DATE: July 25, 1814
LOCATION: Lundy's Lane, Upper Canada
VICTORY: British
COMMANDERS: Gens. Jacob Brown and Winfield Scott (American)/ Gen. Phineas Riall (British)
CASUALTIES:
AMERICAN................ (2,100 men) 171 -DEAD/ 573 -WOUNDED/ 110 -MISSING/ 7- CAPTURED
BRITISH/INDIANS...... (3,000 men) 84-DEAD/ 559-WOUNDED/ 193-MISSING/ 42-CAPTURED


BATTLE DESCRIPTION:
Chippawa significantly changed the mood of the war for the Americans. As they rebuilt a bridge over the Chippawa and passed through the abandoned British camp on their way to Queenston, their objective of seizing the whole of the peninsula seemed possible. The British army meanwhile, had pulled back to Fort George. Gen. Phineas Riall had underestimated the American's numbers and ability, and as a consequence, had not sought reinforcements. With Lt. Gen. Gordon Drummond on his way from York to take command, Riall knew everything had to be in order for the next encounter. The militia were made ready, and reinforcements were ordered up from Burlington Heights. American Col. Jacob Brown had rushed his army to Queenston hoping to rendezvous with Commodore Issac Chauncey, who would ship him the men and guns necessary to keep the heat on the British. Brown waited, but Chauncey was nowhere to be found. Without big guns, Brown could not lay siege on Fort George.
The often-ill and always indecisive Chauncey only moved for his own motives. He decided that it is time to defeat the British Navy on Lake Ontario, though he seemed unwilling to follow through on his boasts. In any case, his new fleet would not be used for mere transport. Brown finally heard back from the Chauncey on July 23. Chauncey would not be of service. Brown had no choice but to change his plan. With news that the British were reinforcing Fort Niagara and might move down river to threaten him from behind, Brown pulled his army back down to Chippawa on July 24.
Once there, he began to refit his army to march inland across the peninsula and take Burlington Heights, leaving the British cut off near the river. Brown did not count on Drummond's impatience in driinge the Americans out of Canada; a large British force had already been dispatched to meet him. Drummond, with about 2,200 British, Irish, Swiss mercenaries, Canadian and First Nations troops, engaged the invading American army of approximately equal strength under Gen. Winfield Scott, who had won the Battle of Chippawa on July 5.
The Americans emerged from a forest into an open field, and were easily picked off by the British artillery placed within a cemetery on a hill. Throughout the afternoon, the Americans eventually captured and held the artillery. The battle continued into the night, where darkness merged with smoke from the guns to heavily limit visibility. During this time the American force withstood 3 determined British attempts to retake their cannon. Moreover, both sides occasionally fired upon their own troops, as the battle revolved around the cemetery.
Around midnight, the battle finally ended, with both sides having lost about the same number of men - 878 British and 860 American. Scott, Jacob Brown, and Drummond, the 3 senior American and British commanders, were all wounded. The next day, the Americans left the field, and burned the bridges behind them before meeting and defeating a small British force at Fort Erie, Ontario.
It was messy fighting in close quarters. Veteran British soldiers, who had fought against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War, were horrified at the carnage they had witnessed in Lundy's Lane. The battle confirmed that the American forces had evolved from a poorly-trained militia into a professional army. Scott is widely credited for this change, having modelled and trained his army using French drills and exercises.
Like the overall war, there is some dispute about the actual outcome of the battle. Canadians will say, based upon General Drummond's report that the British held the field, and the Americans retreated. Americans will say the British retreated during the night, but took it back when the Americans retreated due to lack of supplies in the morning. Evidence compiled by Donald E. Graves, a Canadian historian employed at the Directorate of History, Department of National Defence Canada provides what is likely the most complete and unbiased interpretation of the battle to date and appears to support the American argument. In summary Graves argues that General Drummond failed to utilize skirmish pickets to protect his guns which were consequently captured by the Americans. The American force therefore appears to have won a pyrrhic victory, having captured the devastating British artillery and forcing the British to withdraw from the heights after failing to recapture their guns.
At the cessation of fighting, sheer exhaustion and lack of supplies and water forced the Americans to withdraw to Chippawa, a few miles to the south. Equally exhausted, the British returned to the field later in the morning after the Americans had left and disposed of some of the dead. They then withdrew 7 miles to the north to Queenston.
