Lb*H

SOUTH WEST VIEW.OF THE
[Bi®(gKil®ra[!JKaiiKiir, EEEOIED OSTQDEENSTOK HEICETS,
1866-.- 

THE BATTLE

OF

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS:

asisi k KissATiTX eF lai

OPENING OF THE WAR OF 1812,

TOia sones* OF ths use o?

MAJOR-GENERAL
SIR ISAAC BROCK, K.B.,

^XB sESciupilax ac

THE MONUMENT ERECTED TO HIS MEMORY.

EDITED BY JOHN SYMONS, ESQ.
 _^  tu 

TORONTO:
THOUPS0:S & CO., PBINXEBS, 77 KINO STEEET KAST.
1859.

TO
THE MILITIA,
INDIAN WARRIORS,XSD
PEOPLE
or UPPER oanada,
By whose loyalty and liberality, aided by the untiring exertions, judgment
and good taste of
THE BUILDING COMMITTBB,
This splendid tribute of a country's gratitude has beeu erected,
THIS LITTLE WORK
IS
liESPKOTFDLLY IK80HIBED
BT THE AUTHOR.
ToKOKTO, Eeptember, 1S69.

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THE EATTLE OF UUEENSTON HEIGHTS.

On the 13th October, 1812, was fought the Battle of Queenston
Heights. We desire to tread lightly upon the ground of the quarrel between
Great Britain and the United States. We had been almost disposed to
pass over entirely this dark era in the history of the two nations, least an
allusion to it might, in the remotest degree, disturb that friendly feeling
which now happily exists between them, but our history would not be
complete if we did so ; we shall, however, only place on record, a few gene
ral notices of the events which preceded and accompanied this war :
landmarks, which may guide the reader to the clear comprehension of the
subject which is the immediate object of these pages. We shall en
deavour to be truthful and exact in every statement, drawing our informa
tion from official documents, and historical volumns, and in not a few in
stances from parties themselves who were present on the field of action.
And if the reflections which our subject may occasionally suggest do not
carry conviction to the minds of soinf , we hope for that forbearance which
we should ourselves be inclined to show, were this little work compiled by
one whose sympathies were opposite to our own.
It was manifest from the temper shewn by the President and Congress
of the United States, towards the close of the year 1811, that nothing
could prevent a war between that country and Great Britain, but either a
change in the system pursued by the latter, or a dread in the former to
come to the point of actual hostilities, under the prospect of much suffer
ing from abroad and much discontent at home. When it was seen that
the resolutions of the Committee of Foreign Relations were all carried by
great majorities, of which the lowest was 109 to 22 and the highest 110
to 11, and when a motion in the House of Representatives for the indefi
nite postponement of a bill for raising 25,000 additional troops was rejected
by a majority of 98 to 29, it was evident that hostile proceedings were

6 THE BATTLE OF
nearly determined on. At this time the advocates of war, besides the lure
of rich prizes to be made by the American privateers, threw out confident
expectations of the conquest of Canada.
Mr. Gallatin's budget was laid before Congress on January 12th, 1812.
It recommended a loan of 110,000,000 to meet the exigencies of that year,
and calculated that a like loan would be necessary for several years to
come. It also gave the comfortable prospect of continually increasing
taxes to pay the interest of these loans. But when the particulars of rais
ing these necessary supplies for the war and equipping an adequate mili
tary force came to be discussed in Congress, the great majorities in favor
of the measures proposed by Government, no longer appeared, and several
questions were barely carried.
It would be superfluous to give a sketch of the arguments used on
each side in this discussion; arguments referring to the beaten topic
of the French decrees and English orders in Council regarding neutral
commerce and the right of search, and which proved totally inefficacious
to produce conviction on the minds of the different parties. In this
unhappy quarrel both parties in England and the United States boasted
of theip moderation and forbearance, both alleged the reason and justice
of their cause, yet both were, in fact, determined by motives of state
policy operating exclusively upon themselves.
The temper of the House of Representatives with resp,ect to a war
with England, was rendered manifest by the' result of a motion by Mr.
Randolph, on May 29th. That gentleman, after a long speech, condemning
the present relations of the United States with Great Britain and France,
submitted to the House the following resolution : "That under the pre
sent circumstances it is inexpedient to resort to a war with Great Britain."
The question being put that the House do proceed to the consideration of
the said resolution, it was negatived by 62 votes against 37. All hopes
of pacific measures now, therefore, rested upon the determination of the
Senate. On June 4th, the President laid before Congress copies of a cor
respondence which had lately taken place between Mr. Foster and Mr.
Monroe. It chiefly consisted of a long argumentative letter from the
former relative to the old subject of the orders in Council and the French
decrees, of which it is sufficient to remark that not tho least expectation
is held forth of any further relaxation on the part of Great Britain. On
the contrary, Mr. F. says expressively, " America, as the case now stands,

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 7
has not a pretence for claiming from Great Britain a repeal of her orders
in Council." Previously, however, to this communication, the President
had sent a long message to both Houses, dated June 1st, in which he
sets forth all the injuries and hostile measures (as he considered them)
practiced by the G-overnment of Great Britain and still persisted in to
wards the United States, and recommended the subject to their early delib
erations. In consequence, discussions with closed doors took place in the
two houses, the final result of which was, an act passed on June 18th, de
claring the actual existence of war between the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland and the United States of America. The majority in
the House of Representatives on this momentous occasion for declaring
war was 79 against 49. The supporters of war were chiefly the southern
and western states to Pennsylvania inclusive ; the votes for peace were
chiefly in the eastern and northern states, New York taking the lead.
As commercial grievances constituted a great part of the complaints against
Great Britain adduced to justify the resort to arms, it is highly probably
that if the orders in Council had been repealed early enough for intelli
gence of the event to have reached America before the final decision, the
advocates for peace would have acquired so much additional strength
as at least to have deferred the declaration of hostilities till time had been
given for negotiating on the other points in dispute. In England little
doubt seemed to be entertained that the news of the repeal of the orders in
Council would arrive time enough to prevent actual war."* She had but
recently stated that America had no pretence for claiming the repeal of
these orders, yet for the sake of peace she repealed them. That was not
the time for her to engage in another war, and least of all in a war with
her own child.
Besides England had many obvious reasons for endeavoring to avert
the calamities of an American war at that period. She was engaged in a
very arduous contest in Europe, she had the most numerous and formida
ble enemies to contend with, sho had the interest of her commerce to
maintain, which is always dependent in some degree on a friendly connec
tion with America; and she had, moreover, a natural and generous aver
sion to conquer before she could bring herself to draw the sword against a
a people connected with her by a resemblance of language, laws and insti-
•The United States declared war on 18th June, the revocation of the Orders
ill Council took place on lYth Juno. Had the Atlantic Telcgrajth been then iu
operation a disastrous war might have been avoided.

8 THE BATTLE OF
tutions. These were motives sufficiently powerful to have restrained English
Ministers even if they had not been otherwise remarkable for mildness and
forbearance. But unfortunately the news of the repeal of these orders in Council
came too late, and having hastily rushed into war it was difficult for
America to recede; indeed subsequent events rendered it highly probable
that the American Government of that day had anticipated credit from
the commencement of the war, especially from the conquest of Canada,
which seems to have been regarded as an easy task.
Several acts of hostility occurred between the two powers, attended
with various success, but we hasten to the beginning of the campaign
against Canada.
The first exploits of the American army, though such as might naturally
have been expected, from the total want of preparation on the part of
their government or people for a war, were, nevertheless very different
from what the democratic party who had driven the nation into it, had
anticipated. Early in July, General Hull invaded Upper Canada with a
force of five thousand eight hundred men, having crossed the St. Law
rence at Detroit, and marched to Sandwich j /he there issued a Procla
mation in which he expressed entire confidence of success. "I come,
prepared " he said, " for every contingency. I have a fore^ which will
look down all opposition, and that force is but the vanguard of a much
greater." He then directed his operations against Fort Amherstburg,
but he was repulsed in three different attempts to cross the River Canard,
on which it stands, and General Brock having collected a force of seven
hundred British regulars and militia, and six hundred auxiliary Indians,
not only relieved that Fort, but compelled Hull to retire to Fort Detroit,
where he was soon after invested by General Brock. Batteries having been
constructed and a fire opened, preparations were made for an assault, and
after the town had been cannonaded for two or three hours, on the 15th
and 16th of August, the American Commander surrendered himself and
his Army of two thousand five hundred men, and thirty-three pieces of
cannon ; a proud trophy to have been taken with the Fort of Detroit by a
British force of no more than seven hundred men, including militia and
six hundred auxiliary Indians.
At the same time a small British force had summoned and taken the
American Fort at Mackinac. These successes had the most powerful

