Battles along the Niagara River.
Fort Erie, a British post on the Niagara River, was captured by American forces in July 1814, became the focus of a prolonged siege, and was destroyed on evacuation in November 1814. The fort’s defense and eventual abandonment marked the end of the last major American invasion of Upper Canada.
Fort George was a British strongpost on the Niagara River that became a key objective of the American 1813 campaign. After a naval bombardment on 25 May and an amphibious assault on 27 May 1813, American forces captured the fort and occupied it for seven months. Its loss forced the British to withdraw to Burlington Heights, but the fort was retaken in December 1813 and held until the end of the war.
The Niagara Frontier, the thirty-mile corridor along the Niagara River between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, was the most heavily contested theatre of the War of 1812, witnessing major battles such as Queenston Heights, Lundy’s Lane, and Fort Erie, and ultimately leaving the border unchanged despite thousands of casualties.
Fort Niagara, an American post at the mouth of the Niagara River, played a critical role in the War of 1812: it exchanged artillery with British Fort George, served as a staging area for American invasions, and was captured by a British night assault in December 1813, remaining in British hands until the war’s end.
In 1813, American forces invaded and occupied parts of Upper Canada, including Fort George and the village of Niagara, before being driven out by British counterattacks that culminated in the burning of Newark and the capture of Fort Niagara.
Major-General Isaac Brock was killed on 13 October 1812 while leading a counter-attack against American invaders at Queenston Heights, Upper Canada, during the Battle of Queenston Heights. His death became a defining moment in Canadian historical memory, cementing his status as a war hero.