Back at Chippawa, only hours after the battle, Ripley was chewed out by Brown for abandoning the guns that had been captured. Brown seemed to have forgotten that he ordered Ripley, who was committed to maintaining the position, to withdraw. Ripley was ordered to march out in the morning, retake the battlefield, and collect the guns.
Reluctantly, Ripley carried out the order, leading the battalion of 1,200 men out at daybreak, and trying to do so without drawing the British into attacking. Equally exhausted, the British returned to the field later in the morning after the Americans had left and disposed of some of the dead. Ripley found that the superior British force had moved forward a mile and was in battle formation. Ripley and his fellow officers decided it would be crazy to fight them. Unable to determine the size of the American force, Drummond would not initiate an attack. The British took the hill only after most Americans were well clear of the battlefield, and then withdrew 7 miles to the north to Queenston.
Drummond would later claim that the battle at Lundy's Lane was great victory over a larger British force. All morning, the British regulars and militia separated the dead from the dying. A mass grave was dug for the British dead in order to provide the semblance of a Christian burial; the American corpses were burned on a huge pyre. At Chippawa, the American army made fires of their own. They burned Riall's former fortifications north of the river as well as the Chippawa bridge, and then moved slowly southwards toward Fort Erie. There were so many wounded that Ripley had to order provisions and rations dumped in the river so the carts could be used to transport the injured.
The situation was just the kind that Ripley had feared all along; had no gains had been made on the peninsula, and the force they had begun with only 3 weeks prior, had been reduced by more than a third.
The Battle of Lundy's Lane was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought in Canada. In any case, it was the last attempt at an invasion of Canada by the Americans, and the war was essentially over after the battle, at least on the Canadian front.
________________
The battle of Lundy's Lane was the bloodiest battle ever fought in Canada.
Lieutenant-General Gordon Drummond, with about 2200 British, Irish, Swiss mercenaries, Canadian and native troops, engaged an invading American army of approximately equal strength under General Winfield Scott, who had won the Battle of Chippawa on July 5.
The Americans emerged from a forest into an open field, and were easily picked off by the British artillery. Throughout the afternoon, the Americans eventually captured the cannons while they were being reloaded. The battle continued into the night, where darkness merged with smoke from the guns to heavily limit visibility. Both sides occasionally fired upon their own troops, as the battle moved towards a small hill near a cemetery.
Around midnight, the battle finally ended, with both sides having lost about the same number of men - 878 British and 860 American. Both General Scott and Jacob Brown, the two senior American commanders, were wounded. The next day, the Americans left the field, and burned the bridges behind them before meeting and defeating a small British force at Fort Erie, Ontario.
It was messy fighting in close quarters. Veteran British soldiers, who had fought against Napoleon in Spain and Portugal during the Peninsular War, were horrified at the carnage they had witnessed in Lundy's Lane. The battle confirmed that the American forces had evolved from a poorly-trained militia into a professional army.
Like the overall war, there is some dispute about the actual outcome of the battle. Canadians will say that the British held the field, and the Americans retreated; Americans will say the British retreated during the night, but took it back when the Americans retreated due to lack of supplies in the morning. In any case, it was the last attempt at an invasion of Canada by the Americans, and the war was essentially over after the battle, at least on the Canadian front.
_______________
The Americans under the command of General Winfield Scott march out of Chippawa on the Portage Road towards Queenston. They have information that the British may be planning an attack on the American side of the Niagara River. After about a mile or so the tavern owned by Mrs. Wilson comes into view, they also see British officers leaving the tavern. As the Americans come within pistol range the last remaining British officer salutes the American Commander and rides of quickly towards Lundy's Lane.
General Scott and his officers question the widow Wilson, she says "if you had only been here sooner you would have captured the British officers". She goes on to tell the Americans the size of the British force on the hill, which she chooses to exaggerate. General Scott sends word back to the American camp at Chippawa that he is going to engage the British forces at Lundy's Lane. Scott moves his troops into position without first checking to see the actual size of the British force. He soon realizes that the British force in front of him is larger than he was told.
General Scott knows he is in a tight spot, if he advances he could be torn apart, if he retreats he could panick the main army. He feels that his brigade has a reputation to uphold so he stands to fight.