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 9
effect in increasing the spirit and energy of the militia of Upper Canada,
the inhabitants of which, of British origin, and strongly animated with
patriotic and national feelings, had taken up arms universally, to repel
Jthe hated invasion of their republican neighbours. An armistice was
soon after agreed to between Sir George Prevost, the British Governor of
Canada, and General Dearborn, the American Commander-in-Chief on the
northern frontier, in the hope that the repeal of the orders in Council,
would, by removing the only real ground of quarrel between the two
countries, have led to a termination of hostilities. But in this hope,
however reasonable soever, they were disappointed ; the American Gov
ernment, impelled by the Democratic constituencies, had not yet aban
doned their visions of Canadian conquest, and they not only disavowed the
armistice, but determined upon a vigorous prosecution of the contest. As
this determination unveiled the real motives which had led to the war,
and demonstrated that the orders in Council had been a mere pretext, it
gave rise to the most violent dissatisfaction in the northern Provinces of
the union, who%ere likely from their dependance upon British commerce
to be the greatest sufferers by the contest. So far did this proceed that
many memorials were addressed to the President from these States, in
which they set forth that they contemplated with abhorrence an alliance'
with the then Emperor of France, every action of whose life had been an
attempt to effect the extinction of all vestiges of freedom — that the repeal
ofthe orders in Council had removed the only legitimate object of com
plaint against the British Government, and that if an.y attempts were
made to introduce French troops into the United States, they would re
gard them as enemies. The most remarkable of these memorials were
from Rockingham, in New Hampshire, and from thirty-four cities and
counties of the State of New York. Connecticut and Massachusetts
openly refused to send their contingents, or to impose the taxes which had
been voted by Congress.*
The American Government, however, were no-ways intimidated, either
by the bad success of their arms in Canada, or by the menaces of the
northern Provinces of the Union. Later in the season they assembled on
the Niagara frontier,, a force of six thousand three hundred men ; of this
force, three thousand one hundred and seventy (nine hundred of whom
were regular troops,) were at Lewiston under the command of General
-Ann. Reg., 1812.

10 THE EATTLE OF
Van Rensselaer. In the American reports this army is set down as eight
thousand strong, with fifteen pieces of field ordnance.
To oppose this force, Major.Gcneral Brock had part of the 41st and
49th Regiments, a few companies of Militia, and about two hundred
Indians, in all fifteen hundred men ; but so dispersed in different posts,
at and between Fort Erie and Fort George, that only a small number was
available at any one point.
Before daylight on the morning of the 18th of October, a large division.
of General Van Rensselaer's army, numbering between thirteen and four
teen hundred, under Brigadier-General Wadsworth, effected a landing at
the lower end of the Village of Queenston, (opposite Lev, iston) and made
an attack upon the position which was defended with the utmost deter
mined bravery by the two flank companies of the 49th Regiment, com
manded by Captains Dennis and Williams, aided by such of the militia
forces and Indians as could be collected in the vicinity. Captain Dennis
marched his Company to the landing place opposite Lewjston, and was
soon followed by the Light Company of the 49th, and the few militia who
could- be hastily assembled. Here the attempt of the enemy to effect a
passage, was, for some time successfully resisted, and several boats were
either disabled or sunk by the fire from the one-gun battery on the heights
and that from the masked battery, about a mile below. "Several boats
were, by the fire from this last battery, so annoyed, that falling below the
landing place, they were compelled to drop down with the current and re
cross to the American side. A considerable force, however, had effected
a landing some distance above, and succeeded in gaining the summit of
the mountain. No resistance could now be offered to the crossing from
Lewiston, except by the battery at Vromont's Point, half a mile below,
and from this a steady and harassing fire was kept up, which did consid
erable execution.
At this juncture Sir Isaac Brock arrived. He had for some days sus
pected this invasion, and on the preceding evening he called his staff
together and gave to each the necessary instructions. Agreeably to his
usual custom he rose before day light, and hearing the cannonade, awoke
Major Glegg, and called for his horse Alfred, which Sir James Craig had
presented to him. Ho then gallopped eagerly from Fort George to the
scene of action, and with his two aides-de-camp passed up the hill at full
gallop in front of the light company, under a heavy fire of the artillery and

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS JX
musketry from the American shore. On reaching the 18-pounder battery
at the top of the hill, they dismounted and took a view of passing events
which at that moment appeared highly faverablo. But in a few minutes
a firing was heard, which proceeded from a strong detachment of Ameri
can regulars under Captain Wool, who, as just stated, had.succeedeii in
gaining the brow of the heights in rear of the battery, by a fisherman's
path up the rocks, which being reported as impassable, was not guarded.
Sir Isaac Brock and his aides-de-camp had not even time to remount but
were obliged to retire precipitately with the twelve men stationed in the
battery, which was quickly occupied by the enemy. Capt. Wool having
sent forward about 150 regulars, Capt. William's detachment of about 100
men advanced to meet them, personally directed by the General who
observing the enemy to waver, ordered a charge, which was promptly
executed ; but as the Americans gave way the result was not equal to his
expectations. Capt. Wool sent a re-inforcement to his regulars, but net-
withstanding which, the whole were driven to the edge ofthe bank.* Here
some of the American Officers were on the point of hoisting a white flag
with an intention to surrender, when Capt. Wool tore it off and re-animated
his dispirited troops. They now opened a heavy fire of musketry, and
conspicuous from his dress, his height, and the enthusiasm with which he
animated his little band, the British Commander was soon singled out,
and he fell about an hour after his arrival.
The fatal bullet entered his right breast, and passed through his left
side. He had but that instant said, " Push on the York Volunteers !"
and he lived only long enough to request that his fall might not be noticed,
or prevent the advance ofhis brave troops ; adding a wish which could
not be distinctly understood, that some token of remembrance should
be transmitted to his sister. He died unmarried, and on the same day,
a week previously, he had completed his forty-third year. Tbe lifeless
corpse was immediateli^ conveyed into a house close by, where it re
mained until the afternoon, unperceived by the enemy. His Provin
cial Aid-de-camp, Lieutenant-Colonel McDonell of the militia, and the
Attorney General of Upper Canada, a fine promising young man, was
mortally wounded soon after his chief, and died the next day, at the
early age of twenty-five years. Although one bullet had passed through
his body, and he was wounded in four places, yet he survived twenty
*Capt. Wool's letter to Col. Van Rensselaer, 23rd October, 1812.

12 THE BATTLE OP
hours, and during a period of excruciating agony his thoughts and wdrds
were constantly occupied with lamentations for his deceased cemmander
and friend. He fell while gallantly charging up the hill with 190 men,
chiefly of the York Volunteers, by which charge the enemy was com
pelled to spike the 18-pouiidei', in the battery there.*
Captain Wool in his despatch to Colonel Van Rensselaer describes this
affair as follows : "In pursuance of your order, we proceeded round
the point and ascended the rocks, which brought us partly in rear of the
battery. We took it without much resistance. I immediately forined
the troops in rear of the battery and fronting the village, when I observed
General Brock with his troops formed, consisting of four [only two] com
panies of the 49th regiment, and a few militia, marching for our left
flank. I immediately detached a party of one hundred and fifty men to
take possession of the heights above Queenston battery, and to hold Gen.
Brock in check ; but in consequence of his superior force they retreated.
I sent a re-inforcement, notwithstanding whieh, the enemy drove us
to the edge of the bank, when, with the greatest exertions, we brought
the troops to a stand, and ordered the officers to bring their men to a
charge as soon as the ammunition was expended, which was executed with
some confusion, and in a few moments the , enemy retreated. We pur
sued them to the edge of the heights when Colonel McDonell had his
horse shot from under him, and himself was mortally wounded. In the
interim. General Brock, in attempting to rally his forces was killed, when
the enemy dispersed in every direction."
The troops who now retreated, formed in front of Vromont's Battery,
and there awaited re-inforcements, while General Van Rensselaer, con
sidering the victory complete, crossed over in order to give directions
about fortifying the camp, which he intended to occupy on the British
Territory, and then re-crossed- to hasten the sending over re-inforcements.
Early in the afternoon, a body of about fifty Mohawks, under Norton
and young Brant, advanced through the woods, took up a position in
front, and a very sharp skirmish ensued, which ended in the Indians re
tiring on the re-inforcements which had now begun to arrive from Fort
George. The re-inforcement consisted of three' hundred and eighty
rank and file of the 41st regiment, and Captains Jarvis,' Crook's and

' Tupper's life of Brock.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 13
McEwan's flank companies of the 1st Lincoln ; Captains Nellis' and W.
Crook's flank companies of the 4th Lincoln ; Hall's, Durand's, and Ap-
plegarth's companies of the 5th Lincoln ; Cameron's, Howard's, and Chis-
holm's flank companies of the York Militia ; Major Merritt's yeomanry
corps, and a body of Swayzee's militia artillery. A short time afterwards,
C!olonel Clark of the militia arrived from.Chippewa, with Captain Bullock's
company ofthe 41st ; Captain R. Hamilton and Row's flank companies of
the 2d Lincoln and volunteer militia ; and many persons who were both
by their situations in life and by their advanced age exempt from serving
in the militia, made common cause — they seized their arms and flew to
the field of action.
Judge Clench, of Niagara, an old half-pay officer from His Majesty's
service, who had retired from the command of the 1st Lincoln Militia, in
company with a few others exempt froin service, with a truly patriotic
zeal followed their beloved general from Fort George to Queenston, and
ranged themselves in the ranks as volunteers to drive the enemy from
their shore.
At this time, about two in the afternoon, the whole British and Indian
force thus assembled was about 1000 men, of whom 600 were regulars.
In numbers the Americans were about equal — courage they had, but they
wanted the confidence and discipline of British soldiers.
After carefully reconnoitering, Gen. Sheaffe, who had arrived from Fort
George, and who had now assumed the command, commenced the attack
by an advance of his left flank, composed of the light company of the 41st
under Lieutenant Mclntyre, supported hy a body of Militia and Indians.
After a volley the bayonet-was resorted to and the American's right driven
in. The main body now advanced under cover of the fire from the two
three pounders, and after a short conflict forced the Americans over
the first ridge of the heights to the road leading from Queenston to the
Falls. The fight was maintained on both sides with courage truly
heroic. The British regulars and militia charged in rapid succession
until they succeeded in turning the left flank of their column which rested
on the summit of the hill. The Americans who attempted to escape
into the woods were quickly driven baci by the Indians, and many cut off
in their return to the main body, and terrifled at the sight of these exas
perated warriors, flung themselves wildly over the cliffs, and endeavoured
to cling to the bushes which grew upon them ; but sorae losing their hold

