Battle of Stoney Creek Re-enactment Set for This Weekend

 From the June 2, 2024 CHCH (Canada) by Kiana Ferreira.

The Battle of Stoney Creek started on the night of June 5, 1813 and was a turning point for the British. 

This weekend is the 41st re-enactment of the battle which was a night raid by the British on American forces.  It is the longest continually running war of 1812 re-enactment in the province (Ontario) and will bring more than 10,000 attendees.

Along with the Battle of Beaver Dams two weeks later, it returned the Niagara Region to British and Canadian control and ended the U.S. attempt to conquer the western part of the province.

Well, It Was Last Weekend.  --Brock-Perry

Historic Fort George-- Part 8: British Recapture It and Then Capture American Fort Niagara

The Americans had intended to use Fort George as a bridgehead in Canadian territory to launch further attacks.  However, that did not come to pass.  Disease,  increased desertion rates,  risks of ambushes and a general British advance toward the fort following their victories at  Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams kept it from doing that.

American forces began a slow withdrawal from the fort until in December 1813, there were but 60 soldiers there.  Upon receiving intelligence that a force of 1,500 British and 500 First Nations Indians were advancing the Americans withdrew and razed the fort and nearby settlement.

The American garrison left the fort on December 11 after spiking the cannons and destroying the town.  However, the fort itself was left intact.

British forces arrived shortly after the Americans left.  Nine days later, they conucted an attack across the Niagara River that led to the capture of the American Fort Niagara and the razing of American communities in retaliation for what had happened to Niagara (the name of Niagara-on-the-Lake as it is called today).

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 7: The Americans Destroy the Town of Niagara

After the battle, the Americans held on to the area until December.  They had hoped to use Fort George to launch an attack on the British base at Burlington Heights, but their defeat at Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams wrecked their plans.

Moreover, occupying Fort George made them vulnerable to ambushes.

As a result, on December 10, 1813, the Americans decided to abandon Fort George and Niagara, burning the town in their departure.  Those who lived there only had an hour's warning before they lost their homes.

Mary's house was spared though.  How did she get so lucky again?

The lighthouse was considered useful by the Americans for shipping, so they chose not to destroy it or the keeper's house.

As she did before, Mary came to the aid of those who needed her.  She and her husband opened their doors to the newly homeless.  Mary again provided hot food and medical care, which was undoubtedly much appreciated considering that winter had already come to the region.

--Brock-Perry

This Month in the War of 1812

From the June American Battlefield Trust calendar.

JUNE 6, 1813

**  Engagement at Stoney Creek.

JUNE 18, 1812

**  U.S. declares war on Great Britain.

JUNE 22, 1807

**  The HMS Leopard fires on the USS Chesapeake.

JUNE 22, 1812

**  A mob in Baltimore destroys the printing offices of an anti-war newspaper.

JUNE 22, 1813

**  Battle of Craney Island.

JUNE 1, 1813

**  The USS Chesapeake captured by the British frigate HMS Shannon.    Captain James Lawrence of the Chesapeake dies days later.  He is the person who gave the U.S. Navy the "Don't Give Up the Ship" motto.

--Brock-Perry

Fort George, Canada-- Part 4: The Battle of Fort George and American Occupation

On the morning of May 25, 1813,  batteries at Fort Niagara and  along the American side of the Niagara River unleashed a devastating bombardment  on Fort George.  Almost every building within the fort was destroyed.

Two days a later, a large American invading force landed west of the mouth of the Niagara River.  The town of Niagara was turned into a battlefield  as the Americans pushed toward Fort George.  British and Canadian militia forces put up stiff resistance, but were heavily outnumbered.

Around noon, the order was given to retreat, and the British retired to Burlington Heights (located in present-day Hamiliton, Canada).

The Americans occupied Fort George for almost seven months, but failed to maintain a strategic foothold in Upper Canada following their defeats at Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams.  By December 1813 the U.S. forces at Fort George had dwindled down to a small handful of militia.

After an American scouting party encountered a large force of British on reconnaissance , the commanding officer at Fort George, Brigadier General George McClure of the New York militia,  feared an attack was imminent.

And, Then....  --Brock-Perry

Fort Mississauga and Stoney Creek Battlefield

FORT MISSISSAUGA  (1814-1870)

A two-story brick blockhouse.Keep, two powder magazines and earthworks were built to replace Fort George, which is still extant  on the municipal golf club property.  It was partially built with material from the Mississauga  Point Lighthouse that once stood here  from 1804 to 1814.

