April 2023
The first major battle of the War of 1812 was the Battle of Queenston Heights. Fought along the Nagara frontier on 13 October 1812, it was a battle between British Regulars, Upper Canadian militia and the Mohawk warriors allied with them, and American Regulars and militia from New York State.
Initiated by the American forces, it was an attempt to establish a foothold on the Canadian side of the Niagara River. While it was a decisive victory for the British forces, it’s best remembered for the battlefield death of the British Commander, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, KB.
Born on 6 October 1769 at St Peter Port on the Chanel Island of Guernsey, MGen Brock was a career military man, joining the 8th The King’s) Regiment of Foot on 8 March 1875, at the age of 15, with the rank of Ensign. After purchasing a commission as a Lieutenant, as was the custom at the time, on 16 January 1790, he steadily rose through the ranks over the next two decades.
Standing 6 foot, 2 inches, Brock was a physically imposing figure who, despite having minimal formal education, spent much of his free time reading books on military tactics and science, in an attempt to improve his education and value as an officer.
A variety of postings followed over the years before Brock, then a Lieutenant-Colonel, was posted to Montreal in Lower Canada (now Quebec) in 1802, with the 49th (Hertfordshire) Regiment of Foot, of which he was the Commanding Officer. Appointed a Brigadier in 1807 and then Major-General in 1811, Brock was posted to Upper Canada (now Ontario) in October of that year, as senior officer commander of the troops and as President of the Upper Canada Council, also known as Administrator, but never as lieutenant governor, putting him fully in charge of both the military and civil authority.
As the first decade of the 19th century progressed, the threat of invasion by American armed forces became a real threat to British North America. Recognizing this threat, Brock moved quickly to bolster the defences of Upper and Lower Canada. He ordered the strengthening of the fortifications at Quebec City and the Provincial Marine, who were responsible for transport on lakes and rivers. He ordered the building of warships to bolster the Royal Navy’s ability to defend the Great Lakes from American hostility, something that would be pivotal during the war.
Brock also made changes to the Militia Act to make better use of available volunteers and enhance their training. He also sought out alliances with First Nations leaders, like Shawnee Chief Tecumseh, in present-day Windsor. By building up the defences of British North America, Brock essentially saved Upper and Lower Canada from falling to American expansionist desires.
Although Brock had spent several years repeatedly requesting a posting to Europe, by the time that request was finally granted in early 1812, Brock declined the offer, believing he had a duty to defend British North America in war against America. Bock took his duty very seriously, and his success in the Battle of Fort Detroit saw him awarded a Knighthood in the Order of the Bath (KB) and the moniker of “The Hero of Upper Canada”.
The Battle of Queenston Heights
In the early morning hours of 13 October 1812, American forces, under command of Major-General Stephen Van Rensselaer, launched an ill-fated attack on British forces at Queenston Heights (present-day Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario). Van Rensselaer, an inexperienced militia officer in command of a sizable army detachment near Lewiston, New York, was under pressure by American President James Madison, to launch an invasion across the Niagara River. Despite doubts about the abilities of his soldiers, Van Rensselaer felt he had no choice, and proceeded to launch an attack.
Despite having an advantage of a larger force, combined with the British forces dispersed over a wide area, Van Rensselaer was unable to get the bulk of the invasion force across the Niagara River. The pounding they took from the British artillery and the reluctance on the part of the undertrained and inexperienced American militia, allowed the British to get reinforcements in place and defeat the unsupported American forces.
Playing a big part in the British victory were a contingent of Mohawk warriors, led by Captain John Norton (Teyoninhokarawen) and Lieutenant John Brant (Ahyonwaeghs). Brant was the son of celebrated Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea), a Captain in the British Army during the American Revolutionary War, while Norton, a Scottish-born soldier and Indian Department interpreter of Cherokee descent, who was the adopted nephew of Joseph Brant. Both men later became Mohawk chiefs themselves.
While the British were ultimately victorious, it came at a high cost. The British and Canadian losses were 16 killed, 83 wounded, and 21 captured, with a further 5 killed, 2 wounded, and 1 captured among the Norton’s Mohawk warriors.