14 THE BATTLE OF
were dashed frightfully on the rocks beneath ; while others who reached
the river, perished in their attempts to swim across it. The event of ths
day no longer appeared doubtful.
Major-General Van Rensselaer, commanding the American army, per
ceiving his reinforcements embarking very slowly, re-crossed the river to
accelerate their movements; but to his utter astonishment he found that
at the very moment when their services were most required, the ardor of
the unengaged troops had entirely subsided. General Van Rensselaer rode
in all directions through the camp urging his men by every consideration
to pass over. Lieutenant- Colonel Bloome, who had been wounded in the
action and re-crossed the river, together with Judge Peck who happened
to be in Lewiston at the time, mounted their horses and rode through the
camp, exhorting the companies to proceed but all in vain.* Crowds of
the United States miHtia remained on the American bank of the river to
which they had not been marched in any order, but ran as a mob : not
one ofthem would cross. They had seen the wounded re-crossing; they
had seen the Indians; and they had seen the "green tigers,", as they
called the 49th from their green facings, and were panic struck. There
were those to be found in the American ranks who, at this critical junc
ture could talk of the Constitution and the right of the militia to refuse
crossing the imaginary line which separates the two countries.^
General Van Rensselaer having found that it -was impossible to urge a
a single man to cross the river to reinforce the army on the heights, and
that army having nearly expended its ammunition, boats were immediately
sent to cover their retreat ; but a desultory fire which was maintained up
on the ferry from a battery on the bank at the lower end of Queenston,
completely dispersed the boats, and many of the boatmen re-landed and
fled in dismay. Brigadier- General Wadsworth was, therefofe, compelled,
after a vigorous confiict had been maintained for some time upon both
sides, to surrender himself and all his officers and nine hundred men, be
tween three and four o'clock in the afternoon.
The loss of the British army was sixteen killed and sixty-nine
wounded; while that on the side of the Americans was not less than
nine hundred men made prisoners and one gun and two colors taken, and
ninety killed and about one hundred wounded. But amongst" the
*Major-General Van Rensselaer's letterto Major-General M. Dearborn, dated
Head Quarters, Lewiston, 14th October, 1812.
tAmerican Report of the Battle of Queenston.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 15
killed of the British army the Government and the country had to deplore
the loss of one of their bravest and most zealous generals in Sir Isaac
Brock, and one whose memory will long live in the warmest affections of
every Canadian and British subject, and the country had also to deplore
the loss of the eminent services and talents of Lieutenant-Colonel Mc
Donell, Provincial Aid-de-Camp and Attorney General of the Province,
whose gallantry and merit rendered him worthy of his chief.
Captains Dennis and Williams, commanding the flank companies of
the 49th regiment which were stationed at Queenston were wounded,
bravely contending at the head of their men against superior numbers.
Captain Dennis, though with great pain and difficulty, kept the field to
the last. Great praise was due to Captain Holcroft of the royal artil
lery, for his judicious and skilful co-operation with the guns and how
itzers under his immediate superintendence, the well-directed fire from
which contributed materially to the fortunate result of the day. Captain
Derenzy ofthe 41st regiment brought up the reinforcement of that corps
from Fort George, and Captain Bullock led that of the same regiment
from Chippawa, and under their command those detachments acquitted
themselves in such a manner as to sustain the reputation which the 41st
regiment had already acquired in the vicinity of Detroit.
Major-General Brock, soon after his arrival at Queenston, had sent
down orders for battering the American Fort Niagara. Brigadier-Major
Evans who was left in charge of Fort George, directed the operations
against it with so much effect as Io silence its fire, and to iorce the troops
to abandon it, and by his prudent precautions he pi-evented mischief of
a most serious nature which otherwise might have been effected, the
enemy having used heated shot in firing at Fort George. In these ser
vices he was most effectually aided by Colonel Claus, (who remained in
the Fort at the desire of Major-General Sheaffe,) and by Captain Vig
ouroux ofthe Royal Engineers. The guns on Fort George were under
the immediate direction of Captains Powell and Cameron of the militia
artillery. Lieutenant Crowther of the 41st regiment had charge of two three-
pounders which had accompanied the httle corps, and they were em.
ployed with very good effect.
Captain Glegg of the 49th regiment, Aid-de-camp to General Brock,
afforded most essential assistance, and the services of Lieutenant Fowlef

16 THE BATTLE OF
of the 41st regiment, Assistant Deputy Quarter Master General, were
very useful. Much aid was derivisd too from the activity and intelligence
of Lieutenant Kerr of the Glengarry Fencibles, who was eraployedin
communications with the Indians and other flanking parties.
Lieutenant Colonels Butler and Clark of the militia, and Captains
Hatt, Durand, Rowe, Applegarth, James Crooks, Cooper, Robt. Ham
ilton, McEwan, and Duncan Cameron, and Lieutenants Robinson and
Thomas Butler, cemmanding flank companies of the Lincoln and York
militia, led their men into action with great spirit. Major Merritt, com
manding the Niagara Dragoons, gave great assistance with part «f his
corps; Captain A. Hamilton, belonging to it, was disabled from riding,
and attached himself to the guns under Captain Holcroft, and his activity
and usefulness were highly spoken of. Volunteers Shaw, Thomson,
and Jarvis, attached to the flank companies of the 49th regiment, con
ducted themselves with great spirit; the first was wounded, and the last
taken prisoner. Norton was wounded, but not badly ; he and the In
dians particularly distinguished themselves, and they behaved with the
eame bravery and humanity as they displayed at the taking of Detroit,
when General Brock in the despatch to Sir George Provost, ot the 17th
August, 1812, says r— « They were led yesterday by Colonel Elliot and
Captain McKee, and nothing could exceed their order and steadiness. A
few prisoners were taken by these during the advance, whom they treated
with every humanity, and it affords me much pleasure in assuring your
Excehency, that such was their forbearance and attention to what was
required ofthem, thatthe enemy sustained no olher loss in men than was
occasioned by the fire of our batteries."
In Major-General Sheaffe's despatch, which has mainly furnished the
foregoing details, particular mention is made of the spirit and good con
duct of His Majesty's troops of the militia, and of the other provincial
corps. They were eminently conspicuous on this occasion, and this arm
ofthe service was subsequently complimented by the Duke of Welling
ton, who in his protest against the third reading of the Bill to re-unite
Upper and Lower Canada, stated that " The operations ofthe war were
carried on with but little assistance from the mother country in regular
troops, and had thus demonstrated Ihat the Provinces were capable of
defending themselves against all the efforts of their powerful neighbours,
the United States."

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 17
Nothing could possibly exceed the heroic bravery manifested on both
sides during this sanguinary contest. Colonel Van Rensselaer, Aid-de
camp to General Van Rensselaer, who led the van ofthe invading army,
displayed much real courage in the gallant and intrepid mauner in which
he formed the division under his command, on the margin of the river,
and led them on to the attack. He even after receiviijg four wounds
continued to issue his orders.
Captain Wool, an ofiicer only twenty-six years of age, likewise dis
played great courage and self-devotedness to his country's service.
The na.nes also of Brigadier-General Wadsworth, Colonel Scott,
Lieutenant-Colonels Christie and Fenwick, and Captain Gibson, and
several others of an inferior rank, are honorably spoken of in General
Van Rensselaer's despatches to General Dearborn on the subject.
And as a tribute to the magnanimity of the enemy it is recorded, that
during the movement of the funeral procession of the brave Brock from
Queenston to Fort George, a distance of seven miles, minute guns were
fired at every American post on that part of the lines, and even the
appearance of hostilities was suspended.
Major-General Van Rensselaer also in a letter of condolence informed
Major-General Sheaffe that immediately after the funeral solemnities wore
over on the British side, a compliment of minute guns would be paid to
the hero's memory on theirs ! Accordingly the cannons at Fort Niagara
were fired " as a mark of respect due to a brave enemy." How much is
it then to be regretted that we should ever come into collision with those
who possess the same origin and the same language as ourselves, and who
by their generous feelings and conduct proved that they are a liberal as
they undoubtedly are a gallant people ; and may the future rivalry of both
powers be, not for the unnatural destruction of each other, but for the bene
fit of mankind.
Major-General Sheaffe, on the morning subsequent to the battle, hu
manely consented to a cessation of offensive hostilities on the solicitation
of Major-General Van Rensselaer, for the purpose of allowing the Americans
to rempve the slain and wounded".
It would be beyond the purpose of the present work to continue the
history of the war. If we did so, we should have to recount how the
Americans, though unsuccessful with their army in the various attacks

