A defensive work on the east side of
Niagara River, near its mouth.
Its building was begun as early as 1673, when
La Salle enclosed a small spot there with palisades.
In 1687
De Nonville constructed a quadrangular fort there, with four bastions.
It was enlarged to quite a strong fortification by the
French in 1725.
The plan of the campaign of 1755 (see
French and Indian War) contemplated an expedition against
Forts Niagara and
Frontenac, to be led in person by
General Shirley.
With his own and
Pepperell's regiments, lately enlisted in
New England, and some irregulars and Indians drawn from New York,
Shirley marched from
Albany to
Oswego, on the southern shore of
Lake Ontario, where he intended to embark for
Niagara.
It was a tedious march, and he did not reach
Oswego until Aug. 21.
The troops were then disabled by sickness and discouraged by the news of
Braddock's defeat.
Shirley's force was 2,500 in number on Sept. 1.
He began the erection of two strong forts at
Oswego, one on each side of the river.
The prevalence of storms, sickness in his camp, and the desertion of a greater part of his Indian allies, caused him to relinquish the design against
Niagara; so, leaving a sufficient number of men at
Oswego to complete and garrison the forts, he marched the remainder back to
Albany, where he arrived Oct. 24.
In 1759, accompanied by
Sir William Johnson as his second in command,
Gen. John Prideaux collected his forces (chiefly provincial) at
Oswego, for an attack on
Fort Niagara.
The influence of Sir
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William made the Six Nations disregard their late treaty of neutrality with the
French, and a considerable number joined
Prideaux's forces.
Sailing from
Oswego, the troops reached their destination, and landed, without opposition, on July 7, and immediately began a siege.
On the 19th
Prideaux was killed by the bursting of a cannon, and the command devolved on
Johnson.
The garrison, expecting reinforcements from the southern and western French forts, held out for three weeks, when the expected succor appeared (July 24)—1,200 French regulars and an equal number of
Indians.
Prepared for their reception,
Johnson totally routed this relieving force.
A large portion of them were made prisoners, and the next day (July 25) the fort and its dependencies, with the garrison of 700 men, were surrendered to the
English.
This connectinglink of the
French military posts between
Canada and
Louisiana was thus effectually broken, and was never reunited.
The encumbrance of prisoners and lack of transportation prevented
Johnson from joining
Amherst at
Montreal, and, after garrisoning
Fort Niagara, he returned home.
During the
Revolutionary War the fort was the rendezvous of British troops, Tories, and
Indians, who desolated central New York, and sent predatory bands into
Pennsylvania. “Then,” says De Veaux, “civilized
Europe revelled with savage
Americans, and ladies of education and refinement mingled in the society of those whose only distinction was to wield the bloody tomahawk and the scalping-knife.
Then the squaws of the forest were raised to eminence, and the most unholy unions between them and officers of highest rank were smiled upon and countenanced.”
Fort Niagara remained in possession of the
British until the frontier posts were given up to the
Americans, in 1796.
In 1812 the fort was garrisoned by the
Americans, commanded by
Lieut.-Col. George McFeely.
The
British had raised breastworks in front of the village of
Newark (q. v.), opposite the fort, at intervals, all the way up to
Fort George, and placed behind them several mortars and a long train of battering cannon.
These mortars began a bombardment of
Fort Niagara on the morning of Nov. 21, and at the same time a cannonade was opened at
Fort George and its vicinity.
From dawn until twilight there was a continuous roar of artillery from the line of batteries on the
Canada shore; and during the day 2,000 red-hot shot were poured upon the
American works.
The mortars sent showers of destructive bombshells.
Buildings in the fort were set on fire several times, and were extinguished by great exertions.
Meanwhile the garrison returned the assault gallantly.
Newark was set on fire by shells several times; so, also, were buildings in
Fort George, and one of its batteries was silenced.
Shots from an outwork of
Fort Niagara (the Salt Battery) sunk a British sloop in the river.
Night ended this furious artillery duel.
Early in October, 1813,
General McClure, of the New York militia, was left in command of
Fort George, on the
Niagara River.
In November the startling intelligence reached him from the westward that
Lieutenant-General Drummond was approaching with a heavy force of white men and
Indians.
