The Original American Battle Casualty Reports, 7, Covering the Major Engagements For the Entire Niagara Campaign of the War of 1812

From the Papers of and Signed by Adjutant General Roger ap Catesby Jones; The original on-site reports, retained by Jones, who has notated and signed them all; An important primary resource, just discovered

The War of 1812 and the Taking of Canada

Background

Although British impressment of seamen and restrictions on American trade were certainly grievances and were important causes of the War of 1812, the primary reason in the minds of the War Hawks – the young leaders in Congress from the West and South (such as Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun) who pushed for the war – was not national honor: it was the taking of Canada. There were three goals they had in mind: 1. With the Westward expansion of the U.S. already significantly underway, the British (based in Canada) were arming and inciting Native Americans within the U.S. to oppose that expansion. This made the American frontier treacherous, and discouraged emigration. Eliminating British presence in Canada would open up the West; 2. Less than a decade before, the U.S. had acquired the Louisiana Territory, which pushed its boundary almost to the Pacific. Adding Canadian land to the North seemed like a natural extension, and an enormous new expansion of land. Many Americans then considered that ultimately the U.S. would possess all of North America; and 3. There were untold riches in Canada, apparently theirs for the taking. Two of the largest industries at the time were fur trading and fisheries, and with Canada the U.S. would be in a position to dominate both.

The American dream of taking Canada went back to 1775, when in the first major military initiative by the newly formed Continental Army, U.S. forces invaded Quebec. It was assumed that French Canadians would rise up, throw off the British yoke, and hopefully exchange it for an American alliance.  The venture proved a disaster when Quebec’s inhabitants refused to go along, and the British had adequate forces to repel it.

In 1812, however, the British were engaged in a life or death struggle against Napoleon in Europe, and their resources were devoted there. Thus, the War Hawks assumed, the opportunity was ripe and it would be a comparatively simple matter to take Canada. Moreover, the U.S. had the manpower advantage (at least on paper), as it had a population of around 7.5 million people, compared to only about 500,000 in Canada (many of whom were of French descent). The War Hawks won their point, and the U.S. declared war on Britain on June 18, 1812. The invasions to come would concentrate on Upper Canada, which was a province that encompassed much of today’s Ontario Province.

A month later U.S. General William Hull invaded Canada at Sandwich across from Detroit. The movement not only failed, but was driven back and soon the British took Detroit, turning the tables. Other American attempts in 1812 to gain a foothold in Canada, mainly in the Niagara area, were either abortive, quickly failed, or were called off as the result of blunders, lost opportunities, and the onset of winter.

In April 1813, the Americans took York (now Toronto) in Ontario. They burned government buildings including Parliament and the shipyard, and then returned to New York. The Americans took Fort George in May, but abandoned it and retreated back across the Niagara River on December 10, 1813. They burned the town of Niagara on their retreat. In retaliation for the burnings of York and Niagara, the British would in 1814 burn the White House, the Capitol Building and other government buildings in Washington D.C. Another U.S. campaign – this time against Montreal – failed in November 1813.

But the United States would make one last, major push to conquer Canada.

The Last Major U.S. Invasion of Canada

In the late spring of 1814, the Americans learned that the British and allies had finally defeated the French in Europe and could now send many more soldiers and naval vessels to fight in North America. They realized that they had one last chance to take Canada before these British reinforcements could arrive, so that the U.S. might be granted Canada in any ensuing peace treaty. Another invasion of Niagara was launched. First, the U.S. Army of the North under the command of Major General Jacob Brown was split in two, the Left Division to invade Canada, with Brown in personal command, and the Right Division to remain in New York to guard against a British invasion from Canada. Brown’s two Left Division regular army brigades were led by Generals Eleazer Ripley and Winfield Scott. On July 3, 1814, Brown’s forces crossed the Niagara River, and landed near Fort Erie. They quickly captured that fort before advancing towards Fort George.  On July 4, 1814, they reached a position south of the Chippewa River on the road to the town of Niagara.  On the following day, July 5, the American army of some 3,500 men fought the Battle of Chippewa, when it was attacked by a British force of regulars, militia and native allies numbering about 2,100 men. The British, although outnumbered, expected the Americans to retreat. The Americans, however, had drilled and trained during the winter to match the professional standards of the British army. After being repulsed with heavy losses, the British retreated across the Chippewa River, eventually retiring all the way back to Fort George and the newly constructed Fort Mississauga in the town of Niagara. After dealing with their own casualties (60 killed, 249 wounded and 19 missing), and organizing their supplies, Brown’s army followed, but the British had reinforced their troops in the Niagara peninsula, which halted the American advance.