18 THE BATTLE OF
they made on Canada, met with extraordinary and unlooked for
triumphs at sea, which in Europe excited the greater sensation, that they
shook the general belief that at that time prevailed of British invinci
bility at sea. But it must be remembered, that the great contest in the
Peninsula was yet doubtful and undecided, and every sabre and bayonet
that could be spared was sent to feed the army of Wellington, which
rendered it a matter of impossibility to despatch any adequate force to the
Canadian frontier. Whilst, therefore, we admit the gallantry wliich won
for the Americans their laurels at sea under these peculiar and exceptional
circumstances, we would at the same time express our fervent hope, not
only that they may long wear them, but that two countries like Great
Britain and the United States, allied by so many natural ties and secular
and religious interests, may forever, as they do now, dwell together in
unity and in the bonds of peace.
In sad and solemn silence were the remains of our hero conveyed from
Queenston to Government House, Niagara. The body was bedewed with
the tears of many affectionate friends, and after lying in state, was interred
on the 16th October, with his Aid-de-Camp, at Fort George; Major
Glegg, his surviving Aid-de-Camp, recollecting the decided aversion of
the General to every thing that bore the appearance of ostentatious dis
play, endeavoured to clothe the distressing ceremony with all his " native
simplicity." But at the same time, there were military honors that could
not be avoided, and the following was the order of the mournful procession,
"of whieh," writes Major Glegg, "I enclose a plan; but no pen can
describe the real scenes of that mournful day. A more solemn and affect
ing spectacle was, perhaps, never witnessed. As every arrangement con
nected with that affecting ceremony fell to my lot, a second attack being
hourly expected, and the minds of all being fully occupied with the duties
of their respective stations, I anxiously endeavoured to perform this last
tribute of affection in a manner corresponding with the elevated virtues
of my departed patron. Considering that an interment, in every respect
military, would be the most appropriate to the charaeter of our dear
friend, I made choice of a cavalier bastion in Fort George, which his
aspiring genius had lately suggested, and which had been just finished
under his daily superintendance."

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS.

19

Fort-Majoe Campbell.
Sixty men of the 41st Regiment, commanded by a subaltern.
Sixty of the Militia, commanded by a Captain.
Two six-pounders — firing-minute guns.
Remaining corps and detachments of the Garrison, with about 200 Indians
in reverse order, forming a street through which the procession passed,
extending from the Government House to the Garrison.
Band of the 41st Regiment.
Drums covered with black cloth, and muffled.
Late General's horse, fully caparisoned, led by four grooms.
Servants of the General.
The General's body Servant.
Surs;eon Muirhead, Doctor Kerr,
Doaor Moore, Staff Surgeon Thorn.
Reverend Mr. Addison.
The body of Lieut. Colonel McDonell, P.A.D.C.

Capt. A. Cameron,
Lieut. Robinson,
J. Edwards, Esq.,
SUPPORTER.
Mr. Dickson,

Lieut. Jarvis,
Lieut. Ridout,
Capt. Crooks,
SUPPORTER.
Capt. Cameron,

CHIEF MOURNER.
Mr. McDonell.

THE BODY OF MAJOR-GENERAL BROCK.

SUPPORTERS.
Mr. James CoflEn, D.A.C.G.,
Capt.,Vigoreaux, R. E.,
Capt. Derenzy, 41st Regt.,
Capt. Dennis, 49th Regt.,
Capt. Holcraft, R. A.
SUPPORTER.
Brigade Major Evans.

SUPPORTERS.
Capt. Williams, 49th Regt.,
Major Merritt, L.H. Lin. Mil.,
Lient. Col. Clark, Lin. Mil.,
Lieut. Col. Butler.,
Colonel Claus.
SUPPORTER.
Capt. Glegg, A.D.C.

CHIEF MOURNERS.
Major General Sheaffe, Lieut. Colonel Myers, D.Q.M.G.
Ensign Coffin, A.D.C, Lieut. Fowler, A.D.Q.M.G.
_ The Civil Staff.
Friends of the deceased.
Inhabitants.*

•Extracted from the York Gazette, October 24th, 1812.

20 THE BATTLE OP
The funeral solemnities on the British side being over, the toucMng
compliment of miniite guns was paid to the hero's memory on the Ameri
can, to whieh we have already alluded.
The death of Brock occasioned universal sorrow, not only throughout
Canada but in the mother countrj also. At the time when he assumed the
government of the Province, he found a divided, disaffected, and weak peo
ple, but possessing in an eminent degree those virtues which add lustre to
bravery and those talents which shine alike in the cabinet and in the field,
he succeeded in gaining the full confidence of every politioal party, and in
forming a united and strong people, capable, in their country's need, of pro
tecting her against all the attempts of her powerful neighbour,". "His man
ners and disposition were so conciliating," says a writer of that period, " as
to gain the affection of all whom he commanded, while his innate nobleness
and dignity of mind secured him a respect almost amounting to veneration ."
Nature had been very bountiful to Sir Isaac ^Brock in those personal
gifts which appear to such peculiar advantage in the army, and at the first
glance the soldier and the gentleman were seen. In stature he was tall,
his fine and benevolent countenance was a jperfect index of his mind, and
his manners were courteous, frank and engaging. Brave, liberal and hu
mane, devoted to his sovereign and loving his country with romantic fond
ness ; in command so gentle and persuasive, yet so firm that he pos
sessed the rare faculty of acquiring both the respect and the attachment
of all who served under him. When urged by some friends shortly be
fore his death to be more careful of his person, he replied, " how can I
expect my men to go where I am afraid to lead them ;" and although
perhaps his anxiety ever to show a good example by being foremost in
danger, induced him to expose himself more than strict prudence or for
mality warranted, yei if he erred on this point his error was that of a
soldier. Elevated to the government of Upper Canada, he reclaimed many
of the disaffected by mildness, and fixed the wavering by the argument
of success, and having no national partialities to gratify, he meted equal
favor and justice to all. British born subjects soon felt convinced that
neither their religion or their birth-place was an obstacle to their advance
ment. Even over the minds of the Indians Sir Isaac Brock gained, at
and after the capture of Detroit, an ascendancy altogether unexampled, and
which he judiciously exercised for purposes conducive equally tothe causeof
humanity and to the interests of the country. lie engaged them to throw

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 21
aside the scalping knife, itnplanted in their breasts the virtues of clemency
and fbrbearknee, and taughttkem tb feel pleasure and pride in the compas
sion eXteilded to ai vanquished' enemy ; ifi return they loted him as their
commoii Mher, and while under his command were guilty of no excesses.*
In a despatch from- Earl Bathurst, Secretary of State fbr the Colonies
to Sir George Prevost, the following tribute of respect is paid hy the
British Government, to the memory of' General Brock : —
"His Royal Highness the Prince Regent; is fully aware of the severe
loss Which His Majesty's servicS has experienced in the death of Major-
General Sir Isaac Brock. That would have been sufficient to h^ve cloud
ed a vifetory of much greater importance. His Miajesty has lost in him,
not only an able and meritorious officer, but one who, in the exercise of his
functions of Provincial Lieutenant-Governor of the Province, displayed
qualities, admirably adapted to dismay the disIo3ral, to reconcile the waver
ing, and to animate the great mass of the inhabitants aaiainst successive
attempts of the enemy to invade the Province, in the last of which he fell :
too prodigal of that life of which his eminent services had taught us to
understand the value."
But the gratitude of Great Britain did not end here. A public
monument was decreed by'the Imperial Government. It was voted
in the House of Commons the 20th July, 1813, and was erected in St.
Paul's Cathedral, the last resting-place of Nelson, Wellingjion, and other
heroes and worthies, at a cost of £1,575 sterling, It is in the western
ambulatory ofthe south transept, and was executed by Westmacott. A
military monument on which are placed the sword and helmet of the
deceased; a votive record, supposed to have been raised by his com
panions to their lamented commander. His corpse reclines in the arms
of a British soldier, whilst an Indian pays the tribute of regret his bf avery
and humanity elicited. Well do we remember how the crowds, return
ing from Cathedral service, lingered around, in admiration of this
beautiful monument. The inscription is —
Erected at the Public Expense,
TO THE MEMORY OF
MAJOR-GENlfiRAL SIR ISAAC BROCK,
Who gloriously fell on the 13th of October,
MDCcCxii.,
In resisting an attack on Queenston,
In Upper Canada.
•Howison's " Sketches of Canada."

