DRUMMOND, GORDON
Drummond, Gordon
(September 27, 1772–October 10, 1854)
English General
D
rummond was the
first native-born
Canadian to hold
both military and civil
commands during the
War of 1812. He proved
himself an extremely ca-
pable administrator and
also possessed a “bull-
dog” tenacity in combat.
Drummond’s stubborn re-
fusal to retreat won the
Battle of Lundy’s Lane
and helped blunt the most
serious invasion of Upper
Canada (present-day On-
tario) ever mounted by
the United States.
Gordon Drummond
was born in Quebec on
September 27, 1772, the
son of an army paymas-
ter. He was educated in
England and joined the
army in 1789 as an ensign
in the First Regiment of
Foot, the famous Royal Scots. In service
young Drummond proved a most enterprising
officer, and rapid promotion followed. He be-
came a lieutenant in 1791, a captain in 1792,
then transferred as a major in the Eighth Foot
(King’s Own) in 1794 before rising to lieu-
tenant colonel that same year. Drummond
first experienced combat during the siege of
Nijmegen, Netherlands, in 1794 and subse-
quently distinguished himself during the re-
conquest of Egypt in 1801. Having completed
several tours of garrison duty in the Mediter-
ranean, he rose to major general in 1805 and,
three years later, returned to Quebec under
Governor-General Sir James Craig. His rapid
rise notwithstanding, Drummond had seen
real combat only on two occasions and
lacked real combat expe-
rience. Nevertheless, in
1811 he gained promo-
tion to lieutenant general
after 22 years of dedi-
cated service; he tem-
porarily replaced Craig as
commander in chief of
British forces pending
the arrival of Sir George
Prevost. In October of
that same year, Drum-
mond transferred to
northern Ireland and was
absent when hostilities
erupted between England
and the United States in
June 1812.
Drummond remained
in Ireland until August
1813, when Prevost re-
quested his presence in
Canada. He arrived that
fall and replaced Gen.
Francis de Rottenburg
as governor-general of
Upper Canada. Drummond found the
province in disarray owing to recent Ameri-
can victories on Lake Erie and Ontario’s
Thames River. Moreover, much of the popula-
tion was openly sympathetic to the United
States, and both the military and civilian sec-
tors were beset by acute supply shortages.
His were daunting tasks, but Drummond
threw himself into them with characteristic
abandon. He felt that the military situation
was critical and had to be addressed first.
Reaching the Niagara frontier on Decem-
ber 16, 1813, he orchestrated the surprise cap-
ture of Fort Niagara three days later, along
with vast quantities of prisoners, supplies,
and ammunition. He then directed a subordi-
nate, Gen. Phineas Riall, to conduct punitiveGordon Drummond
McCord Museum