Garrisoned by 50 men in 1837.  The fort was disarmed in 1856, although troops were posted here again in 1861.

No public admittance to the blockhouse, but the grounds may be walked.

STONEY CREEK BATTLEFIELD

National Historic Site   Battlefield House and Museum

A British victory here  in June 1813 halted the American advance after the capture of Fort George.

The Battlefield House is the Gage House, built in 1795.  A 100-foot tall monument is also on the site.

Admission fee to park.  Operated by the City of Hamilton.

--Brock-Perry

Burlington Heights Depot-- Part 2: A Strong Defensive Position

After the Battle of Stoney Creek (June 1813), the British erected three lines of earthworks across the peninsula, with gun batteries and blockhouses on the heights behind the depot and at the old Burlington Inlet.

A large stone powder magazine was built behind the second defense line.  Although the military continued to view this site the site as defensible following the end  of the War of 1812, the buildings were allowed to deteriorate, and today the site is occupied by various attractions, including the Dundurn Castle NHS (built 1832-1835) and part of the Royal Botanical  Gardens NHS.

The stone powder magazine was later incorporated into the  cellar of Dundurn Castle.  A stone marker and cannon (1914) is at the site of the first line of defense.  Another marker (1914) is located in Harvey Park.  Another stone marker (1914) is located at Hamilton Cemetery, with the excellent remains of earthworks there.

Of interest nearby  is the Hamilton Military Museum. in Dundurn Park.

--Brock-Perry

Burlington Heights Markers-- Part 2:

More markers on the Heights"

MARCH TO STONEY CREEK  (about 180 meters away from first marker).

"Theses ramparts were erected by British troops during the War of 1812-1815.  From this place on the night of June 5th 1813, 700 men  under the command of Lieut. Colonel Harvey, marched to Stoney Creek where they surprised and routed an American force of 3,750 men ridding the Niagara Peninsula of the invaders."

THE BURLINGTON RACES  (about 180 meters from the first one).

"On the morning of September 28, 1813, a powerfully-armed United States fleet comprising  ten ships under the command of Commodore Isaac Chauncey appeared off York (Toronto) .  The smaller fleet of six vessels, commanded by Commodore Sir James L. Yeo, was in the harbour, but on the approach os the enemy set sail to attack.

After a sharp engagement, the British squadron was forced to withdraw toward Burlington Bay where it could take refuge under the batteries on the adjacent heights.  A close chase ensued (hence, the Burlington Races), but by skillful seamanship, Yeo was able to bring his ships through the shallow channel in the sand-bar to the safety of the bay."

--Brock-Perry

Burlington Heights Markers-- Part 1

From HMdb  The marker at the site.

Written in both English and French (hey, it's Canada, you know).  Located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

"BURLINGTON HEIGHTS 11813-1814

"Here in June, 1813, General John Vincent assembled troops that made the successful night attack on the invaders at Stoney Creek.  From this point of vantage, in December, 1813,  the force that retook Fort George and carried Fort Niagara by assault, began its march.

"On these heights  stood the strong point of reserve and depot of arms for the defence of the Niagara Peninsula and support of the Navy on Lake Ontario."

Located next to it, another marker:

"This stone marks the line of earthworks in first line of defence 1812-1815."

--Brock-Perry

The Battle of Stoney Creek

From the Hamilton, Canada,  War of 1812  It's Happening Here.

1812 Sites in Hamilton

Battlefield House Museum and Park

On June 5, 1813,  around 3,500 American troops advanced as far as the Gage family homestead in Stoney Creek, now Battlefield House Museum & Park, and established camp for the night.  A surprise attack was initiated by the British in the early morning hours of June 6 from Burlington heights, where Dundurn Castle  now stands.

Seven hundred regulars from  the King's (8th) Regiment of Foot and the 49th Regiment of Foot were supported by  a small group of native warriors led by John Norton during what became known as the Battle of Stoney Creek.

During an intense forty-minute battle, the British captured two American generals and two field guns and forced the Americans to retreat.  This was the last time they advanced into the Niagara Peninsula during the war.

--Brock-Perry

Burlington Heights, Ontario (Site of British Military Camp)

From Wikipedia.

Burlington Heights  is a promontory of land about 330 feet above Hamilton Harbor in the City of Hamilton, Canada.  It continues as a peninsula north to the City of Burlington.  It was the location of a British military camp during the War of 1812.