22 THE BATTLE OF
An Indian, *' the chief of the band ofthe once great tribe of the Hu
rons visited England some time ago. I afterwards saw him in Quebec,
and had a great deal of conversation with him. When asked, what had
struck him most of all that he had seen in England, he replied without
hesitation, that it was the monument erected in St. Paul's to the memory
of General Brock. It seemed to have impressed him with a high idea
ofthe considerate beneficence of his great father, the King of England,
that he not only had remembered the exploits and death of his white
child, who had fallen beyond the hig salt lake, but thSt he had even
deigned to record on the marble sepulchre, the sorrows of the poor
Indian weeping over his chief, untimely slain."*
And too, in consequence of an address from the Commons of Upper
Canada to the Prince Regent, a munificent grant of 12,000 acres of land-
in this Province was bestowed on the four surviving brothers of Sir Isaac
Brock, who in addition were allowed a pension of £20.0 a year for life- by
a vote ofthe Imperial Parliament.
And the gratitude of the people of Canada also took an equally
enduring form. They desired to perpetuate the memory of the hero
who had been the instrament of their deliverance, and they were
not slow in executing their design ; but whilst his noble deeds were
still fresh in the memory of all, the Provincial Legislature erected a
lofty column on the Queenston heights, near the spot where Brock fell. —
The height of the monument from the base to the summit was 135 feet ;
and from the level of the Niagara River, which runs nearly under it, 485
feet. The monument was a Tuscan column on a rustic pedestal with a
pedestal for a statue ; the diameter of the base of the column was seven
teen feet and a half, and the abacus of the capital was surmoun ted by an
iron railing. The centre shaft containing the spiral staircase was ten feet
in diameter. The inscription was nearly the same as is now seen on the
present monument and will be given hereafter.
The remains of General Brock, and that of his gallant Aid-de-camp,
Lieutenant-Colonel McDonell, were removed from Fort George, in solemn
procession on the 13th October, 1824, and deposited in the resting place
prepared for them in the monument.
Although twelve years had elapsed since the interment, the body of
the general had undergone little change, his features being nearly per-
* DeRoo's Travels iu North America in 1826.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 23
feet and easily rfecognised, while that of Lieutenant- Colonel McDonell
was in a complete mass of decomposition.
The weather was remarkably fine, and before ten o'clock a very large
concourse of people from all parts of the country had assembled on the
plains of Niagara, in front of Fort George, in a bastion of which the
bodies had been deposited for twelve years.
One hearse covered with black cloth and drawn by four black horses,
each with a leader, contained both the bodies. Soon after ten, a line
was formed by the 1st and 4lh regiments of Lincoln Militia, with their
right on the gate of Fort George, and their left extending along the
road towards Queenston, the ranks being about forty paces from each
other, within this Une was formed a guard of honor of the 76th regiment
in parade order, having its left on the Fort. As the hearse moved slowly
from the Fort to the sound of solemn music, a detatchment of royal
artillery began to fire the salute of nineteen guns, and the guard of
honor presented arms.
On moving forward in ordinary time, the guard of honor broke into
a column of eight divisions, with the right in front, and the procession
took the following order : A Staff Officer,
Subdivision of Grenadiers,
Band of Music,
Right wing of the 76th Regiment,
THE BODY,
Aide-de-camp to the late Major-General Sir Isaac Brock,
Chief Mourners,
Relatives of the late Colonel McDonell,
Commissioners for the Monument,
Heads of the Public Departments of the Civil Government,
Judges,
Members of the Executive Council,
His Excellency and Suite,
Left wing of the 76th Regiment,
Indian Chiefs of the Six Nations,
Officers of Militia not on duty, junior rank first forward, four deep.
Magistrates and Civilians,
With a long cavalcade of horsemen and carriages of every description.

24 THE 3AIIIiE .QE
The. time occupied in moving from tbe^Fort to Queenston, a idistanc:p
of nearly seven miles, was about three ,lig}ir8. B^pg arriygd opposite
the spot where the lamented hero receive^ his mortal wound, the whole
processioii halted and remained, for a few minutes in solemn pause. It
then , ascended the heights, and to the spectator who had his station on
the summit near the monument, nothing could be finer than the effect of
the lengthened column winding slowly up the steep ascent in regular
order, surrounded by scenery no where surpassed for romantic beauty.
On the bodies being removed from the hearse and deposited in the vault,
the guard of honor presented arms, whilst the artillery posted on the
heights fired a salute of nineteen guns. The troops then marched in or
dinary time round the monument, and immediately separated to their
respective parades.
The remains of the brave McDonell lay to the left of those of the
General. On the Gennral's coffin, which is otherwise quite plain, and
covered with black cloth, are two oval plates of silver, each six inches
hy four, one above the other. On tlie first is the following inscriptien :
Here lie the earthly remains of a brave and virtuous hero,
MAJOR-GBNERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK,
Commander of the British forces and President administering the
Government of Upper iCanada;
Who fell when gloriously engaging the enemies ofhis oountry,
at the head of the flank .conigames of the 49th regiment,
In tlie:town of Queenstown,
On the morning of the ISth jOctober, 1812,
Aged 4-2 years. J. B. Glegg, A-D.C.
And on the second plate the followiijg a^diti(?nal inscription is engraved:
The remains of the late
Major-jGjeneral Sir Isaac Brock, K.B.,
Removed ,fvpm Fort George ,to ;th,is vaujt, , pn .the 13th October, 1824.
Upon a similar plate ou the lid of the Aide-de-Camp's coffin is engraved:
The remains of
LIEUTENANT COLONEL JOHN MoDONELL,
Provincial Aid-de-Camp to the late
Major General Brock,
Who died on the 14th of October, 1812,
Of wounds received in action the day before,
Aged 25 years.

queenston HEIGHTS. 25
His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor, Major General Sir Peregrine
Maitland, K.C.B., was in full dress — tlie two MoDonells and Captain
Dickinson of the 2nd Glengarry regiment, relatives of the deceased, Lieut.
Colonel McDonell, in the Highland costume, appeared in the procession to
great advantage, and .seemed to excite much attention.
But amongst the assembled warriors and civilians none excited a more
lively interest than the chiefs of the Six Nations Indians from the Grand
River, whose warUke appearance, intrepid aspect, picturesque dress and
ornaments, and majestic demeanour, accorded well with the solemn pomp
and general character of a military procession ; among these young Brant,
Bears Eoqt, and Henry, were distinguished.
Thus both Great Britain and Canada vied with each other in paying
their tributes of respect and gratitude to the noble and the brave. The
monument on Queenston Heights, was justly regarded by Canada with
more affectionate veneration than any other structure in the Province; and
the feelings of indignation entertained by every one at the occurrence
we are going to relate, may be easily conceived.
On Good Friday, the 17th April, 1840, a vagabond of the name of Lett,
introdup^d a quantity of gunpoyder into the monument .with the ;fiendish
purppse of destroying ,it, and the explosion effepted by a train caused so
much damage as, to render the column altogether irreparable. Lett, who
by birth was an Irishman and by spttlement a Canadian,* had Ijpen com
pelled to, fly into .the United. States for his share in the rebeiyon of 1837,
and well ^uowing the -feeling of attachment to the name and memory of
General Broqk vhiph pervaded all classes. pf Canadians, he spught to .gra
tify his malic.ious and .yindictiye. spirit, and ..at the, same time to wound and
insult the people pf .C£!,na(^a by thia demon's deed. AjS .may be iniagined
universal indignation ^as aroused, and a .meeting ,vas held on the SOth of
July following, on Queengton Heights, for the purpose of adopting measures
fpr |thp ei;ectipn of anpther monument: the.gallfint Sir A. McNab, Bar;t.,
e,gpecially making, the most sti^'ring exertions to promote this great object.
The gathering \\ras attended by about 8000 persons, and the animation of
the scene was inci;pased hy a detachnient of Royal Artillery, who fired a
salutera ^etatchmentpf the Ist Dragoon .Guards, with their bright helmets
glittering in the sun, and the 93rd Regiment (Highlanders) in full
costume. Tupper's Life of Brock.

