Battle of Lundy's Lane

Date: 3 Jul 1814 to 26 Jul 1814
Location: Chippewa (Niagara Falls) Ontario, Canada
Surnames/tags: Brown Riall Scott

---

The Battle of Lundy's Lane (also known as the Battle of Niagara Falls) was a battle of the Anglo-American War of 1812, which took place on 25 July 1814, in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the war, and one of the deadliest battles ever fought on Canadian soil.

BATTLE OF LUNDY'S LANE

Battle of Lundy's Lane

"During the summer of 1814, the Americans formed a plan to capture and occupy the Niagara peninsula which includes the territory bounded by Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and the eastern end of Lake Erie. An army was assembled at Buffalo under Gen. Jacob Brown. On July 3, 1814, Brown suddenly invaded Canada and compelled the surrender of Fort Erie before Sir Phineas Riall, the British commander, could come to its relief. During the military operations which followed, three spirited battles were fought on the Canadian side of the Niagara River; namely, the battle of Chippewa, the battle of Lundy's Lane, and the siege of Fort Erie. Each of these battles was an American victory ; but, curious to relate, the final outcome of the whole campaign was a complete failure for the Americans.

"The British were entrenched along the Chippewa River; the Americans took a position behind Street's Creek; between which two streams there stretched a large open meadow. On July 5th, there was constant picket-firing and skirmishing between the armies thus facing each other; at four o'clock in the afternoon of that day, Riall marched out on the plain with his whole army drawn up in order of battle, attacking the brigade of volunteers, quickly put them to flight; but Winfield Scott brought his regulars into action and compelled the British to retire to their encampment. The loss on each side was about 300 men. This is known as the battle of Chippewa.

"Riall retreated to Lake Ontario. Brown, anxious to lead his army along the lake shore and capture Toronto and Kingston, made his headquarters at Queenston and remained there three weeks waiting in vain for supplies and re-inforcements ; then, disappointed, he fell back to the Chippewa River. Riall, who had been re-inforced by troops brought from Toronto by Gen. Drummond, again advanced southward toward the American position, concealing his movements very carefully. Brown began to fear that there might be some truth in the rumor that the British were preparing to invade New York State; and he therefore sent Scott with a strong force to reconnoiter and find out where the British army was.

"This led to the famous battle which was fought in Canada near Niagara Falls on July 25, 1814, and which by mere accident has made the name of Lundy a familiar word in every English-speaking community throughout North America. Scott advanced northward along the Niagara River. Riall on the alert, quickly learned of Scott's advance and prepared to check it. He selected his position with great skill ; he did not place himself directly in front of the Americans, but stationed his army a short distance to the west of the road, on elevated ground, whence he would be able to pour down a destructive fire into the ranks of the Americans if they should be rash enough to continue their forward movement along the main road. On this eminence, the key of the position, Riall planted a battery of nine cannon, drew up his army round about it, and waited. Scott realized the situation at once ; it would be folly to advance along the main road ; either he must return to camp, or he must drive the British from that hilltop. He tried to carry the hill by storm, but was repulsed with severe loss; this was about six o'clock in the afternoon. Major Jesup was sent to steal around to the rear of the British and he was so far successful as to capture some prisoners, including Riall himself. Brown arrived on the field with the main army just at dark; and a new plan was immediately arranged with the view to force the enemy to abandon his position.

"Troops were selected for a storming column, and to them was assigned the duty of carrying the battery by a charge directly up the hill. An officer was wanted to head the line. The commander-in-chief summoned Major James Miller to his side and said, "Can you capture that battery ?" Miller looked at the hill already sprinkled with the bodies of dead comrades and replied, "I'll try, sir." Falling in line, they dashed straight up the hill in the face of the battery and captured it and held it, displaying a courage and gallantry that has never been surpassed in the annals of American warfare.

"The greater part of the American army was at once massed together on the hill. Three vigorous and determined attempts were made by the British to regain the battery, but without success ; and finally about midnight they retired from the contest. The Americans remained on the battle field a very brief time, and then in the darkness they, too, withdrew, so exhausted with the struggle that they were unable to take with them the cannon which they had captured and retained at such a fearful cost.

The British re-occupied the blood-drenched hill and took possession of their lost cannon, unmolested. Each side had lost about 850 men, an exceptionally heavy loss in proportion to the number of men engaged. The opposing commanders were taken to Buffalo, Brown having been severely wounded and Riall as a prisoner; Scott also was wounded nigh unto death. Technically the victory rested with the Americans, for at the close of the fight they were the masters of the field ; but practically all the fruits of victory were secured by the British, for the resistance which they made was so courageous and so stub- born that the whole scheme of invasion had to be abandoned.

Marker of Lundy's Lane

Marker for American soldiers

"This sharp and bloody conflict is known in history as the battle of Lundy's Lane, for the land thereabout was owned by a Quaker farmer named William Lundy, and the lane which led to his dwelling house branched off at right angles from the main road and passed westward directly over the top of the hill on which the battle was fought.

Lundy's Lane Monument

"The Americans retreated in great haste to Fort Erie, where they were soon hemmed in by the British. General Drummond planned a surprise ; he led his army forward at midnight in three columns silently ; but the Americans were under arms waiting for him. Assault after assault was made by the British soldiers with matchless courage and persistency, even gaining one of the bastions and holding it until daybreak. Although compelled at length to desist from the attack, they continued to press the siege with energy for several weeks until the Americans made a sudden sally out of the fort and destroyed their batteries. This sortie was the last battle of the campaign. The contending armies then separated ; General Drummond relinquished his attempt to capture the place and led his troops back to Chippewa ; the Americans abandoned the fort and returned to New York State. Thus ended the invasion of Canada."

Here's an image.

Chippiwa Monument

William Clinton Armstrong (1902)

Sources

• Armstrong, William C., The Lundy Family and Their Descendants of Whatsoever Surname with a Biographical Sketch of Benjamin Lundy, (A.M.), Print, 1902, Online at Archive.Org: The Lundy family and their descendants of whatsoever surname : with a biographical sketch of Benjamin Lundy; New Brunswick : Heidingsfeld; 1902; Battle of Lundy's Lane, page: 74; (accessed 2 April 2024)
• The Battle of Lundy's Lane, on Wikipedia
• The Battle of Lundy's Lane presented by Historica Canada, The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and Parks Canada
• War of 1812 Canadian Awards Sorted by Current Units, Backgrounder, Dept. of National Defence.
• Heidler, David. Encyclopedia of the War of 1812. ABC-CLIO, 1997, p. 309
• Cureton, Janet. "Catherine Lundy's Waterbucket Brigade at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. Macleans Magazine. October 22, 1960. page 88.