hours, British troops valiantly charged pre-
pared American positions and suffered heav-
ily. A small party of British managed to storm
Fort Erie itself, but an accidental magazine
explosion wiped them out. By dawn the as-
sailants withdrew in confusion, having lost
906 men to an American total of 84. This was
the biggest British defeat in Canada during
the entire war. But despite this tremendous
setback, for which Drummond blamed for-
eign troops of the DeWatteville Regiment, he
remained grimly determined to maintain the
siege.
Incessant rains during late August in-
creased the hardships of the troops and dete-
riorated the health of both armies. Drum-
mond himself was suffering from the effects
of his Lundy’s Lane wound, but he stubbornly
disregarded the advice of his adjutant, Col.
John Harvey,to retire. The impasse was bro-
ken only when General Gaines was wounded
by a cannon shot and General Brown, still
hobbled by wounds, arrived to take com-
mand. Working stealthily at night, he man-
aged to transport several thousand New York
militia across the Niagara River. On the rainy
afternoon of September 17, 1814, Brown then
staged a violent and successful sortie against
British siege lines. Drummond, who had been
forewarned by deserters, took no special pre-
cautions against attack and consequently lost
two of his three batteries. Casualties in this
savage encounter were also heavy, amounting
to 511 Americans and 611 British. But the
combination of poor health, worsening
weather, and determined resistance finally
compelled Drummond to abandon Fort Erie
in late September.
The following month, Brown was rein-
forced by a large army commanded by Gen.
George Izard, and Drummond dug in his bat-
tle-weary survivors behind Chippawa Creek
in defiance. Izard, however, refused to
frontally attack such strong positions, and he
was further dissuaded when Commodore Yeo
took control of Lake Ontario that fall. The
Americans subsequently abandoned Fort Erie
without a struggle that November and re-
turned to New York. Word of peace arrived
the following February, and Drummond, al-
though severely handled, could look upon
events of the past summer with satisfaction.
Through his efforts, not a square inch of the
Niagara Peninsula was in American hands by
the time hostilities ceased. It was a perform-
ance worthy of Brock himself.
After the war, Governor-General Prevost
was recalled back to England, and Drum-
mond reassumed civil administration duties
back in Quebec. There the general oversaw
the transfer of previously captured regions
back to the United States, in accordance with
the Treaty of Ghent. He remained so situated
until May 1816, when he returned to England
and was named a knight of the Order of Bath
in reward for distinguished services. Drum-
mond rose to full general in May 1825; at the
time of his death in London on October 10,
1854, he was the most senior general in the
British army. With the possible exception of
Isaac Brock, Drummond was the most effec-
tive military leader and administrator to serve
in Canada during the War of 1812. He was not
the most able tactician of that conflict, but his
combination of natural aggressiveness and
gritty determination thwarted a possible con-
quest of the Niagara frontier.Bibliography
Barbuto, Richard V. Niagara, 1814: America Invades
Canada.Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2000;
Fredriksen, John C. Green Coats and Glory: The
United States Regiment of Riflemen, 1808–1821.
Youngstown, NY: Old Fort Niagara Association, 2000;
Graves, Donald E.The Battle of Lundy’s Lane on the
Niagara Frontier in 1814.Baltimore: Nautical and
Aviation of America, 1993; Griffen, D. Massey. “Forg-
ing an 1812 General: The Early Life of Sir Gordon
Drummond.”Ontario History88 (1996): 297–313;
Johnson, Timothy. Winfield Scott: The Quest for Mili-
tary Glory.Lawrence: University Press of Kansas,
1998; Malcomson, Robert. “War on Lake Ontario: A
Costly Victory at Oswego, 1814.”Beaver 75, no. 2
(1995): 4–13; Morris, John D. Sword of the Border:
Major General Jacob Jennings Brown, 1775–1828.DRUMMOND, GORDON