William Hamilton Merritt was born in Bed-
ford, New York, on July 3, 1793, the son of
Thomas Merritt. His father had previously
served with the Queen’s Rangers under John
Graves Simcoein the American Revolution
and consequently obtained a land grant at
Twelve Mile Creek (present-day St.
Catharines, Ontario). Merritt was well edu-
cated in mathematics and surveying as a
young man, although in 1809 he returned
home to farm 200 acres and run a general
store. He also joined the Lincoln militia in an-
ticipation of war with the United States and,
on June 28, 1812, transferred to the First
Troop of the Niagara Light Dragoons. Like
many contemporaries, the youthful Merritt
was somewhat confused over what to do
next, but in his own words, “seeing so noble a
spirit of resistance spreading among all
classes, I determined to give up every other
pursuit and devote my life and time solely to
the service of my country.”
Merritt’s troop initially accompanied Gen.
Isaac Brockto Detroit in August 1812 and
witnessed Gen. William Hull’s surrender
there. He then retraced his steps to Niagara
with the general and fought in the costly vic-
tory at Queenstown Heights (October 13,
1812), in which Brock was killed. The follow-
ing spring the Niagara Light Dragoons were
abolished and Merritt gained an appointment
as a captain in the newly created Provincial
Dragoons. In this capacity he was primarily
employed as a scout for British forces
throughout the Niagara region. In May 1813,
he participated in the fall of Fort George and
subsequently accompanied the British retreat
to Burlington. On June 6, 1813, Merritt was
closely engaged at Stoney Creek and nearly
captured. After the battle his command was
detached from the army to find the missing
Gen. John Vincent, who turned up days later.
Being clad in a blue uniform like the Ameri-
cans, Merritt was also frequently mistaken by
them as one of their own. In this manner, Mer-
ritt rode up to the American lines immediately
after the battle and seized two enemy dra-
goons as prisoners.
Stoney Creek signaled the high tide of
American fortunes at Niagara, and the in-
vaders thereafter remained in the vicinity of
Fort George. Merritt, on several occasions,
was called upon to conduct partisan guerrilla
raids against American army pickets. He was
especially eager to come to grips with the
Canadian Volunteers, a group of renegades
under Col. Joseph Willcocks who swore alle-
giance to the United States. On July 8, 1813,
Merritt escorted a party of Mohawk warriors
in the vicinity of Fort George, when they sur-
prised and defeated a party of American sol-
diers under Lt. Joseph C. Eldridge. Much to
his horror, the Indians proceeded to slaugh-
ter all 40 captives while he looked on help-
lessly. Merritt resumed his scouting activities
for the remainder of the year, and he was
among the very first to investigate the ruins
of Newark, burned by the retreating Ameri-
cans in December 1813. Transgressions like
this only served to harden Canadians’ atti-
tudes against the invaders and redoubled
their will to resist.
During the summer of 1814, Merritt’s dra-
goons were actively employed against a large
American invasion force commanded by Gen.
Jacob Brown. He fought in the initial stages of
Lundy’s Lane on July 25, 1814, but “I was
taken prisoner by six fellows who were sulk-
ing from the fire, which then raged with great
fury.” Merritt was subsequently taken to Pitts-
field, Massachusetts, where he remained for
the rest of the war. This concluded his brief
but active military career.
In 1815, Merritt established himself as a
small businessman at St. Catharines. He was
fairly successful, but he evinced the growing
realization that the economy of Upper Canada
would be enhanced by a canal that linked
together Lakes Erie and Ontario. Such a wa-
terway would spare merchants the time and
expense of having to utilize the time-consum-
ing Niagara Falls Portage and would also facil-
itate the passage of local goods to Montreal
and Great Britain. For nearly a decade, Merritt
lobbied the provincial legislature, and in Janu-
ary 1824 the Welland Canal Company was fi-MERRITT, WILLIAMHAMILTON