Aug262021
The battle for Fort Erie occurred in August and September of 1814 and was one of the last conflicts in the War of 1812. British artillery hit the American powder magazine but the explosion here depicted did not enable British troops to dislodge the American forces.

By Cosmo Condina

Photography By Cosmo Condina

One of the pivotal turning points in North America’s history is recreated each year through re-enactments of the War of 1812 that take place on Ontario’s Niagara Peninsula. It is known as the Niagara Campaign.

U.S. President James Madison thought it would be easy to invade Canada and expel England from the American Continent. At the time there were 7.7 million Americans and only 300,000 living in Canada.

The war raged from June 18, 1812, to December 24, 1814, with 20,000 soldiers dying in Niagara. At the end of the war the borders remained the same but the British ceased supporting First Nations people in the fight against American settlement in the Midwest.

My first encounter with an 1812 re-enactment was at Fort Erie in 2007. I thought I had come to a movie set since everything seemed like a moment frozen in time. Costumed re-enactors set up encampments with white canvas tents, open fire pits for cooking, militia drills and nothing in sight that hinted to the present.

Since 1985 at Fort Erie, participants in period costumes present a glimpse of life in the 1800’s which includes costumed merchants offering historical artifacts for purchase and a Mini Militia to let children experience what it was like to be a soldier in the 1800’s. There is also an artillery demonstration and a Night Lantern tour. The highlight of the evening is the recreation of the powder magazine explosion.  The 1814 siege of Fort Erie killed more than 3,000 men, making it Canada’s bloodiest battlefield.

The War of 1812 was waged in the American North, Niagara Frontier, Saint Lawrence River, Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast.  Major sites to visit are Niagara on the Lake, Fort George and Fort Mississauga, which offers  a view of Fort Niagara in New York State across the Niagara River. At the time of the war, Niagara on the Lake, then known as Newark, was the capital of Upper Canada.  In December 1813 the town was torched with only three buildings left standing. In retaliation, the British burned Lewiston, Black Rock and Buffalo in New York State and then sacked Washington DC, setting fire to the US Capital Building and the White House in 1814.

In the village of Queenston, halfway between Niagara on the Lake and Niagara Falls is the site of The Battle of Queenston Heights. Here a major American invasion took place where the leader of the British forces, Major General Isaac Brock was killed. A 183-foot commemorative monument with an internal 235-step spiral staircase and a view of the Niagara River. The Laura Secord home is in Queenston. Laura Secord is considered a British heroine of the War of 1812 for traveling 20 miles through the forest to warn the British of an impending American attack. The Six Nations and Native Allies Commemorative Memorial, named Landscape of Nations, can also be found in Queenston Heights Park. The memorial commemorates the significant contributions made by First Nations during the War of 1812.

Niagara Falls is the site of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, a six-hour nighttime engagement with 900 casualties.  Travel further south on the Niagara River Parkway and you’ll come to the scene of the Battle of Chippawa. Further south on the parkway you’ll arrive at Fort Erie.

After my first encounter with the Fort Erie Re-enactment I began to photograph in earnest to the point where I was invited to join a regiment and have access to the field during battle re-enactments. I was under strict rules not to display my cameras or I would be escorted off the field. It was challenge. It took five years before I had the photos needed to produce the book Niagara at War 1812.

British soldiers climbed ladders to enter Fort Erie, but a powder magazine exploded beneath the battery they captured dooming the assault and leaving U.S. forces firmly ensconced on the Ontario side of the Niagara River.
Protected by a moat and high palisades, Fort George was a difficult bastion to capture in the early 19th Century.
The battle for Fort Erie occurred in August and September of 1814 and was one of the last conflicts in the War of 1812. British artillery hit the American powder magazine but the explosion here depicted did not enable British troops to dislodge the American forces.
Having held Fort Erie, American soldiers went on the offensive to secure the western bank of the Niagara River. British troops suffering from disease and hunger retreated northward.
In 1813 about 50 Free Colored men made up the Black Corps fighting for the British army in Upper Canada. Most were stationed in and around Fort George at Niagara on the Lake.
An American soldier prepares to reload his musket during a reenactment of the Battle of Fort George near Niagara on the Lake.
American troops under the command of Col. Winfield Scott are able to attack British forces thanks to artillery support from U.S. Navy schooners on the Niagara River.
Brigadier General John Vincent commanded 1,200 British troops during the Battle of Fort George. Vincent posted many of his soldiers along the Niagara River. Unfortunately, U.S. marines landed on the shore of Lake Ontario west of the Niagara River.
America casualties in the Battle of Fort George were 40 dead and 113 wounded. British losses were slightly larger, but Canada regained its lost territory when the Americans abandoned the fort in December 1813.
A reenactor prepares an 18th Century lunch over an open fire pit during the siege of Fort Erie.
A First Nations warrior painted and dressed for combat prepares for the Battle of Stoney Creek. A confusing nighttime battle fought 40 miles west of Niagara on the Lake on June 5-6, 1813, Stoney Creek was won by the British. Shawnee chief Tecumseh had gathered 10,000 warriors and his supporters agreed to join the British and Canadian side during the War of 1812. The participation of native warriors was key to defending the country that would later be Canada.
Americans were surprised in their tents at the battle of Stoney Creek. Although the Americans still held Ft. George, Britain's Stoney Creek victory limited their movement and resulted in Canada's regaining control of the Niagara Peninsula.
British soldiers on a night march to Stoney Creek. A red coat was expected to fire off four musket shots in one minute, the musket weighed 10-13 pounds.
Reenactors portraying American and British troops skirmish in a recreation of the battle for Fort George.
Loyalist woman in period costume watches the reenactment of the fight for Fort George that took place in May 1813.
Swirling gun smoke partially obscures reenactors bringing the battle for Fort George to life. Tourists, photographers and War of 1812 buffs can follow the battle from Niagara on the Lake.
The battle for Fort George in May 1813 started with a large amphibious landing in which 4,000 U.S. Marines assaulted a strong point defended by 1,000 British regulars. Col. Winfield Scott led the attack supported by suppressing fire from ships commanded by Navy Lt. Oliver Hazard Perry. The U.S. abandoned the fort after seven months.
During the War of 1812, many militiamen were accompanied into battle by their families. These amateur historians dressed as they would have appeared in 1813, show how a militia encampment might have looked during the siege of Fort Erie.
Inside the walls of Fort Niagara on the New York side of the Niagara River, the military bivouac was more formal. Built by the French in 1726, the "French Castle" today hosts reenactments from both the French and Indian War and the War of 1812.
A full moon rises over the “French Castle” inside Fort Niagara in Youngstown, NY. The fort was built at the mouth of the Niagara River where it opens onto Lake Ontario.
Category: Photo Essays