The Battle at Queenston Heights‐1812 A National Historic Site commemorates a battle fought on October 13, 1812 overlooking the Niagara Escarpment at Queenston Heights. Today, there is park commemorating a British victory in turning back the first American attack on the Niagara front. More detailed information regarding the battle and other information can be found on http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_queenston_heights.html and https://www.thoughtco.com/war‐of‐1812‐ battle‐queenston‐heights‐2361372. The battle took place not far from Niagara‐on‐the‐Lake. It involved Major General Isaac Brock, British Commander in Upper Canada (today Ontario). Brock and his aide‐de‐ camp, Lieutenant Colonel John Macdonnell fought at Queenston. Brock and Macdonnell were killed during the Queenston Heights battle. A monument was erected to commemorate Brock’s efforts. Ultimately, the British and the Mohawk Indians surprised the Americans who surrendered within fifteen minutes. Both Brock and Macdonnell’s remains are under the monument. It is higher than the Nelson monument in London.
Quote from “Brock: The Legend” at the monument: “Brock’s death at Queenston has become one of the most memorialized in Canadian history. Brock became a bold target for American marksmen and provided the sort of heroic death which has been the inspiration of legends and songs. In truth Major General Isaac Brock was a dedicated military man who was often discouraged by his posting in Canada and who longed for an assignment on the battlefields of Europe. Yet grateful Upper Canadians raised this monument to him which is as grand as any other memorial in Canada. Brock is remembered as a hero in the province because he was a “winning” general in a war that was very much a stalemate. His bold actions in the early months of the war gave heart to the despairing Canadians. The victories at Detroit and Queenston Heights confirmed the fact that Canada could remain Independent of the United States.”
Another hero of Queenston Heights and memorialized with her own monument was Laura Ingersoll Secord. During the War of 1812, Laura was living in Queenston. During a period of stalemate, Laura was privy to a conversation by Americans about a surprise attack to take place. She traveled 12 miles by road, but fearing she may run into the enemy she took a roundabout way that covered 20 miles. She relayed the information to Indians in an encampment who took her to a British officer. Her information caught the Americans off guard two days later with 50 men who captured 462 Americans. Laura did not have an easy life post‐war and was not recognized for her effort until she was 85 years old. She became a person linked to history, poetry and drama after 1860. One of the legends was that she walked with a cow as camouflage. That story was not confirmed by Laura. She was born on September 13, 1775 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts and died on October 17, 1868 at Chippawa, Niagara Falls, Ontario. Source: http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/ingersoll_laura_9E.html
acuri.net John R. Vincenti