Battle of Queenston Heights
1812 · Queenston Heights, west bank of the Niagara River (present-day Ontario, Canada) · World · Modern
The Americans who had crossed the river were surrounded and surrendered; the first major US offensive against Upper Canada had failed.
Belligerents
British troops, Upper Canada militia and Indigenous allies
- Commanders
- Isaac Brock (killed in battle), Roger Hale Sheaffe, John Norton (Mohawk war chief)
- Strength
- About 1,300 (including about 300 Indigenous warriors)
United States
- Commanders
- Stephen Van Rensselaer, Winfield Scott
- Strength
- About 6,000 available troops, of whom about 1,300 actually crossed the river
Background
In June 1812 the United States declared war on Britain, seeing an invasion of British Upper Canada as a shortcut to pressuring the United Kingdom. In August Brock had already forced the American garrison at Detroit to surrender. In October, American troops massed on the east bank of the Niagara River, intending to cross, seize Queenston Heights, and establish a foothold on the Canadian side.
Course of the battle
- Pre-dawn river crossingBefore dawn on October 13, American troops crossed the Niagara River in small boats and landed near the village of Queenston.
- Seizing the heightsThe Americans climbed the heights by a narrow path and seized the British battery.
- Brock's counterattackBrock hurried over from Fort George and personally led a small force in a counter-charge to retake the guns, but was shot and killed.
- Encircled and surrenderedIndigenous warriors harassed and pinned down the Americans from the woods, while Sheaffe led reinforcements on a detour to climb the heights from the rear and encircle them; most of the New York militia on the east bank refused to cross the border to help, and the Americans on the heights surrendered.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 1812 |
|---|---|
| Place | Queenston Heights, west bank of the Niagara River (today Ontario, Canada) |
| Result | The Americans who had crossed the river were surrounded and surrendered; the first major US offensive against Upper Canada had failed. |
| Winner | British and Canadian side |
| Casualties | About 900-odd Americans were captured and several hundred killed or wounded; British losses were lighter, but their commander Brock was killed in battle |
| Territorial change | The border was unchanged; the Niagara defensive line of Upper Canada was preserved |
Impact
The Battle of Queenston Heights made Brock a hero of Upper Canada and shaped Canada's early national narrative of "militia and Indigenous allies together repelling invasion."
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