When General Riall first heard that a large force of American troops were headed his way he gave orders to abandon the British postion on the Hill. His advanced column was headed down the Portage Road towards Queenston when they collided with Major General Drummond's column marching at the double time towards Lundy's Lane.
Drummond immediatly ordered Riall back to Lundy's Lane, and both columns hurried to take up their postions on the Hill.
It was 6 o'clock in the evening of July 25th 1814 when General Scott's Force of 1500 attacked the 1700 British troops lead by General Drummond.
The Americans began their attack moving directly up the hill against the British position, with his battery of cannons.
The British opened fire with a devastating artillery barrage and held their ground and repulsed the American attack. During this attack General Scott was wounded and he ordered his forces to withdraw and regroup realizing that it was impossible to advance against the British battery of seven brass cannons on the hill.
Meanwhile more British reinforcements have been arriving, some marching some fourteen miles at a trot to help what is now their outnumbered friends. General Brown who had arrived with American reinforcements to see Scott's Brigade being cut to pieces ordered Colonel James Miller to capture the British artillery position. Miller advanced with ground troops and sent a force of his horse drawn artillery in advance of his charge. The action was furious, riders were thrown off their horses and many of the horses were killed. Colonel Miller and his force took advantage of the melay caused by the horse drawn artillery charge, to creep up the hill to within twenty yards of the British. And from there they charged forward over running the startled British gunners and capturing the guns.
General Phinias Riall was wounded during this latest action and was being lead through the woods in the rear. The General's aid de camp saw a group of soldiers barely visable in the dusk blocking their way, "Make way for General Riall" he shouted to the shadowy figures. They obliged and when the General and his aids were in their midst their commander called out, "We are Americans and now you are our prisoners."
Darkness had decended over the battle field, the British driven from the hill made repeated attacks up the hill to re-capture the cannons.
By eleven o'clock both sides were exausted, General Brown and General Scott had been wounded and British General Riall was wounded and a prisoner. The Americans retreated to their camp at Chippawa taking their wounded with them. The wagons, forty of them used to bring ammunition to the battle were loaded with wounded and transported back to their camp at Streets Creek above Chippawa. The British and Canadians were to exhausted to harass the retreating Americans. Most of the men were marched many miles on this hot July day, they threw themselves down among the corpses and in their sleep were scarcely distinguishable from the dead.
The American troops straggle back to their camp at Chippawa, on the way they destroy the Bridgewater Mills located in what is now known as Dufferin Islands. Arriving back at their Chippawa camp they plunge into the river and drink their fill before falling into their tents. When the Americans returned to pick up their dead, they found the British entrenched along the Portage Road leading to Lundy's Lane. Deciding not to engaged they returned to their camp in Chippawa and the next day retired to Fort Erie.
The Battle for control of the heights at Lundy's Lane was over. The British set about disposing of the hundreds of dead bodies covering the battle field. There were to many for a conventional burial, so they piled British, American soldiers and horses all together and burned them on massive funeral fires. When the British soldiers complained of the treatment of their dead commrades, their Officers assured them that this was the acceptable method and that it had been done recently in Spain and Portugal.
Both sides had paid a heavy price at Lundy's Lane, as the Americans retreat to Fort Erie the British are unable to follow them for four or five days. This gives the Americans time to re-enforce the fort. U.S. General Ripley wanted to retreat to Buffalo, but Brown decides to hold Fort Erie.
Aftermath, 1736- Killed and wounded. 878 - British and Canadian. 860 - American, Seven out of ten of the American regimental commanders present at this battle were killed or wounded.
The fiercest and bloodest battle of the War was fought amidst a small pioneer cemetery on the Heights of Lundy's Lane, today surrounded by residential and commercial development along the busiest street in Niagara Falls the battle lasted five hours with a devastating loss of life, and the British and Canadian Forces left holding the Field. The Battle of Lundy's Lane was Canada's Gettysburg.
Each year on the Sunday nearest July 25th their is a service honouring the British and American dead.
A remarkable role in the battle was played by a young woman still in her early teens. She was Mrs. Catherine Lundy, wife of Thomas Lundy, whose home stood on the rim of the battlefeild. Even before the beginning of the clash, she was handing out drinking water to thirsty redcoats and militia who had already walked fourteen miles on that hot day. While the battle raged, she tended wounded soldiers in her kitchen. the gallant young woman's contribution was considered so important that a senior British officer paid Mrs. Lundy a visit and presented her with his sword.