Brown came up against Fort George, but realized that it was too strong to attack without the support of the American fleet. He decided instead to attack the British position at Burlington Heights, thereby trying to isolate the British in the Niagara Peninsula. His advancing army clashed with the British at Lundy’s Lane on July 25, 1814. The action, fought in the pitch dark of a sultry night by exhausted troops who could not tell friend from foe, escalated as both sides continued to reinforce those fighting, while the casualties mounted. Finally, both sides withdrew and the Americans retreated back to Fort Erie. The Battle of Lundy’s Lane was the bloodiest of the entire war, and American casualties were 174 killed, 572 wounded, 79 captured and 28 missing. Brown himself was wounded, as were his adjutant Roger Jones and brigade leader Winfield Scott. Both sides claimed victory, but the American invasion was effectively spent, and now under the command of General Ripley, U.S. forces withdrew to Fort Erie. At the fort, Brown appointed General Edmund P. Gaines to assume command while he was convalescing.

The British, under the command of General Gordon Drummond, had themselves been hard hit at Lundy's Lane. Drummond nevertheless claimed that the Americans had been forced to retreat in disorder and he intended to drive them from the Canadian side of the Niagara. His troops followed the Americans slowly and reached the fort on August 4. His slow advance gave the Americans vitally needed time to reorganize and to reinforce their defenses. On August 13, Drummond opened fire on the fort with cannons. The bombardment proved ineffective, but he nevertheless launched a three-pronged attack on the night of August 14/15, with each arm of the attack aimed at one of the American batteries. They were thrown back. British loss was heavy: 222 killed, 309 wounded, 360 captured (of whom 174 were wounded) and 12 missing).

On September 4, a detachment of General Peter B. Porter's brigade of volunteers from the New York and Pennsylvania militias was sent out to attack the besieging British forces. The action lasted for close to six hours before being brought to a halt by a tremendous rain and thunder storm. Then on September 17 the Americans launched a sortie (an attack made by troops coming out from a defensive position) from the fort. Porter's force of volunteers with the 23rd U.S. Infantry, numbering 1,600 in total, moved along the trail, covered by heavy rain. They completely surprised the British and captured Battery No. 3. At the same moment, the recently promoted General James Miller led detachments from the 9th, 11th and 19th U.S. Infantry along the ravine which had sheltered the British troops before their failed assault on August 15, and attacked the British center. Attacked from both front and flank, Battery No. 2 was also captured. By now, Drummond's reserves were hurrying forward. There was severe fighting amid the British entrenchments but the Americans were unable to capture Battery No. 1. and were driven out of No.2 and No. 3. Brown ordered his men back to the fort. In this two-hour engagement, the Americans suffered 79 killed, 216 wounded and 216 missing. Porter, Miller and Ripley were all wounded. Of the 216 Americans who were marked down as missing in the official casualty return, 170 were captured, of whom some were wounded. The remaining 46 may have died in the massacre at Battery No. 2, since no Americans in the battery survived to report their comrades' fate. The British official casualty return stated 115 killed, 178 wounded and 316 missing.

It was not until the night of September 21 that the British force finally withdrew to the Chippewa River. Although the Americans had not been forced out of Fort Erie, they were not able to exploit their position and attempt their long-hoped-for grand sweep across the Niagara Peninsula to Toronto. Drummond, who was about to be reinforced, blocked their way, and the British Navy regained control of Lake Ontario. On November 5, 1814, the Americans retreated across the Niagara River to Buffalo. Fort Erie, where so much blood had been spilled the preceding few months, was blown up to prevent it being of any use to the British.

