- Capture of Fort Erie
Infobox Military Conflict
caption=
conflict=Capture of Fort Erie
partof=theWar of 1812
date=July 3 ,1814
place=Fort Erie ,Ontario
result=American victory
combatant1=United Kingdom
combatant2=United States
commander1=Thomas Buck
commander2=Jacob Brown
strength1=137
strength2=4,500
casualties1=137 surrendered
casualties2=NoneThe Capture of Fort Erie by American forces in
1814 was an incident in theWar of 1812 betweenUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United States. The British garrison was outnumbered but surrendered prematurely, in the view of British commanders.Background
The United States shared a long border with
Canada which was British territory. During the war, the Americans launched several invasions into Canada. One section of the border where this was easiest (because of communications and locally available supplies) was along theNiagara River . Fort Erie was the British post at the head of the river, near its source inLake Erie .In
1812 , two American attempts to capture Fort Erie were bungled by Brigadier GeneralAlexander Smyth . Bad weather or poor administration foiled the American efforts to cross the river.In
1813 , the Americans won theBattle of Fort George at the northern end of the Niagara River. The British abandoned the Niagara frontier and allowed Fort Erie to fall into American hands without a fight. The Americans failed to follow up their victory, and later in the year they withdrew most of their soldiers from the Niagara to furnish an ill-fated attack onMontreal . This allowed the British to recover their positions and to mount raids which led to theCapture of Fort Niagara and the devastation of large parts of the American side of the Niagara River.Battle
For
1814 , a new invasion ofCanada was planned under the command of Major GeneralJacob Brown . Originally aimed at Kingston onLake Ontario , it was switched to the Niagara because British ships controlled Lake Ontario for the first six months of 1814.Because American troops were already concentrated at Buffalo and Black Rock, the attack was to be launched across the southern part of the Niagara frontier. Fort Erie was the first objective that stood in the way, which required its capture. Lieutenant General
Gordon Drummond , the British commander inUpper Canada , hoped that the garrison at Fort Erie could at least buy him enough time against the American invasion to concentrate his forces. Major Thomas Buck was given command of the fort with a garrison of 137 British soldiers.Brown's force crossed into Canada on
July 3 . Brigadier GeneralWinfield Scott landed a mile and a half (3 km) north of the fort with a brigade of regulars while it was still dark. Another brigade underEleazar Wheelock Ripley crossed the head of the river to the south of the fort, although they were delayed by fog. Meanwhile, New York militia demonstrated opposite Chippawa to distract the British troops in the area.As Scott's and Ripley's forces approached Fort Erie, Buck fired only a few shots at the Americans from the fort's cannon then surrendered. The Americans had captured an important fort at little cost. The fort's garrison had bought the British little time and Buck was later
court martial led for his hasty surrender.Aftermath
From their new base at Fort Erie, Brown next marched up the
Niagara River and met the British at theBattle of Chippawa . The British commander at Chippawa, Major GeneralPhineas Riall , believed that the garrison of Fort Erie was still holding out, which contributed to his decision to launch a hasty and ill-fated attack.ources
John R. Elting, Amateurs to Arms, Da Capo Press, New York, 1995, ISBN 0-306-80653-3
ee also
Siege of Fort Erie
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