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Brock's defence
saved Canada
Americans were intent on taking over
Canada in War of 1812
By James H. Marsh
For CanWest News Service
IN THE early morning of Oct. 13, 1812, Maj.-Gen. Isaac Brock was fast
asleep in his bunk at Fort George, on the Niagara Frontier. About 4 a.m.
he was awakened by the distant thud of cannon fire. He rose in a flash,
dressed, mounted his horse Alfred and dashed through the fort gate
towards the sound of the guns.
Brock knew that the Americans, who had declared war on Britain in June,
would try to invade somewhere along the frontier. He rode on through
the drizzling rain and pall of smoke to the hamlet of Queenston.
Discovering a hidden path to the top of the escarpment, the Americans
were able to seize a strategic "redan," an emplacement from which a
cannon had been hampering the flow of reinforcements across the river.
Brock spurred Alfred up the incline to the heights, from where he could
see the battle unfolding. He was forced by American fire to scuttle down
the hillside and took shelter at the end of town where he considered
what to do. For Brock, whoever controlled the heights would control
Upper Canada -- if it were lost, the province would be lost, too.
It would have been prudent to wait for reinforcements, but Brock
preferred to dare. He decided to retake the redan. Brock rallied the men
from the 49th Foot Regiment and the Canadian militia, who headed up
the escarpment. The Americans rallied and counterattacked.
A sniper stepped out from behind a bush and fired a musket ball into
Brock's chest. Samuel Jarvis rushed over to him and implored, "Are you
much hurt, sir?" Brock was dead.
Maj.-Gen. Roger Hale Sheaffe arrived from Fort George with
reinforcements. His men included about 100 Six Nations warriors and
several escaped slaves who had volunteered at Newark.
Sheaffe had no intention of repeating Brock's frontal assault. In a
flanking movement, he led his men around the heights and up the
escarpment out of sight of the Americans. The regular soldiers and militia
formed a column and began marching towards the Americans, who were
now trapped between them and the cliff, while the Six Nations warriors
harassed them from the flanks. In a moment reminiscent of the Plains of
Abraham, the British line lowered its muskets and fired a deadly volley.
The Americans panicked, but had nowhere to run. Behind them was the
steep slope of the escarpment and below them the raging current of the
Niagara River. Many fell or jumped, while others drowned. The rest
prudently surrendered. When the smoke had cleared, almost 500
Americans were dead and another 1,000 were taken prisoner. The
victors suffered only 28 killed and 77 wounded.
The province was saved for the moment, but the loss of Brock was
irreparable. The citizens of Upper Canada considered his death a public
calamity. They built him a grand monument and when it was destroyed
by rebels in 1840, they erected an even more magnificent one, the most
splendid in the world save for Christopher Wren's pillar marking the
great London fire.
The myth of Brock, the saviour of Canada, was taught to every school
child. The brave Brock saving Canada was a potent image in the
fledgling nation. Canada owes its independence to the failure of that
invasion in 1812.
James H. Marsh is editor in chief of The Canadian Encyclopedia. To learn
more about Isaac Brock and the War of 1812, consult The Canadian
Encyclopedia published online by Historica at www.histori.ca.
© Copyright 2003 Edmonton Journal
saved Canada
Americans were intent on taking over
Canada in War of 1812
By James H. Marsh
For CanWest News Service
IN THE early morning of Oct. 13, 1812, Maj.-Gen. Isaac Brock was fast
asleep in his bunk at Fort George, on the Niagara Frontier. About 4 a.m.
he was awakened by the distant thud of cannon fire. He rose in a flash,
dressed, mounted his horse Alfred and dashed through the fort gate
towards the sound of the guns.
Brock knew that the Americans, who had declared war on Britain in June,
would try to invade somewhere along the frontier. He rode on through
the drizzling rain and pall of smoke to the hamlet of Queenston.
Discovering a hidden path to the top of the escarpment, the Americans
were able to seize a strategic "redan," an emplacement from which a
cannon had been hampering the flow of reinforcements across the river.
Brock spurred Alfred up the incline to the heights, from where he could
see the battle unfolding. He was forced by American fire to scuttle down
the hillside and took shelter at the end of town where he considered
what to do. For Brock, whoever controlled the heights would control
Upper Canada -- if it were lost, the province would be lost, too.
It would have been prudent to wait for reinforcements, but Brock
preferred to dare. He decided to retake the redan. Brock rallied the men
from the 49th Foot Regiment and the Canadian militia, who headed up
the escarpment. The Americans rallied and counterattacked.
A sniper stepped out from behind a bush and fired a musket ball into
Brock's chest. Samuel Jarvis rushed over to him and implored, "Are you
much hurt, sir?" Brock was dead.
Maj.-Gen. Roger Hale Sheaffe arrived from Fort George with
reinforcements. His men included about 100 Six Nations warriors and
several escaped slaves who had volunteered at Newark.
Sheaffe had no intention of repeating Brock's frontal assault. In a
flanking movement, he led his men around the heights and up the
escarpment out of sight of the Americans. The regular soldiers and militia
formed a column and began marching towards the Americans, who were
now trapped between them and the cliff, while the Six Nations warriors
harassed them from the flanks. In a moment reminiscent of the Plains of
Abraham, the British line lowered its muskets and fired a deadly volley.
The Americans panicked, but had nowhere to run. Behind them was the
steep slope of the escarpment and below them the raging current of the
Niagara River. Many fell or jumped, while others drowned. The rest
prudently surrendered. When the smoke had cleared, almost 500
Americans were dead and another 1,000 were taken prisoner. The
victors suffered only 28 killed and 77 wounded.
The province was saved for the moment, but the loss of Brock was
irreparable. The citizens of Upper Canada considered his death a public
calamity. They built him a grand monument and when it was destroyed
by rebels in 1840, they erected an even more magnificent one, the most
splendid in the world save for Christopher Wren's pillar marking the
great London fire.
The myth of Brock, the saviour of Canada, was taught to every school
child. The brave Brock saving Canada was a potent image in the
fledgling nation. Canada owes its independence to the failure of that
invasion in 1812.
James H. Marsh is editor in chief of The Canadian Encyclopedia. To learn
more about Isaac Brock and the War of 1812, consult The Canadian
Encyclopedia published online by Historica at www.histori.ca.
© Copyright 2003 Edmonton Journal