Thus ended the final epoch U.S. attempt to wrest Canada from the British.

The participants

Jacob Brown
Brown was a brigadier general in the New York militia when the War of 1812 began, and organized the defenses in the Great Lakes region. On May 29, 1813, troops led by Brown defeated the British at the Battle of Sackett's Harbor, New York, stopping a British advance. As a result of his actions there, he was given a commission as a brigadier general in the regular army. The next year, now a major general, Brown became the commander of the Army of the North, which protected the New York-Canadian frontier. The army was divided into two divisions. The Right Division was led by General George Izard and headquartered in New York, the Left would attack Canada. Brown, in addition to his appointment as overall commander, also assumed personal command of the Left Division of the army. His army captured Fort Erie in Ontario on July 3, 1814, and two days later defeated a British army at the Battle of Chippewa. He was wounded twice at the bloody Battle of Lundy's Lane, which is considered a stalemate. His last battle of the war was the Siege of Fort Erie in 1814, which resulted in an American tactical victory. His successes in what was the Northwest U.S. at the time, made him a national hero. In fact, he won three of the nine major U.S. victories in the war (with some saying that his defeat at Lundy’s Lane was a tactical victory). To express its appreciation, Congress authorized the award to Brown of a Congressional Gold Medal on November 3, 1814. In 1821, he was appointed Commanding General of the United States Army and held that post until his death.

Roger ap Catesby Jones
In July 1812, Jones resigned from the Marine Corps to accept a commission as a captain of artillery in the United States Army. He was actively engaged in the War of 1812. He was at the capture of York in April 1813, where he so impressed General John Chandler that he appointed him brigade major. In that capacity he was at the capture of Fort George and the defeat at Stoney Creek on June 6, where he was seriously wounded. In August 1813, he transferred to the staff of General Henry Dearborn as assistant adjutant general with the rank of brevet major. He caught the eye of General Jacob Brown, who brought Jones into his staff as his assistant adjutant general prior to his 1814 Niagara campaign. As Brown’s adjutant, it was Jones’s responsibility to collect and retain records, determine and detail casualties, manage correspondence, work with or supervise the other adjutants, and see to it that significant information and statistics were reported back to the War Department in Washington.

Jones fought conspicuously on July 5, 1814 in the victory at Chippewa, and was personally commended by Brown for his performance at the Battle of Lundy's Lane on July 25. For these, he won a brevet promotion to major. He next served at the defense of Fort Erie on August 14, and received commendation from General Edmund Gaines. A month later, on September 17, he was involved in the sortie from Fort Erie, and performed so well he was given a brevet promotion to lieutenant colonel. Meanwhile, Jones prepared and sent reports of killed and wounded in the Niagara campaign to the War Department in Washington. He retained the originals of the reports and some copies for his own records as Adjutant General in the field.

In 1815, after the war, Brown had Jones join him as aide-de-camp and adjutant general. In 1818 Jones became a brevet colonel and then accompanied Brown on a tour of the Northwest defenses. In March 1825 he was appointed Adjutant General of the U.S. Army, a post he held for a record 27 years until his death. He was brevetted brigadier general in June 1832, and major general in May 1848.

As the Army's overall chief of staff during that period, Jones was responsible for recruiting, training and administration. He worked with the Army's commanding general, which until 1828 was Brown. After a period of contention with Brown's successor, the top general's post was assumed by Jones's trusted friend and colleague Winfield Scott, who had fought with him in Canada, and they worked closely together to maintain the autonomy of the Army from bureaucratic intrigues. The Jones era is remembered for the reforms he introduced that modernized the Army. He died on July 15, 1852. President Fillmore was among the notables to attend his funeral.

Jones was a central figure in the distinguished Catesby military family, with relatives holding commissions in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, World Wars I and II. His brother Thomas ap Catesby Jones won distinction in the US Navy. Of his thirteen children many went on to serve in the military in both Union and Confederate forces. His son Catesby ap Roger Jones was the commander of the ironclad CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads on the second day of battle with the USS Monitor. His son Charles Lucian Jones served in the Confederate Navy on the ironclad Tennessee. His son, also named Roger Jones, served as Inspector General of the U.S. Army from 1888 to 1889.

