but capable of being cencentrated in a few
hours.
When General Drummond, about six in the evening
arrived at Lundy's Lane, instead of finding General Riall's entire
division, he met the Light Brigade retiring before the enemy :
the road to Queenston was occupied by Morrison's advancing column, and Drummond hastily changed the movement of the Light
Brigade, ordering up the 24-pounders to
hold the enemy in check
till all troops could mass and form.
,

Among the peach and apple trees which then as now bordered Lundy's Lane, the Glengarry Light Infantry took their position as right wing ; among the graves besides a little frame Presbyterian church, which stood on the summit of the slope near the
junction of the roads, the field guns and rocket party were placed,
lower down in the fields, the Incorporated Militia, while the remainder of Morrison's column formed behind the guns as fast as it came
up.
When the formation was completed the total number of men
was 1637, as opposed to over 4,000.
The engagement was commenced about 6.3o p.m. by General
Scott making a direct attack all along the British lines, which was
well sustained -except on the left where the Americans had gained
a decided advantage, almost succeeding in getting possession of the
Queenston road, having captured nearly roo prisoners, among them
Capt. Loring, A.D.C. to Gen. Drummond and Gen. Riall. As the
cheering from
the American lines over this exploit died away,
the British succeeded in destroying one of the American ammunition wagons. Then occurred a sharp, hard struggle in which both
sides suffered severely. Col. Morrison was carried from the field,
severely wounded ; Many of the American soldiers ran away and
could not be induced to return to the field. The growing darkness
made artillery fire nearly useless, and the lines of battle could only
be distinguished through clouds of dust and smoke.
At the end of three hours, the British force was reduced to
less than 1,200 with ammunition nearly exhausted.
The much
needed relief, however, was at hand.
,

During the afternoon the order had reached Col. Scott at
12 Mile Creek, to march immediately to support Gen. Riall at
Lundy's Lane. He instantly responded and marched with nearly
1,200 men of all ranks, three six. pounders and one howitzer,

till within three miles of the scene of action where he was met by
an orderly bearing a despatch directing him to retreat and join
Gen. Riall at Queenston. They had retreated about four miles
when they were over-taken by another messenger summoning them
to come with all speed to the conflict. Accordingly this weary and
footsore column after a march of 20 miles came in view on the extreme right at nine o'clock.
The action was recommenced by the Americans attacking on
the left and attempting to turn the flank by an attack on the right
also. Their infantry proceeded to advance on the British artillery,
whose attention was taken up with the batteries below. They
gained the summit, after heavy loss, captured both the 24-pounders
and one six-pounder, and confined Lieut. Tomkins and a few of his
men in the church, from which they afterwards escaped.
The American artillery now attempted to follow the infantry
to the summit, but a volley of musketry killed nearly all the riders
and scattered the horses. For the next two hours the opposing
lines were seldom twenty yards apart and in the flashes of 'each
volley of musketry they could distinguish the faces of the opposing force and even the buttons on the coats.
It is impossible to give a connected narrative of the close of
the struggle, the British striving for very life to regain the summit
they had lost, and the Americans striving to thrust them dcwn and
drive them from the field.
After consultation with General Brown, General Scott led forward his brigade in the hope of forcing back the British right. By
Gen. Drummond's orders the 89th knelt in a field of grain, reserving
fire until their assailants were within a few paces of them and, then
delivered such a volley that the American line was thrown into
confusion. After having two horses killed under him and his
shoulder fractured Gen. Winfield Scott had to be removed from the
field. His entire brigade had been reduced by death of officers and
men, and desertion, till only about zoo men remained, fighting on
in despair.
About the same time Gen. Brown received a wound in the
thigh and made over the command to Gen. Ripley, who decided to
retreat beyond Chippewa. While preparations were in progress
for this retreat. Drummond was gathering his scattered forces for a
supreme effort to retrieve lost ground. Nearly one-third were dead

172

or wounded and both 24-prs. had been recovered and an American
6-pr. captured. The scattered detachments rallied, formed again
pressed steadily up the slope, and at midnight stood triumphantly on
the summit. The British held undisputed possession of the field
during the rest of the night ; next morning Gen. Ripley re-crossed
the •Chippawa, but finding the field occupied in force retired,
destroying the bridge, and retreated so rapidly that by mid-night his
wearied force lay down without waiting for tents or lights, on the
heights opposite Black Rock.
British Officers, • - 5 skilled, 36 wounded.
" 56
"
American Officers, - 16
" 532
"
British Privates, - 76
American Privates, 16o "% 52o
"
ioo missing.
General, Drummond thanked and dismissed the militia, and
remained near, Lundy's Lane.
The war was nearly ended. During August 16,000 British
troops arrived to assist Canada, although through Sir George
Prevosts' neglect to make the most of advantages'gained, no definite
progress was made. Still, the British, entered Chesapeake Bay, captured Washington and burned the public buildings, in revenge for
the burning of Niagara. The Treaty of Ghent was signed December 24th,' 1814.
,

MRS. JESSE KRTCHT.116.