26 THE BATTLE OP
In Torento the day was observed as a solemn holiday ; the puhlic offices
were closed and all business was suspended, while thousands flocked from
every part of the Province to testify their affection for the memory of one
who, nearly thirty years before, had fallen in its defence. History, indeed,
offers few parallels of such long cherished public attachment ; steam ves
sels engaged for the occasion left their respective ports of Kingston, Co
bourg, of Hamilton and Toronto, in time to arrive at the entrance of the
Niagara river about ten o'clock in the forenoon. The whole of these, ten
in number, then formed in line and ascended the river abreast with the
Government steamer containing the Lieutenant-Governor Sir George
Arthur and his Staff, leading the way. The British shore was lined with
thousands, and the fleet of steamers filled with hundreds, each shouting
and responding to the cheers of welcome from .ship to shore, and from
shore to ship again. The landing being effected, the march to the ground
was accompanied by military guards and a fine military band. The public
meeting was then held in the open air near the foot of the monument, and
Sir George Arthur was in the chair. The Resolutions were moved and
speeches made by some of the most eminent and most eloquent men hold
ing high official stations in the Province. The speakers were His Excel
lency, Sir George Arthur, Chief Justice Sir J. B. Robinson, Bart., Mr.
Justice Macaulay, Sir Allan McNab, Bart., David Thorburn, Esq., M. P.,
Colonel the Hon. W. Morris, Colonel R. D. Frazer, Colonel Clark, W.
H. Merritt, Esq., M. P., Lieutenant-Colonel J. Baldwin, Lieutenant-
Colonel Sherwood, Colonel Stanton, Colonel Kerby, Colonel the Hon. W.
H. Draper, Colonel Angus McDonell, Hon. W. Sulliyan, Lieutenant-
Colonel Cartwright, Colonel Bostwick, Colonel McDougal, Hon. Mr.
Justice Hagerman, Colonel Rutton, Lieutenant-Colonel Kearnes, Lieuten
ant-Colonel Kirkpatrick, H. J. Boulton, Esq., Lieutenant-Colonel Edward
Thomson and Wm. Woodruff, Esq. And considering that amidst this
grand and imposing assemblage there were a great number of veteran
officers of the Canada militia, who had fought and bled with the lamented
chief whose meraory they were assembled to honor, and whose monument
they had come to re-establish over his remains. The enthusiasm with
which the whole mass was animated may readily be conceived, while the
grand and picturesque contribution of natural objects of scenery beheld
from the heights on which they were met, and the brightness of the day,
added greatly to the effect of the whole.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 27
There were altogether eleven Resolutions, of which the fifth was the
following :
" Resolved, — That we recall to mind with admiration and gratitude,
the perilous times in which Sir Isaac ¦. Brock led the small regular force,
the loyal and gallant militia, and the brave and faithful Indian warriors to
oppose the invaders. When his fortitude inspired courage and his saga
cious policy gave confidence in despite of a~ hostile force apparently over
whelming." In Majpr-General Sheaffe's despatch, already alluded to, mention is
made of the great spirit with which Lieutenant Robinson led his men into
action. The Lieutenant of that day is now the honored Chief Justice of
Upper Canada; on coming forward to move the fifth resolution he was
received with the most enthusiastic cheers.
" If," he said, " it were intended by those who committed this shame
ful outrage, that the injury should be irreparable, the scene which is now
before us, on these interesting heights, shows that they little understood
the feelings of veneration for the memory of Brock which still dwells in
the hearts of the people of Upper Canada. No man ever established a
better claim to the affections of a country; and in re-calling the recollec
tions of eight-and-twenty years, there is no difficulty in accounting for the
feeling which has brought us together on this occasion. Among the many
who are assembled here from all parts of this Province, I know there are
some who saw as I did, with grief, the body of the lamented general borne
from the field on which he fell, and many who witnessed with me the
memorable scene of his interment in one of the bastions of Fort George.
They cau never, I am sure, forget the countenances of that gallant regiment
which he had long commanded, when they saw deposited in the earth, the
lamented officer, who had for so many years been their pride ; they can never
forget the feelings displayed bythe loyal militia of this Province, when they
were consigning to the grave the noble hero who had so lately achieved a
glorious triumph in defence of his country; they looked forward to a dark
and perilous future, and they felt that the earth was closing upon him, in
whom more than in all other human means of defence, their confidence
had been reposed. Nor can they forget the countenances, oppressed with
grief, of those brave aud faithful Indian warriors who admired and loved
the gallant Brock ; who had bravely shared with him the dangers of that
period, and who had most honorably distinguished themselves in the field
when he closed his short but brilliant career.

28 THE BATTtE of
It has, I know Sir, in the many years that have elapsed, been some
times objected, that General Brock's courage was greater thaii his
prudence ; that his attack of Fort Detroit, though it succeeded, wte most
likely to have failed, and was therefore ihjtidicous, and that a similar
rashness and want of cool calculation, were displayed in the manner of
his death.
Those' who lived in'Uppei' Canada while these events wiere passing, can
form a truer judgment ; they know that what may to some seem rashness,
was in fact prudence ; unless indeed the defence of Canada w4s to be
abandoned, in the almost desperate circumstances in which General Brock
was placed; He had with him but a handful 'of men who had never been
used to military discipline; feV indeed thathad ever seen atjtuki service
in the field ; and he knew it must be some months before any considerable
re-inforcement could be sent to him. He felt; therefore, that if he could
not impress Uf Pn ihe enemy this trutJt, that wherever a Major-General of
the British armyj with but a few gallant soldiers of' the liire, and of the
brave defenders of the soil, could be assembled agaitist them, they must
retire fromi the land which they had intad^d, his cause was hopeless. Ifhe
had begun to' corhpaif^ numbers, and'had reserved his small force in order
to make a safer effort on a future diy, then would 'thousands upon thou
sands of the people of the neighbouring' States have been found pouring
into the ¦western portions of this 'Province ; and when at last our mother
country could sendi as it wiis certain she would, her armies to our assist
ance, they would have had to expeild' their courage and their strength, in
taking onie strong position- after another that had been erected by the
enemy within our own territory.
And atthe moment wlien the noble soldier fell, it istrue, he fell in
discharging a duty which might haye been eomtnitted to a sUhordiflate
hand ; true he might have reserved himself fer a more deliberate and
stronger effort ; but' he felt that hesitation might be ruin, that all de
pended u'pbn his' exampHe of dauiitleSS courage, of fearless self-devotion.
Had it pleased Divine Pi-ovidence to spare his invaluable life, who will
say that his effort would have failed? It is true his gallant course was
arrested by a fatal wound — such is the fortune of war; butthe people of
Canada did not feel that his preciouis life was therefore thrown away,
deeply as they deplored' his fall. In later periods of the contest, it some
times happened that the example of General Brock was not very closely
followed. It was that cautious calculation which some supposed he

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS 29
wanted, which decided the day against us at Sackett's Harbour, it was
the same cautious calculation which decided the day at Plattsburg ; but
no monuments have been erected to record the triumphs of those fields ;
it is not thus that trophies are won."
The Hon. Mr. Justice Macaulay, in moving the third resolution, thus
elcgShtly expressed himself : " It was not my good fortune to serve in the
fleld under the illustrious Brock, but I was under his command for a short
period when commandant of the garrison of Quebec thirty years ago, and
well remember his congratulating me upon receiving a commission in the
army, accompanied with good wishes for my welfare, which I shall never
forget. I feel myself an humble subaltern still, -when called upon to ad
dress such an auditory and upon such a topic as the memory of Brock. —
Looking at the ainimated mass covering these heights in 1840, to do fur
ther honor to the unfortunate victim of a war now old in history, one is
prompted to ask, how it happens that the gallant General who has so long
slept the sleep of death, left the lasting impression on the hearts of his
countrymen whieh this scene exhibits ; how comes it that the fame of
Brook thus floats down the stream of time, broad, deep and fresh as the
waters of the famed river with whose Waters it might be almost said, his
life's blood mingled ? In reply, we might dwell upon his civil and mili
tary -virtues, his patriotic self-devotion; his chivalrous gallantry, and his
triumphant achievements. (Here one of the auditors added, 'andthat
he Was an honest man' — ^an attribute most warmly responded to on every
side — ^for an honest man is the noblest work of God.) Still it might be
asked, what peculiar personal qualities predominated and gave him the
talismanic influence arid ascendancy over his fellow-men, which he ac
quired and wielded for his country's go'od ? I answer, 'are there any
seamen among you ' ? (Yes, yes, anSwered from the crowd.) Then I
say it was the Nelsonian spirit that animated his breast, it was the mind
instinctively to conceive, and the soul promptly to dare — incredible things
to feeble hearts — with a skill and bearing which infused his chivalrous
and enterprising spirit into all his followers, and impelled them energeti
cally to realise whatever he boldly led the way to accomplish. It displayed
itself too not only in the ranks of the disciplined soldiers, but in those also
of the untrained militia of Upper Canada, as was amply proved on this me
morable ground. Such were the shining and conspicuous qualities of the
man that has rendered very dear his memory and his fame. Gentlemen,
the resolution which I hold in my hand, is expressive of the indignation

30 THE BATTLE OE
felt throughout the Province, at the lawless act, the effect of whioh is
visible before us."
After the resolutions had been carried by acclamation, and the public
proceedings had terminated, 600 persons sat down to dinner in a tempo
rary pavilion erected on the spot where the hero fell, Chief Justice
Robinson presiding; and at this, as at the morning meeting, great elo
quence was displayed in the speeches, great loyalty evinced in the feel
ings, and great enthusiasm prevailed. After the Queen's health had
been drunk, the Chief Justice rose and saM :
" I have now to propose the menaory of the late gallant Sir Isaac Brock,
of Colonel McDonell, and those who fell with them on Queenston Heights.
That portion of you gentlemen, who were inhabitants of Upper Canada
while General Brock served in its defence, are at no loss to account for the
enthusiastic affection with which his memory is cherished among us. It
was not merely on account of his intrepid courage and heroic firmness,
neither was it solely because of his brillant success while he lived, nor
because he so nobly laid down his life in our defence ; it was, I think,
that he united in his person, in a very remarkable degree, some qualities
whieh are peculiarly calculated to attract the confidence and affection of
mankind. There was in all he said and did that honesty of character
which was so justly ascribed to him by a gentleman who proposed one of
the resolutions. There was an inflexible integrity, uncommon energy and
decision, which always inspire confidence and respect — a remarkable even
ness in his whole demeanour of benevolence and firmness — a peculiarly
commanding and soldier-like appearance — a generous, frank and manly
bearing, and above all an entire devotion to his country. In short, I be
lieve I shall best convey my own impression when I say, it would have
required much more courage to refuse to follow General Brock, than to go
with him wherever he would lead."
The meeting presented a proud display of high and noble feelings, hon
orable to the memory of the dead and equally so to the character of the
living. It was conducted with great dignity and judgment, and no acci
dent occurred to interrupt the pleasures of the day ; the steam vessels
re-embarking their passengers soon after sun-set and conveying back the
individuals composing this congregated multitude to' their respective homes
in safety.*