Charles K. Gardner
He was Brown's assistant adjutant general who aided Jones and drafted papers for him. During the war he rose in rank to that of colonel of the 25th Infantry. Afterwards, he authored, “Compendium of the United States System of Infantry Exercise and Maneuvers” and “The Best System Extant for Light Infantry and Riflemen”. He also edited the first number of the “Literary and Scientific Repository and Critical Review” and other periodicals.

Daniel Parker
He was for years chief clerk of the War Department, but though not a soldier was at times in the field during the war. In November 1814 he was commissioned a brigadier-general and appointed adjutant general and inspector general. In 1821 he was made the paymaster general of the army.

James Miller
A general and hero of the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, he led a wing of the sortie out of Fort Erie on September 17, 1814. Congress awarded him a Congressional Gold Medal for the Niagara campaign.

The Original American Battle Casualty Reports for the Major Battles in the Entire 1814 Niagara Campaign, Prepared in the Field, Signed and Retained by Adjutant General Roger ap Catesby Jones

These constitute the original impressions of those on the ground, an important primary resource, and serve as a check on generally referenced statistics, from some of which these reports differ. They also list the names of scores of killed and wounded officers and in some cases annotate them.

1. The Battle of Chippewa, July 5, 1814:

“Return of the killed and wounded of the Left Division of the Army in the Battle of Chippewa, Camp Chippewa, Upper Canada, July 5th 1814. R. Jones, Asst. A.G.”

“Report of the killed and wounded of the Left Division…in the action of the 5th July 1814, on the plains of Chippewa…”, prepared at Head Quarters, Camp Chippewa, July 7, 1814. The document is 13 by 15 inches, though with the right hand 3 inches mainly missing, which affects the title but not the data, which is complete. It is in the hand of Charles K. Gardner. It breaks down the data by brigade and regiment, listing Generals Scott and Ripley, Porter’s command (regular army, militia and “corps of Indians”), and the Artillery Regiment. The categories are number of Killed, Wounded Severely, Wounded Slightly, and Missing, with all broken down by rank. We see that 60 men were killed at Chippewa, 249 wounded (134 seriously), of which 9 were officers, and 20 men were missing, for a total of 329. Scott’s Brigade suffered the worst losses, with 41 killed.

At the bottom of the page, Gardner lists the names and ranks of the 9 officers wounded, along with comments about each. For example, Col. John Campbell of the 11th Infantry, wounded “severely, kneepan fracture.” A note added later says he died; and “Capt. King, 22nd Infantry, dangerously – shot in abdomen”. Gardner signed the document, noting above his signature, “The slightly wounded are fast recovering.” On the verso, Jones writes, “Return of the killed and wounded of the Left Division of the Army in the Battle of Chippewa, Camp Chippewa, Upper Canada, July 5th 1814. R. Jones, Asst. A.G.”

2. The Battle of Chippewa, July 5, 1814:

These papers retained for my private use.” R. Jones.”

This is a second copy, large folio, this one in the hand of another adjutant. The recto is certified “Copy, D. Parker, A.A.Genl”. On the verso, Jones has written, “Loss of the Left Division, 5th of July 1814, Battle of Chippewa. Copy. No. 1. Adjutant Genera’s Office, Left Division, 1814. R. Jones.” He added, “These papers retained for my private use. R. Jones.”

3. The Battle of Lundy’s Lane, July 25, 1814:

Wounded: “Maj. Gen. Brown – severely, through the thigh and into the side”; “Brigadier General Scott – severely, shoulder fractured and wound in the side”; and “Brig. Gen. Porter…was slightly wounded in the arm but declined being reported [as wounded].”

“Report of the killed, wounded and missing of the Left Division of the Army, commanded by Major General Brown, in the action of the 25th July, 1814 at the Falls of Niagara in Upper Canada”, prepared at Adjutant General’s Office, Fort Erie, 30 July 1814. The document is 13 by 15 inches, and is in the hand of Charles K. Gardner. It breaks down the data by brigade and regiment, listing Generals Scott and Ripley, Porter’s command (militia and “Canadian Volunteers”), and the Artillery Regiment. The categories are number of Killed, Wounded, and Missing, with all broken down by rank. We see that 171 men were killed at Lundy’s Lane, of which 11 were officers, 572 wounded, of which 55 were officers, and 118 men were missing, of which 9 were officers, for a total loss of 805. That was a very large number at the time. Official numbers differ somewhat from this.

