War of 1812, Part 12: The Battle of Lundy’s Lane

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

On the afternoon of July 25, 1814, the British army under General Gordon Drummond came face-to-face with General Jacob Brown’s American army at Lundy’s Lane, a small offshoot of the main road along the west bank of the Niagara River. The focal point of the fight became the British artillery battery in the center of the line and a general melee ensued. General Eleazar Ripley, who assumed command due to wounds suffered by both Generals Brown and Winfield Scott, ordered Colonel James Miller of the 21st Regiment to capture the guns. Miller led his men in the darkness to within a few yards of the British battery before taking the battery with a bayonet charge. But the Brits were not finished, and General Drummond ordered his men to retake the position.

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses what happened at the Battle of Lundy’s Lane and why it still matters today. 

Images courtesy of the World History Encyclopedia, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, Six Nations Public Library, Hood Museum of Art, Alamy, Brown University Library, New York Public Library, Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library, Wikimedia.

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Tom Hand
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War of 1812, Part 11: Americans Seize the Offensive