And bell of wandering kine is heard.”
To say nothing of the French and Indian wars, the country about Niagara was the scene of many of the fiercest struggles of the war of 1812, and some of the sorest defeats to the American side. The battle of Queenston Heights and Lundy’s Lane, or Bridgewater, were both disastrous to the American cause, while Fort George, at the mouth of Niagara River, a hard earned and costly acquisition of the Americans, was wrested from them by General Drummond, who also laid waste Lewiston, Youngstown, Tuscarora, and Manchester, then called, now the village of Niagara Falls. Those were dark days for the Americans, when they fought not only Englishmen, but crafty and treacherous Indians.
The first great battle of the campaign on the Niagara during the war of 1812, was that of Queenston Heights, on the 13th of October. This was the second attempted invasion of Canada, the first having been the humiliating failure of Hull, at Detroit, in August previous. General Stephen Van Rensselaer determined to capture Queenston Heights, and for that purpose, early in the morning, sent two small columns down the river, most of which succeeded in landing under a brisk fire from the vigilant English. Captain John E. Wool led the Regulars up the hill, and was met by the British on the broad plateau, where a sharp engagement took place, ending in the Americans being forced back to the beach. Here they were reinforced and ordered to scale the Heights. This order was obeyed, and for a short time the Americans had the advantage, when suddenly brave General Brock, who defeated Hull at Detroit, and who was now at Fort George, at the mouth of the river, having ridden from thence at full speed, appeared and took command. A furious contest followed, in which the Americans, though fighting with the bravery of despair, were driven to the extreme edge of the precipice, and in which Brock fell, mortally wounded.
Then General Winfield Scott crossed the river and assumed command of the American forces, expecting to be reinforced by the militia, but through stubbornness and cowardice they fell back on their prerogative, and refused to be taken out of the state. Twice was Scott attacked by the British and Indians, and twice repelled them with the bayonet, but at the third attack the Americans were obliged to retreat. Back, back, further yet, over the edge of that awful chasm they went scrambling from ledge to ledge, leaping from rock to rock, stumbling, falling, blindly catching at twig, branch, stem, blade of grass, even, powder blackened, faint, weary, bleeding, wounded, dying, only to reach the river to find no boats waiting to succor them, compelled at last to surrender. Ah! dead heroes! that was indeed a descent into Avernus.
In this engagement the Americans lost one thousand men.
Let the visitor to Niagara not leave until he has taken the drive to Queenston Heights. It is only seven miles below the cataract, not a long drive for a summer afternoon. A pretty drive, too, past many beautiful farms and country seats. Once there one can drive to the top of the broad plateau, on which the lofty and magnificent monument to General Brock stands. Now leave your carriage, go to the front of the plateau, and look. What a view! Directly at your feet lies old Queenstown; across the river old Lewistown; for seven miles before you, peacefully and languidly, as if weary from its terrible work up above, flows the green river, flecked with foam. Yonder, at its mouth, lies Fort Niagara, on the American side; the ruins of Forts George and Mississaga, on the Canadian side, while beyond, far as the eye can reach, stretches Lake Ontario, flooded with the light of a western sun—a sea of glass, mingled with fire.
In the spring of 1813, Isaac Chauncey, an American Commodore, after a successful expedition against York, now Toronto, which he held for four days and then abandoned, after firing the government buildings, captured Fort George. The Americans held it until the following December, when General Drummond appeared on the peninsula, between Lakes Ontario and Erie. On his approach the American garrison abandoned Fort George and fled across the river to Fort Niagara. As they went they ruthlessly burned the village of Newark. One week after, the British captured Fort Niagara, and killed eighty of the garrison, showing no quarter to the sick in the hospital. Then followed the triumphant march of the British up the American side of the river, burning and sacking Youngstown, Lewistown, Tuscarora, Niagara Falls, even to Black Rock and Buffalo. All the farms were laid waste, and desolation stalked relentlessly through the entire region.
The whole campaign on the Niagara had been a series of blunders, and was most disastrous to the American cause.
The old town of Niagara, at the mouth of the river, is to-day an interesting and picturesque place to visit. Here the tourist takes the steamer for Toronto, and if he have an hour or two to wait, let him stroll about through the beautifully shaded streets, past the elegant hotels and private country seats, for the old town is a famous summer resort now, and is likely to be still more attractive, for a little Chautauqua is soon to spring up within stone-throw of the ruined breastworks of old Fort George.
From the round tower of Fort Mississaga, which commanded the harbor, one gets a superb view of the lake and of Fort Niagara, just over the border on the American side. Fort and lighthouse are in capital condition, and the sight of the flutter of the stars and stripes against the blue sky is very dear to the American who stands on British soil, and, thinking of all it has cost to preserve that flag, realizes that it is still there.