McClure's garrison was then reduced to sixty effective men, and he determined to abandon the post and cross over to
Fort Niagara.
The weather became extremely cold, and on Dec. 10 he attempted to blow up the fort while his troops were crossing the river.
He also wantonly set on fire the village of
Newark, near by, and 150 houses were speedily laid in ashes.
The exasperated
British determined on retaliation.
They crossed the
Niagara River on the night of Dec. 18, about 1,000 strong, regulars and
Indians, under
Colonel Murray.
Gross negligence or positive treachery had exposed the fort to easy capture.
It was in command of
Captain Leonard.
When, at 3 A. M., a British force approached to assail the main gate, it was standing wide open.
Leonard had left the fort on the evening before, and spent the night with his family, 3 miles distant. With a competent and faithful commander at his post, the fort, with its garrison of nearly 400 effective men, might have been saved.
The fort was entered without resistance, when the occupants of a block-house within and invalids in the barracks made a stout fight for a while.
This conflict was over before the
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remainder of the garrison were fairly awake, and the fort in the possession of the
British.
The victory might have been almost bloodless, had not a spirit of revenge, instigated by the black ruins of
Newark, prevailed.
A large number of the garrison, part of them invalids, were bayonetted after resistance had ceased.
This horrid work was performed on Sunday, Dec. 19.
The loss of the
Americans was eighty killed—many of them hospital patients—fourteen wounded, and 344 made prisoners.
The British loss was six men killed, and
Colonel Murray, three men, and a
surgeon wounded.
The
British fired a signal-cannon, announcing their success, which put in motion a detachment of regulars and Indians at
Queenston for further work of destruction.
They crossed the river to
Lewiston, and plundered and laid waste the whole New York frontier to
Buffalo.
In 1814, on the retirement of
General Wilkinson,
General Brown, who had been promoted to major-general, became commander-in-chief of the Northern Department.
He had left
French Mills (Feb. 15), on the
Salmon River, where the army had wintered, with most of the troops there (2,000 in number), and on reaching
Sackett's Harbor received an order from the
Secretary of War to march with them to the
Niagara frontier, to which line
Generals Scott and
Ripley had already gone.
The object was to recover
Fort Niagara, restrain British movements westward, and, if possible, to invade
Canada.
Brown, however, did not go to that frontier until many weeks afterwards, owing to menaces of the
British on the northern border.
It was during
Brown's suspense that
Oswego was attacked and captured.
General Scott finally led the army to the
Niagara and made his headquarters at
Buffalo, where
General Brown appeared at the close of June.
On the morning of July 3,
Generals Scott and
Ripley crossed the
Niagara River with a considerable force and captured
Fort Erie, nearly opposite
Black Rock.
The garrison withdrew to the intrenched camp of
General Riall at
Chippewa, a few miles below.
The
Americans pressed forward, and in the open fields near
Chippewa they fought
Riall's army (July 5), and drove the
British in haste to
Burlington Heights (see
Chippewa, battle of).
Lieutenant-General Drummond then gathered all available troops and advanced to the
Niagara River.
He met the
Americans near the great cataract of the
Niagara, and there, on the evening of July 25, one of the most sanguinary battles of the war
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was fought, beginning at sunset and ending at midnight (
Lundy's Lane, Battle of.). The
Americans were left in quiet possession of the field.
Brown and
Scott were both wounded, and the command devolved on
General Ripley, who withdrew to
Fort Erie.
Drummond again advanced with 5,000 men, and appeared before
Fort Erie on Aug. 4 and prepared for a siege.
There was almost incessant cannonading from the 7th to the 14th.
On the 15th
Drummond attempted to carry the place by assault, but was repulsed with heavy loss (see
Erie, Fort). Nearly a month elapsed without much being done, when
General Brown, who had resumed the chief command, ordered a sortie from the fort.
It was successful (Sept. 17). The
Americans pressed the besiegers back towards
Chippewa.
Informed that
General Izard was approaching with reinforcements for
Brown,
Drummond retired to
Fort George.
The
Americans abandoned and destroyed
Fort Erie Nov. 5, crossed the river, and went into winter quarters at
Black Rock,
Buffalo, and
Batavia.