From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the fort and historic
site. For the nearby town, see
Fort Erie, Ontario.
Fort Erie was the first British fort to be
constructed as part of a network developed after the Seven Years'
War (or in the United States the French
and Indian War) was concluded by the Treaty of Paris (1763) at which
time all of New France
had been ceded to Great Britain. It is located on the southern edge
of the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario, directly across the Niagara River from
Buffalo, New
York.
Early
history
The British established control by occupying the French forts
and by constructing a line of communications along the Niagara
River and Upper Great
Lakes. The original fort, built in 1764, was located on the Niagara River’s
edge below the present fort. For the following 50 years, Fort Erie
served as a supply depot and a port for ships transporting
merchandise, troops and passengers via Lake Erie to the Upper Great Lakes.
Development
The fort first saw action as a supply base for British troops,
Loyalist Rangers and Iroquois Warriors during the American
Revolution. The little fort at the water’s edge suffered
considerable damage due to continuous winter storms. In 1803,
planning was authorized for a new Fort Erie on the heights behind
the original post. The new fort was made more formidable being
constructed of the Onondaga Flintstone that was readily available
in the area.
War of
1812
This new fort was unfinished when the United States declared war on June 18, 1812.
The garrison of Fort Erie fought at the Battle of Frenchman’s Creek
against American attacks in November 1812. In 1813, Fort Erie was
held for a period by U.S. forces and then abandoned on June 9,
1813. The fort had been partially dismantled by the small garrison
of British troops and Canadian militia as they withdrew. British
reoccupation followed American withdrawal from the area in December
1813. The British attempted to rebuild the fort. On July 3, 1814
another American force landed nearby and again captured
Fort Erie. The U.S. Army used the fort as a supply base and
expanded its size. At the end of July, after the Battles of Chippewa and Lundy’s Lane, the American army
withdrew to Fort Erie. In the early hours of August 15, 1814, the
British launched a four-pronged attack against the fortifications.
A well-prepared American defence and an explosion in the North East
Bastion destroyed the British chance for success with the loss of
over 1,000 of their men. A full scale siege then set in and was
only broken on September 17 when American troops sortied out of the
fort and were able to capture or damage the British siege
batteries. Shortly after the American sortie, the British lifted
the siege lines and retired to positions to the north at Chippawa.
After unsuccessful attacks at Cook’s Mills, west of Chippawa, news
reached the American forces that the eastern seaboard of the U.S.
was under attack. On the November 5, 1814, with winter approaching,
the Americans destroyed the fort and withdrew to Buffalo.
Fort Erie is the site of the bloodiest battlefield in the history
of Canada. See Siege of Fort
Erie
Aftermath of
war
The Treaty of
Ghent was signed December 24, 1814, ending the War of 1812.
Fearing further American attacks, the British continued to occupy
the ruined fort until 1823. Some of the stones from the fort were
then incorporated into the construction of St. Paul’s Anglican
Church, which stands today on the Niagara Parkway 3 km (2
miles) north of the fort. The Fort Erie area became significant as
the major terminus in Canada for slaves using the Underground Railroad in the middle
of the 19th century. The town of Fort Erie began to grow
north of the fortifications when a rail terminus and station were
constructed.
The
Fenian Raid (1866)
In 1866, a brigade of Fenians (Irish Republicans) used the ruins of
the old fort as a base for their raid into Ontario. The Fenian Brotherhood invaded Canada on June 1, 1866 with more
than 500 American Civil War veterans by
crossing the Niagara
River a little north of Fort Erie. Their first order of
business was to occupy the town of Fort Erie and demand food and
equipment from the local population. The invaders offered Fenian
bonds as payment but were refused by the townsfolk.
The Fenians then marched north to try and capture the town of Chippewa at the north end of the Welland Canal.
Before reaching their goal, and discovering a British and Canadian
force had reached the town before them they turned to face a weak
Canadian militia brigade
that was approaching Fort Erie from the west, routing it at the Battle of
Ridgeway. The Fenians returned to Fort Erie where they defeated a second small
force of local Canadian militia, including a naval detachment from
Dunnville. Unable to get
reinforcements across the river and concerned over the approach of
a large number of Canadian Militia and British regulars, the
Fenians retreated from Fort Erie for Buffalo.
Around the same time visitors to the ruins included the Prince
of Wales and Mark
Twain. As the 20th century approached, the Old Fort was used as
a park and picnic area by local families.
Redevelopment of the
fort
Preparations for a reenactment
The reconstruction of the fort was started in 1937. The
reconstruction was jointly sponsored by the Provincial and Federal
governments and the Niagara Parks Commission. The
fort was restored to the 1812-1814 period and officially reopened
on July 1, 1939. During the restoration, a mass grave of 150
British and 3 American soldiers was uncovered and currently lies
beneath a monument which was originally erected in the fort's ruins
in 1904. The fort and surrounding battlefield are owned and
operated by the Niagara Parks Commission, a
self-funded agency of the Ontario Provincial Government. The Parkway
starts at Fort Erie and continues 56 km (35 miles) north to Lake Ontario. Sir Winston
Churchill was quoted saying that the parkway was "the prettiest
Sunday drive in the world." Each year, during the second weekend of
August, hundreds of historical
re-enactment enthusiasts come together to reenact the siege of
Fort Erie.
Affiliations
The Museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, and Virtual Museum of Canada.
See also
External
links
References
Coordinates: 42°53′35.70″N 78°55′25.74″W / 42.89325°N
78.9238167°W / 42.89325;
-78.9238167
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