The Battle of Lundy’s Lane (also known as the Battle of Niagara Falls, the fiercest and bloodiest land action during the War of 1812, took place on 25 July 1814, in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario. It was one of the deadliest battles ever fought in Canada.

The battle took place around the junction of Portage Road and Lundy’s Lane, in what is now the city of Niagara Falls. At the height of the 5-hour-long battle, much of which was fought after dark, about 3,000 British and Canadian soldiers faced some 2,800 American invaders. Casualties were heavy, with both sides losing more than 850 men killed, wounded or missing in action. Tactically, the battle of Lundy’s Lane can be considered to have been a draw, since neither side had been defeated. Strategically, however, it was a British victory since the battle ended the Americans’ Niagara offensive; by early November 1814, they had retreated to the New York side of the Niagara River.

However, the bloody stalemate along Lundy’s Lane followed the decisive American victory near Chippewa Creek. Both battles confirmed that the American regular forces had evolved into a highly professional army. Brigadier General Winfield Scott is widely credited for this progress, having modelled and trained his troops using French Revolutionary Army drills and exercises, although not all the American units present at Lundy’s Lane had benefitted from his personal training. Not only did Scott work to create an American version of European armies, but he also tried to emulate their aristocratic officer corps.

In 1895, the federal government erected a 12-metre-high granite memorial monument in the Drummond Hill Cemetery, the centre of the battleground. Various plaques and smaller memorials are also on the site. The battleground received formal designation as a national Historic Site from the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 1937.

Further Information:

http://www.eighteentwelve.ca/?q=eng/Topic/117

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Lundy%27s_Lane

PREVIOUS A TO Z POSTS

A is for Anishinaabe ~ B is for Brock ~ C is for Coloured Corps ~ D is for Detroit ~ E is for Erie ~ F is for First Nations ~ G is for Ghent ~ H is for Harrison ~ I is for Impressment ~ J is for Jackson ~ K is for Key

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge is posting every day in April except Sundays (we get those off for good behaviour.) And since there are 26 days, that matches the 26 letters of the alphabet. On April 1, we blog about something that begins with the letter “A.” April 2 is “B,” April 3 is “C,” and so on. Please visit other challenge writers.

My theme is ‘The War of 1812’, a military conflict, lasting for two-and-a-half years, fought by the United States of America against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, its North American colonies, and its American Indian allies. The Memoirs of a British naval officer from the war is central to my novel “Seeking A Knife” – part of the Snowdon Shadows series.

Further reading on The War of 1812:

http://www.eighteentwelve.ca/?q=eng

http://www.history.com/topics/war-of-1812

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/the-war-of-1812-stupid-but-important/article547554/

http://www.shmoop.com/war-1812/

http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/