Two Heroines Along the Niagara River-- Same Forts, Different Years

As I was writing about Mary Madden Henry and her role at a battle at Fort George, Upper Canada, it came to mind that I had also written about another woman, only she was on the American side of the fighting there between Niagara, Upper Canada and the American Fort Niagara.  She too was a hero.

During the fighting on November 12, 1812, she had carried hot shot to American cannons firing at Fort George across the Niagara River.  Like with the case of Mary Henry, she was under fire as well.

I wrote quite a bit about her earlier this year in January and February.  Just click on her name below.

The battle where Mary Henry distinguished herself took place about six months later on May 27, 1813.

Some bravery with these two women.

Sadly, not a lot is known by most people about these two women.  There isn't even an entry on Wikipedia on either of them.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 8: After the War

Following the war. Mary Henry's acts of courage were recognized by the Loyal and Patriotic Society of Upper Canada.

They referred to her as "a heroine not to be frightened" and she was granted a gift of twenty-five pounds sterling.  When adjusted for time and inflation, that grant would be worth more than 1,000 pound today.

Until this month, I had never heard of Mary Madden Henry.

But, since this is Women's History Month, this fits right in.

--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

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 6: 'Walked Through a Shower of Iron...'

This battle wasn't just a small skirmish.  It was a major deal for War of 1812 standards.  The Americans brough some 80 cannons with them to cover the landings on Canadian soil.  Soldiers at te battle compared the bombardment to a "hailstorm."

However, this did not deter Mary.

A chronicler describes what happened:

"Suddenly they (the defenders) saw a vision.  Walking calmly through the shower of iron came Mary Henry with hot coffee and food, seemingly unconcerned as if she were in her own small garden on the shore on a Summer evening before the peace was shattered.

"Time and again she went and came back with more sustenance, apparently guarded by some  unseen angel from the peril which menaced her every step. Through the day until darkness brought respite she was caterer and nurse, the only woman in the company to bind the wounds of those maimed in the fight.

"These who survived never forgot that day, nor the courage of Mary Henry."

Quite the Hero.  --Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-, Canadian Heroine- Part 5

Ten years later, the War of 1812 was being fought between the Americans and the British and Canadians.  On May 27, 1813, the Americans attacked Fort George  and the surrounding area.  Known at the Battle of Fort George, it was a showdown between 4,000 American trrops and 1,000 British soldiers bolstered by Canadian militia and Indian allies.

Despite the British defenders being outnumbered 4 to 1, they were able to hang on for two days before being forced to retreat to Burlington Heights (now Hamilton).

With the lighthouse being so close to Fort George, Mary had a front row seat to the action.  But she did not sit idly by.  Instead, she repeatedly walked through the battlefield and brought food and coffee to the troops.  In addition to that, she helped in the treatment of the wounded.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 4

From the October 6, 2015, "All about Canadian history" blog.

The story of Mary Henry; an al-but-forgotten heroine form the War of 1812.  There is not a lot of source material about her.

She was born Mary Madden c1770 in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.  Not much is known about her early life.  Around the age of 20 she married a Royal Artillery gunner from County  Derry named Dominic Henry in 1790.  The two immigrated to British North America when Dominic was shipped to a post in Niagara.

In 1803, Dominic retured from the military, became a pensioner and was appointed the keeper of the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes town of Niagara (now Niagara-by-the-Lake.)

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry-- Part 3

From Find-A-Grave.

BIRTH:  1770  County Antrim, Northern Ireland

DEATH:  1823  (Aged 52-53)

BURIAL:  St. Mark's Cemetery  Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada.

Her husband, Dominic Henry is also buried there, but his birth and death dates are not listed.

The wife of Dominic Henry is a well-known War of 1812 hero, Mary (Madden) Henry, who tended the wounded on the battlefield of Fort George while under fire.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 2

The lighthouse her husband operated was located where the remnants of Fort Mississauga are today, along the shore of Lake Ontario, surrounded by what is today the Niagara-on-the-Lake  Golf Club.

Mary calmly walked through thye men with refreshments and helped the wounded several times as the battle raged around her.  She returned to her house near the lighthouse for more supplies.  Miraculously, she was not wounded or killed.

When the American soldiers ntorched the town, she housed as many of the townspeople as she could at her place.

--Brock-Perry

Mary Madden Henry, Canadian Heroine-- Part 1

From the March 1, 2023, Niagara Now  "History shines spotlight on brave women of War of 1812" by Somer Slobodian.

Mary Madden Henry handed the hard-pressed troops hot beverages and food as the fighting continued around her.  It was a sight that would remain etched in the minds of those soldiers from then on.

And, these soldiers were British and Canadian, not Americans as I at first thought.

It was May 1813 and the Americans had just attacked British troops at Fort George, now Niagara-on-the-Lake.  Amid the fighting,  Mary Henry, who was married to the lighthouse keeper Dominic Henry, surely knew the risk she was taking.  She still braved the prospect of injury or death to help the troops.

--Brock-Perry