•Buckingham's Canada.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 31
The result of that meeting was the formation of a Building Committee
for the erection of a new monument. It consisted of
Sir Allan Napier MacNab, Bart. M. P.,
Chief Justice Sir John Beverley Robinson, Bart.,
Hon. Mr. Justice Maclean,
Hon. Walter H. Dickson, M. L. C,
Hon. Wm. Hamilton Msrritt, M. P.,
Thomas Clark Street, Esq., M. P.,
Colonel James Kerby,
Colonel McDougal,
David Thorburn, Esq.,
Lieutenant Garrett, late 49th Regiment,
Colonel Robert Hamilton,
Captain H. Munro.
The first monument, as already stated, was erected by a grant from the
Parliament of the Province. The present one by the voluntary contribu
tions of the Militia and Indian Warriors of this Province ; a grant from
Parliament enabling the Committee to lay out the grounds and complete
the outworks.
The operations were commenced in 1853, and on the 13th October in
that year the ceremonies of laying the foundation stone and also the third
re-interment of Brock took place. His remains and those of his Aide-de-
Camp were temporarily removed from the ruined column to an adjoining
burying ground, and were now to be conveyed to their resting place in the
new structure. The day was splendidly fine, and a vast concourse attended
to do homage to the illustrious dead. The pall-bearers were Cols. E. W.
Thomson, W. Thompson, Duggan, Stanton, Kerby, Crooks, Zimmer
man, Caron, Thorne, Servos, Clark, Wakefield and Miller. And among
the chief mourners were Colonel Donald McDonell, Deputy Adjutant Gen-
eneral for Canada East, Colonel Tache, Lieut. Col. Irvine, and the survi
vors of 1812 and the brave Indian Chiefs.
The procession having gained the heights, the coffins were slowly — to
the softened sounds of martial music — lowered down into their respective
vaults, and deposited in the stone shells prepared for them.
The foundation stone was then laid by Lieut. Col. McDonell, brother of
the gallant man who shared the fate and the honors ofhis Commander-in-
Chief, and addresses were then delivered by the Hon. W. IL Men-itt, M.
P., David Thorburn, Esq., Col. Tache, Col. E. W. Thomson, &c.

32 THE BATTLE OE
The colum'u was completed in 1856. The surrounding grounds, con
taining about forty acres, have now been fenced in, a stone lodge erected
with handsome wrought iron ornamental gates and cut stone piers, sur
mounted with the arms of the hero at the eastern, entranee. From the
entrance a carriage road, of easy ascent, winds up the. steep, and is con
tinued to the heights by an avenue 100 feet wide, planted with chesnuts,
maples, &c., terminating at the monument in a circle 180 feet diameter.
The monument, as already stated,, was designed: by andcompleted under
the superintendence of W. Thomas, Esq., architect of Toronto, who had
also under his management and superintendence the erection of the lodge,
laying out of the grounds, formation of roads, and: all necessary works ;
and the manner in whieh he discharged these duties gave the committee
great satisfaction.
Upon the solid rock is built a foundation 40 feet square and 10 feet
thick of massive stone; upon this the structure stands in a grooved plinth
or sub-basement 38 feet square and 27 feet in height, and has an eastern
entrance by a massive oak door and bronze pateras, forming two galleries
to the interior 114 feet in extent, round the inner pedestal, on the north
and south sides of which, in vaults under the ground floor, are deposited
the remains of General Brock, and those of his Aide-de-Camp, Colonel Mc
Donell, in massive stone sarcophagi. On the exterior angles of the sub-
basement are placed lions rampant seven feet in height, supporting shields
with- the armorial bearings of the hero — on the north side is the following
inscription :
UPPER CANADA
Has dedicated this monument to the memory of the late
MAJOR-GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCE, K. B.,
Provincial Lieut. Governor and Commander of the Forces in this Province,
whose remains are deposited in the vault beneath.
Opposing the invading enemy, he fell in action near these heights,
On the I3th of October, 1812,
In the 43rd year of his age.
Revered and lamented by the people whom he governed, and deplored
by the Sovereign to whose service his life had been devoted.

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 33
On brass plates, within the column, are the following inscriptions :
In a vault underneath are deposited the mprtal remains
of thei lamented
Major-General Sir Isaac Buock, K.B.,
Who fell in action near these heights on 13th October, 1812j
And was entombed on the 16th October at the bastion of Fort George,
Niagara, removed from thence and re-interred under a monument to the
eastward of this site on the ISth October, 1824, and in consequence of that
monument having received irreparable injury by a lawless act on 17th
of Aprilj 1810, it was found requisite to take down the former structure
and erect this monument — the foundation stone being laid, and the
remains again re-interred with due solemnity on 13th October, 1853.

In a vault beneath are deposited the mortal remains of
Lieut. Col. John McDonell, P.A,D.C.,
And Aide-de-Camp to the lamented.
Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K. B.,
Whp fell mortally wounded in the battle of Queenston, on the 13th Oct.,
1812, and died on the following day.
His remains were removed and re-interred with due solemnity
On 13th October, 1853.

The column is placed on a platform slightly elevated, within a dwarf
wall enclosure 75.0 square, with a fosse around the interior. At each
angle are placed massive military trophies, in pedestals, in carved stone,
20.0 in height.
Standing upon the sub-basement is the pedestal of the order, 16.9
square, and 38.0 in height, the die having on three of its enriched pan-
nelled sides, emblematic baso relievos, and on the north side, fronting
Queenston, the battle scene in alto relievo.
The plinth of the order is enriched with lion's heads, and wreaths in
bold relief. The column is of the Roman composite order, 95.0 in height,
a fluted shaft, 10.0 diameter at the base ; the loftiest column known of
this style ; the lower tones enriched with laurel leaves, and the flutes
terminating on the base with palms.

34 THE BATTLE OP
The capital of the column is 16.0 square, and 12.6 high. On each face
is sculptured a figure of victory, 10.6 high, with extended arms, grasping
military shields as volutes; the acanthus leaves being wreathed with
palms, the whole after the manner of the antique. From the ground to
to the gallery at the top of the column, is continued a staircase of cut stone,
worked with a solid nurel of 235 steps, and sufficiently lighted by loop
holes in the fluting of the column, and other circular wreathed openings.
Upon the abacus stands the cippas, supporting the statue of the hero,
sculptured in military costume, 17.0 high, the left hand resting on the
sword, the right arm extended, with baton. The height from the ground
to the top of the statue is 190, exceeding that of any monumental column,
ancient or modern, known, with the exception of that on Fish Street Hill,
London, England, by Sir Christopher Wren, architect, in commemoration
of the great fire of 1666, 202 feet high, which exceeds it in height by
12 feet.
Great praise is due to the contractor, Mr. J. Worthington, for the
skilful manner in which the work was executed ; some of the pieces of
stone in the formation of the capital of the column, being nearly three tons
in weight, and elevated about 160 feet from the ground, and not the
slightest accident occurring to any of the workmen during the period of
its erection.
The comparative heights of some of the principal monuments of the
kind, ancient and modern, are as follows : — ENTIRE HEIGHT.
Pompey's Pillar...'  90.0
Trojan's Pillar  115.0
Antonia Column  123.0
Monument on Pish Street Hill  202.0
York Column  137.0
Napoleon Column, Paris  132.0
July Column, Paris  156.0
Alexander Column, St. Peteraburgh  175. G
Melville Column, Edinburgh  152.7
Nelson Column, Dublin  134.0
Nelson Column, Yarmouth  149.0
Nelaon Column, London, from the level of the pavement in
Trafalgar Square  171.0
Thus, then, there is only one column, either ancient or modern, in
Europe, that exceeds the entire height of the Brock Monument, which is

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 35
that erected in London by Sir Christopher Wren, in commemoration of
the great fire in 1666.
From the top of the column, a magnificent view of the surrounding
country can be obtained. To the north, and immediately below, is the
Town of Queenston. It is at the head of the navigable waters of tho
Niagara. Queenston had used to be the place of depot for all public
stores and merchandise which were brought from Kingston and Lower
Canada. Public stores for Forts Erie and Maiden, and merchandise for
all the country above, as well as the returns of furs and produce by that
route downwards, were all stored for a time at Queenston. They were
then transported over the carrying place, or portage, by waggons, a dis
tance of nine miles to and from Chippawa, above the Falls. Railways
have altered all this, and trade has been diverted into other channels.
The principal buildings were burnt during the war.
In the distance, about seven miles, is the ToAvn of Niagara, a place of
much business and resort. It is situate at the mouth of the Niagara
River. As you enter the town from Queenston, is the old Fort George ;
about a mile north of the town is Fort Missessaga. On the American side,
opposite, is Fort Niagara.
On the east of the monument, is Lewiston, and the beautiful Suspen
sion Bridge. From the sudden change in the face of the country at this
spot, and the equally sudden change in the river, with respect to its
breadth, depth, and current, it has been conjectured that the Falls, some
where about thirty thousand years ago, must have been at this place where
the waves are so abruptly contracted between the hills; and the con
jecture is strengthened by the fact well ascertained, that the Falls have
receded very considerably since they were first visited by Europeans, and
that they are still receding every year.
To the south are the beautiful villages of Stamford, Drummondville,
and the battle field of Lundy's Lane, and a little to the left is the terrific
whirlpool, almost as tremendous as the M^lstrom of Norway.
The view from this monument of the surrounding country, is perhaps
unsurpassed for magnificence by any on the American continent, and the
spot has been appropriately chosen as the fittest to blazon forth the achieve
ments of the virtuous and the brave.

