The Battle of Lewiston saw Major General

Phineas Riall General Sir Phineas Riall, KCH (15 December 1775 – 10 November 1850) was the British general who succeeded John Vincent as commanding officer of the Niagara Peninsula in Upper Canada during the War of 1812. In 1816, he was appointed Govern ...

lead a combined British and Native force against the American town of Lewiston. They defeated the Americans in the area and then looted and burnt the town.

Background

On December 10, 1813, American Brigadier General George McClure abandoned

Fort George, Ontario Fort George was a military fortification in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used by the British Army, the Canadian militia, and the United States Armed Forces for a brief period. The fort was mostly destroyed during the War of ...

because of a British force under General

Gordon Drummond General Sir Gordon Drummond, GCB (27 September 1772 – 10 October 1854) was a Canadian-born British Army officer and the first official to command the military and the civil government of Canada. As Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, Dr ...

advancing toward him. Before leaving the Americans burned the town of Newark. Drummond's men then crossed the Niagara River in the

Capture of Fort Niagara The Capture of Fort Niagara took place late in 1813, during the War of 1812 between the United Kingdom and the United States. The American garrison was taken by surprise, and the fort was captured in a night assault by a select force of Britis ...

. Major General Phineas Riall launched an attack on the nearby town of Lewiston in conjunction.

Battle

On the night of December 18, 1813, a force of 500 men consisting of Native American warriors, the main body of the 1st Battalion of the

1st Regiment of Foot First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...

and the

41st Regiment of Foot The 41st (Welch) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1719. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Welch Regiment in 1881. History Early hist ...

, commanded by Major-General

, crossed the Niagara river to attack the Americans at Lewiston. In the town of Lewiston was an American

gun battery In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit or multiple systems of artillery, mortar systems, rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers, surface-to-surface missiles, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, etc., so grouped to facil ...

threatening

Queenston Queenston is a compact rural community and unincorporated place north of Niagara Falls in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is bordered by Highway 405 to the south and the Niagara River to the east; its location at the eponym ...

. The American garrison at Lewiston had only 100 men and most of them retreated south toward Fort Schlosser. The retreat was too hasty to save the cannon at the battery and so they had to leave a 12 pounder and a 6 pounder cannon to the British. A small American contingent under an American officer named Major Bennett was trapped by the natives on the Lewiston Heights. The trapped Americans made a breakout when they charged down from the heights and away from the natives. In the escape, the Americans lost 8 killed. Riall's men pursued the Americans south. At Fort Schlosser, Canadians fighting for America led by Colonel Joseph Willcocks moved north to meet Riall's force. The Canadians fought a rearguard action skirmishing with the British for 2 days until they escaped across the

Tonawanda Creek Tonawanda Creek is a small tributary of the Niagara River in Western New York, United States. After rising in Wyoming County, the stream flows through Genesee County before forming part of the boundary between Erie County and Niagara County. ...

. The Canadians suffered 9 killed in the fighting.

Aftermath

The natives at Lewiston found and looted liqueur from the civilians' homes. The natives drank heavily and became a violent crowd. The natives began fighting each other as well as the civilians of Lewiston. Four civilians were killed by the natives including a young boy. They even turned on each other. In a fight two natives were killed and a British soldier of the 41st regiment. Two more British soldiers were wounded by natives, one shot in the leg and another was

tomahawked A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Europ ...

in the arm. The houses were looted and then every one burned to the ground. After Willcocks was driven back the British and natives burned every house and settlement on the American side of the Niagara River until they reached Fort Schlosser.

References

Sources

* * {{Battles of the War of 1812 Lewiston