Most notable amongst the fatalities was MGen Sir Isaac Brock. After the first wave of American soldiers, led by Captain John E. Wool, came ashore, they attacked and captured an artillery battery that Brock had just moved into position, causing him and his aides to make a quick retreat.
After regrouping, Brock led an immediate attack on the American position with two companies of the 49th and two companies of militia, following his philosophy of never ordering men to go where he would not personally lead them. Despite being shot in the wrist of his sword arm by a musket ball, Brock pushed forward, but an unknown American soldier fired at him from around fifty yards away, striking Brock in the chest. While history recorded that his last words were “Push on, brave York Volunteers,” a reference to the Regiment of York Militia, it’s more likely that Brock died almost instantly, without time to speak, given the location of the fatal would on his coat. His scarlet coat is now on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.
Amongst the wounded Canadians was James Secord, a Sergeant with the 1st Lincoln Militia and husband of celebrated heroine Laura Secord, who less than a year later, on 24 June 1813, helped thwart an American attack on British troops at Beaver Dams. Laura Secord overheard a group of American soldiers whom were occupying her home, planning the attack. Laura walked 20 miles over rough terrain to warn the detachment at Beaver Dams, led by Lieutenant James Fitzgibbons. Secord’s information helped the British and the Grand River and Kahnawake Mohawk warriors allied with them, to defeat the American attackers at the Battle of Beaver Dams.
MGen Brock was initially buried in the north-east corner of Fort George, along with his aide-de-camp Lieutenant-Colonel John Macdonell, who was also killed in the battle. Later, a campaign was started to honour Brock in a more appropriate way.
In 1823, construction began on the first Brock’s Monument, with the official dedication ceremony for the 135-foot Tuscan column with a viewing platform at the top, being held on 13 October 1824, twelve years to the day after his death, atop Queenston Heights, looking down upon the spot where Brock fell, near the base of the Niagara Escarpment. Both Brock and Macdonell were re-interred at the base of the monument.
An attempt to dynamite the monument on 17 April 1840 irreparably damaged the monument, though it didn’t fall. Construction on a new monument began in 1853, while the remains of Brock and Macdonell were temporarily interred in nearby Hamilton Cemetery. The new limestone monument was officially dedicated on 13 October 1859, with Brock and Macdonell brought back and re-interred for the fourth time, at the base of the new monument.
The new monument features a 16-foot-tall statue of Brock, positioned in a classic military pose of leadership, atop a 185-foot limestone column. The column itself sits atop a square base of rusticated stone with an inset, heavy oak door set with bronze patterae. Upwards are the three progressively smaller pedestals, each with molded caps. Sculptured elements including the military trophies, the rampant lions, the bas reliefs and military trophies of classical armour stand at the corners of the base and on a low, enclosing wall set on a slightly elevated platform.
Inside is a 235-step spiral staircase climbing to a small indoor viewing platform below Brock’s statue. Lights illuminate the monument at night.
It’s the fourth oldest war memorial in Canada.
A small cairn can also be found at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, below Brock’s Monument, marking the site where Brock fell.
Tributes to MGen Sir Isaac Brock
In the over 200 years since Brock’s death, several municipalities, schools, roads and bridges have been named in his honour: In Ontario, the City of Brockville, Brock Township, General Isaac Brock Parkway (Highway 405) Sir Isaac Brock Bridge, formerly the Bathurst Street Bridge, in Toronto, Brock University in St. Catharines, General Brock High School (now closed) in Burlington and public schools in Toronto, Guelph, Hamilton, London and Windsor, along with public schools in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Vancouver, British Columbia, and the Village of Bock, Saskatchewan, are all named after the “The Hero of Upper Canada”.
Sources: Isaac Brock – Wikipedia, Brock’s Monument – Wikipedia, Battle of Queenston Heights – Wikipedia, John Norton (Teyoninhokarawen) | The Canadian Encyclopedia, John Brant (Mohawk leader) – Wikipedia, Laura Secord – Wikipedia, James B. Secord – Wikipedia, Laura Secord – Wikipedia, The Battle Of Queenston Heights | Hiking the GTA, HistoricPlaces.ca – HistoricPlaces.ca.