On July 11, 1813.
Lieut.-Col. Cecil Bisshopp, with a motley party of regulars.
Canadians, and
Indians, about 400 in number, crossed the
Niagara River and landed a little below
Black Rock (which was a naval station, two miles below
Buffalo). just before daylight.
His object was to surprise and capture the garrison, and especially the large quantity of stores collected there by the
Americans; also the shipyard.
These were defended by only about 200 militia and a dozen men in a blockhouse.
There were some infantry and
dragoon recruits from the
South on their way to
Fort George, besides a little more than 100 Indians under the young Cornplanter, who had been educated at
Philadelphia, and had gone hack to his blanket and feather
head-dress.
The former were under the command of
Gen. Peter B. porter, then at his home near
Black Rock.
Bisshopp surprised the camp at Black Pock.
when the militia fled to
Buffalo.
leaving their artillery behind.
Porter narrowly escaped capture in his own house.
He hastened towards
Buffalo, rallied a part of the militia, and, with fifty volunteer citizens, proceeded to attack the invaders.
At the same time forty Indian s rose from an ambush in a ravine and rushed upon the invaders with the appalling war-whoop.
The frightened
British, after a very brief contest.
fled in confusion to their boats, and, with their commander, hastily departed for the
Canada shore, followed by volleys from American muskets.
In the flight
Bisshopp was mortally wounded.
He was a gallant young man, only thirty years of age. He was taken to his quarters at
Lundy's
Lane, where he died five days after he received his wound.
Over his remains in a small cemetery on the south side of Landy's Lane, more than thirty years afterwards, the sister of the young soldier erected a handsome monument.