36 THE BATTLE OE
As Pame alighted on the mountain's crest,
She loudly blew her trumpet's mighty blast,
Bre she repeated victory's notes, she cast
A look around and stopped : of power bereft,
Her bosom heaved, her breath she drew with pain.
Her favorite BROCK lay slaughtered on the plain !
Glory threw On his grave a laurel wreath,
And Fame proclaims, " A hero sleeps beneath."
William Brock, the grandfather of our hero, was connected by marriage
with one of the principal and most eminent families of the island of
Guernsey. He had three sons and a daughter.
John Brock, Esq., his seeond son, had by his wife Elizabeth De Lesle,
a very numerous family often sons and four daughters, of whom eight sons
and two daughters reached maturity. He died in June, 1777, at Dinan,
in Brittany, where he had gone for the benefit of the waters, at the early
age of 48 years.- In his youth he was a midshipman in the navy, and in
that capacity had made a voyage to India, which was then considered a
great undertaking. The family was left in independent if not in affluent
circumstances. Isaac Brock, the eighth son, was born in the parish of St. Peter-Port,
Guernsey, on the 6th October, 1769, the year which gave birth to Napo
leon and Wellington. In his boyhood he was like his brothers, unusually
tall, robust and precocious, and with an appearance much beyond his age,
remarkable chiefly for his extreme gentleness. In his eleventh year he
was sent to school at Southampton, and his education was concluded by
his being placed for a twelve month under a French protestant clergyman
at Rotterdam, for the purpose of learning the French language. The
eldest brother John, a lieutenant in the 8th (the King's Regiment) being
promoted to a company by purchase, Isaac succeeded, also by purchase, to
the ensigncy which consequently became vacant in that regiment, and to
which he was appointed on Snd March, 1785, soon after he had completed
his l5th year. In 1790 he was promoted to a lieutenancy and was
quartered in Guernsey and Jersey. At the close of that year he obtained
an independent company. He exchanged soon afler into the 49th, which
regiment he joined at Barbadoes in 1791, and he remained doing duty
there and afterwards in Jamaica until 1793, when he was compelled to
return very suddenly to England on sick leave. On his return from Ja
maica Captain Brock was eraployed on the recruiting service in England

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 87
and afterwards in charge of a number of recruits in Jersey. On 24th of
June, 1795, he purchased his majority. On 27th of October, 1797, just*
after he had completed his twenty-eighth jear, Major Brock purchased his
lieutenant-colonelcy, and soon after became senior lieutenant-colonel of the
49th. In 1799 his regiment embarked on an expedition under Sir Ralph
Aberctombie to Holland, then in alliance with the French republic. On
its landing an engagement took place which cost the British about 1000
men. During this campaign Lieutenant-Colonel Brock distinguished
himself in command of his regiment, and on the 2nd October, in the bat
tle of Egmont-op-Zee, was slightly wounded.
The 49th, on the return of the expedition from Holland, was again
quartered in Jersey, and early in 1801 was embarked in the fleet destined
for the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker, and Lieutenant-Colonel Brock
was the second in oommand of the land forces at the memorable attack of
Copenhagen by Lord Nelson, on the 2nd of April. On the return of the
49th to England it was collected at Colchester, and in the Spring follow
ing, 1802, the regiment sailed for Canada, the scene of the fame and death
of its commanding officer.
In less than eighteen months after the arrival of the 49th in Canada, a
serious conspiracy was on the point of breaking out in that part of the
regiment which was in garrison at Fort George. The officer in command,
had, it seems, more by useless annoyance than actual severity, exaspe
rated the men to that degree, that they formed a plot to murder all the
officers present with tho exception of a young man who had recentlj
joined, and then to cross over to the United States. Lieutenant-Colonel
Brock, by promptitude of action, secured the ringleaders ; and four, on
being tried by Court Martial, were coudemned to suffer death, and were
shot at Quebec in the presence of the garrison, early in March, 1804. Tho
unfortunate sufferers declared publicly that had they continued under the
command of Colonel Brock, they would have escaped their melancholy
end, and as may be easily conceived, he felt no little anguish that they
who had so recently and so bravely fought under him in Holland and at
Copenhagen, were thus doomed to end their lives the victims of unruly
passions, inflamed by vexatious authority. He was now directed to as
sume the command at Fort George, and all complaint and desertion
instantly ceased. The Duke of York was heard to declare that Lieut-
Colonel Brock, from one of the worst, had made the 49th one of the best
regiments in the servioe.

38 THE BATTLE OF
In the fall of 1805— in October of which year he was made full Colonel
—^Colonel Rrbck returned to Europe on leave ; and early in the folidwing
year he laid before his Royal Highness the Commander-in-Chief the out
lines of a plan for the formation of a veteran battalion to serve in the
Canadas, and for which he received the special thanks of the Duke of
York. While on a visit to his family and friends in Guernsey, Colonel Brock
deemed the intelligence from the United States to be of so vyarlike a
character that he resolved on returning to Canada. He left London on
the 26th June, 1806, and hurried away from Europe, never to return,...-- r
Soon after his arrival in Canada, Colonel Brock succeeded on the 27 th
September, 1806, to the conimand of the troOps in the two'Trovinces,
making Quebec his residence ; Colonel BoTres — after-wards slain on the
27th June, 1812, while leading the troops to the assault of ihe f(j*Jsr'of<^a-
manca — having resigned that command on his departure foifEnglanSf'-
On the 2d July, 1808, Colonel Brock was appointed to act as ^Brigadier ;
a distinguished mark of approval of his conduct. (
Brigadier Brook, in 1810, proceeded to the .UppST^'m'iige, having
been replaced at Quebec by Baron de Rottenbprg, andhe continued in
command of the troops there till his death; Lieutenant-Governor Gore
at that time administering the civil Government.
On the 4th June, 1811, Brigadier Brock was promoted and appointed
by the Prince Regent, to serve as a Major-General on the staff of North
America. Sir James Craig, who had been in chief command of the British North
American Provinces, embarked for England in June, 1811, in ill health,
and died several months after his arrival there. He was succeeded by
Sir George Prevost, who arrived at Quebec in September ; and on the 9ih
of October Major-General Brock, in addition to the command of the
troops, was appointed President and Administrator of the Government in
Upper Canada, in place of Lieutenant-Governor Gore, who returned to
England, on leave. At the close of the year, His Royal Highness the
Duke of York expressed at length every inclination to gratify Major-Gen
eral Brock's wishes for more active employment in Europe, and Sir Geo.
Prevost was authorised to replace him by another officer ; but when the
permission reached Canada early in 1 812, a war with the United States
was evidently near at hand, and Major-General Brock, with such a pros-

QUEENSTON HEIGHTS. 39
peet, wasl|retained both by honor and inclination in the oountry, aud he
employed himself vigorously to the adoption of suoh precautionary mea
sures as he deemed necessary to meet all future contingencies. From
the first moment of being placed at the head of the Government, he
appears to have been convinced that war was inevitable, and in conse
quence used every exertion to place the Province in as respectable a state
of defence as his very limited means would admit. Immediately after war
was declared, he made Fort George his head quarters, and superintended
the various defences on the river. He then went to York, (now Toronto)
where the Legislature was assembled, and having despatched the
public business, set out for Amherstburg on the 6th of August, with
250 militia, who cheerfully came forward to accompany him. The
taking of Detroit soon followed, an achievement which his energy
and decision crowned with such unqualified success, that the Gov
ernment at. home appointed him an extra Knight of the most Hono
rable Order of the Bath, and he was gazetted to this mark of his country's
approbation, so gratifying to the feelings of a soldier, on the 10th October,
but he lived not long enough to learn that he had obtained so honorable
a distinction, the knowledge of which would have cheered him in his last
moments. On the 6th October when his despatches, accompanied by
the colors of the U. S. 4th regiment, reached London, the Park and Tower
guns fired a salute, and in one short week afterwards Brock died.
Low bending o'er the rugged bier,
The soldier drops the mournful tear,
Por life departed, valour driven,
Fresh from the field of death to heavan.
But time shall fondly trace the name
Of Brock upon the scrolls of fame,
And those bright laurels, which should ware
Upon the brow of one so brave,
Shall flourish vernal o'er his grave.

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