The post was established on the commandeered property of Richard Beasley in May 1813.  There were batteries on the north and south ends, a magazine, sally port and earthworks.  Troops from the 8th (The King's) and 49th (Princess Charlotte of Wales's Hertfordshire Regiments of Foot were stationed there after being forced to retreat from American forces  advancing into the Niagara  Peninsula in May 1813.

From here, British forces under the command of General John Vincent and Sir John Harvey launched a successful attack upon a much larger American force early on the morning of 16 June 1813, at Stoney Creek.

It didn't mention it, but the hangings from the Ancaster Bloody Assize took place here.

After the war, the barracks of the base was used as a hospital for immigrants with contagious diseases.

--Brock-Perry

Steps of A Traitor, Joseph Willcocks-- Part 2: The Ultimate Affront

Within a few weeks, Joseph Willcocks had recruited and took command of about 120 men who became the  Company of Canadian Volunteers who were mostly American immigrants and some pro-American Canadians living in Niagara.

Two of their officers were prominent elected  officials:  Abraham Markle and Benajah Mallory.  Mr. Wyatt then classified Willcocks' actions as an American officer as being like those of the Civil War's  William Quantrill:  foraging, scouting and a reign of terror by burning pro-Brit farms belonging to people he had known and opposed in politics.

He even took hostages across the border and had them imprisoned.

But what was the worse case, took place after the decisive British victories at Stoney Creek and Beaver Dams, when the American Army retreated back to Fort George.

--Brock-Perry

Some More on Joseph Willcocks-- Part 2: He Turns

In the second session of the 6th parliament, held 25 February to  13 March 1813, it still appeared that Willcocks was behind Upper Canada.  Merchant William Hamilton Merritt described Willcocks as a "zealous Loyalist."   An old friend said Willcocks was  actively recruiting for an Incorporated Militia.

However, things changed after the capture of York in April 1813 and the invasion of the Niagara Peninsula in May.  The military situation stabilized after the Battle of Stoney Creek on 5 June 1813.  Certain people in the colony caused the military to impose harsh measures on those who opposed the government.  This caused Willcocks to lose faith in and turn against his government.

Sometime in July 1813, Willcocks crossed the Niagara River and offered his services to the Americans.

--Brock-Perry

Free Admission for 2018 Re-enactment of the Battle of Stoney Creek

From the May 16, 2018, Hamilton (Ontario) News by Mike Pearson.

The re-enactment will be held June 2 and 3rd, Saturday and Sunday.

In previous years adult admission was $10, but last year it was free in honor of Canada 150.

It will be held at the Battlefield House Museum & Park.

Lots of War of 1812 Stuff Going On.  --Brock-Perry

Mass Graves in Ontario Give Archaeologists Clues As to Buckshot Wounds-- Part 2

Using staple isotopes analysis showed that some of the remains had a more European diet and others more of a North American one, suggesting that soldiers from both sides were buried together in the mass grave.

Three of the individuals' hip bones had injuries consistent with musket shot.

A team of researchers at McMaster University in Canada recreated likeness of humans and reproductions of War of 1812 muskets and tested shots.

Buck and ball consists of a large musket ball and three smaller buckshot pellets.

Injuries on the bones were found to be more often caused by the buckshot.

--Brock-Perry

Mass Graves in Ontario Give Archaeologists Clues As to Buckshot Wounds-- Part 1

From the April 4, 2016, Forbes magazine "Mass Grave From War of 1812 Gives Archaeologists First Evidence of Buckshot Injuries" by Kristina Killgrove.

On June 6, 1813, American troops advanced into the Niagara Peninsula.  The British attacked their camp at Stoney Creek in Ontario.  The action ended up a close-range one of hand-to-hand combat.

A  mass grave was later found that contained  two dozen skeletons and was excavated between 1998 and 1999.  It contained 2,701 bone fragments of at least 24 bodies.  Losses from the battle amounted to 23 British and 17 Americans with over 200 injured, missing or captured.

--Brock-Perry

Kitchener Building Named for War of 1812 Hero

The Government Building of Canada at 15-29 Duke Street West is named the John Norton Building and a commemorative plaque was unveiled at it February 22nd.

John Norton was of Scottish-Cherokee descent and in the British Army.  He led Mohawk warriors at the Battle of Queenston Heights and drove the Americans back to the Niagara River and forced them to surrender.

He also led warriors at the battles of Fort George, Stoney Creek, Chippawa and Fort Erie.

Brock-Perry