Battle of Lundy's Lane

The Battle of Lundy's Lane was a battle of the War of 1812 on July 25, 1814, fought in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one of the bloodiest battles ever fought in Canada.

Related Topics:
War of 1812 - July 25 - 1814 - Niagara Falls, Ontario - Canada

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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.

Related Topics:
Gordon Drummond - British - Canadian - Native - American - Winfield Scott - Battle of Chippawa - July 5

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The Americans emerged from a forest into an open field, and were easily picked off by the British artillery placed within a cemetary on a hill (Graves, 1997). Throughout the afternoon, the Americans eventually captured and held the artillery (Graves, 1997). 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 three determined British attempts to retake their cannon. Moreover, both sides occasionally fired upon their own troops, as the battle revolved around the cemetery.

Related Topics:
Artillery - Cemetary - Cemetery

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Around midnight, the battle finally ended, with both sides having lost about the same number of men - 878 British and 860 American. General Scott, Jacob Brown, and General Drummond, the three 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.

Related Topics:
Jacob Brown - Fort Erie, Ontario

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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.

Related Topics:
Napoleon - Spain - Portugal - Peninsular War - American - French

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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 (Graves, 1997). 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.

Related Topics:
Donald E. Graves - Pyrrhic victory - Artillery

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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 and then withdrew 7 miles to the north to Queenston. 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.

Related Topics:
Chippawa - Queenston

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