At the bottom of the page, Gardner lists officers killed and wounded by name. Under “Officers Wounded”, we see the name of “Maj. Gen. Brown – severely, through the thigh and into the side”; “Brigadier General Scott – severely, shoulder fractured and wound in the side”; and “Brig. Gen. Porter…was slightly wounded in the arm but declined being reported [as wounded].”

On the verso, Jones notes that this is the original; as there are cross-outs, he apparently decided to file a clean copy with the War Department. He also states that this document is the “Report of the killed, wounded and missing, Left Division, 25th July 1814. No. 2. Adjutant General’s Office, Left Division, 1814. R. Jones.”

4. The Cannonade at Fort Erie, August 13-14, 1814:

“Original retained by me. R.J., A.A. Genl., Camp, Fort Erie”

“Report of the killed and wounded of the Left Division of the U.S. Army commanded by Brigr. Genl. Gaines during the cannonade commencing at sunrise on the morning of the 13th inst. and continuing without intermission till 8 p.m. Recommenced on the 14th at daylight with increased warmth and ending one hour before the commencement of the action on morning of the 15th August 1814.” The document, 8 by 13 inches, was prepared at “Adjutant General’s Office, Fort Erie, August 15th 1814”, and is completely in the hand of Jones. The categories are number of Killed, Dangerously Wounded, Wounded Severely, and Wounded Slightly, with all broken down by rank. He added “Remarks” at the end. We see there were 5 regiments, a rifle corps and the corps of artillery involved. American losses were 9 killed, no one Dangerously Wounded, 18 men Severely Wounded, and 17 men Slightly Wounded; so indeed the cannonade was not effective. In Remarks, Jones names four officers wounded, and then writes, “Add to the killed George Carryl, orderly to Genl. Gaines.” He has signed “Roger Jones, Ass.A.Genl.”

On the verso, Jones writes “Return of the killed and wounded during cannonade of the 13th & 14th of August 1814. At Fort Erie, U.C. [Upper Canada]. R. Jones, Asst. A Genl.” He continues, “Original retained by me. R.J., A.A.Genl., Camp, Fort Erie,” and under that, “No. 3, Adt. Gens. Office, Left Division, 1814. R. Jones.” So again Jones notes that this is an original, and he apparently decided to file a copy with the War Department.

5. Battle of Fort Erie, August 15, 1814:

Officers fell “defending the Fort”, “defending the bastion”, and “in the Fort”

“Report of the killed, wounded, and missing of the Left Division of the U.S. Army commanded by Brigr. Genl. Gaines in the action of the 15th August 1814 at Fort Erie – U.C.” The document, 10 by 16 inches, was prepared at “Adjutant General’s Office, Fort Erie, August 15th 1814”, and is completely in the hand of Jones.  It breaks down the data by regiment. The categories are number of Killed, Dangerously Wounded, Wounded Severely, Wounded Slightly, and Missing, with all broken down by rank. He added “Remarks” at the end. We see there were 2 brigades, a corps of bombardiers and a corps of artillery involved. American losses were 17 killed, 3 Dangerously Wounded, 27 men Severely Wounded, 26 men Slightly Wounded, and 11 men Missing, for a total of 84 against a British loss of some 900. Another source lists 93 American casualties, a discrepancy of 9, with this document being the original resource. Under Remarks, Jones notes by the 19th Regiment – “This Regiment was stationed in the Fort.” He signs at bottom, “Roger Jones, Ast. A. Genl.”

On the verso, Jones lists the names of the officers killed, wounded and missing. He notes that Capt. A. Williams was killed, as his company “garrisoned the Fort.” Other officers fell “defending the Fort”, another “in the Fort”. On one panel, Jones dockets this, “Return of the killed, wounded and missing in the action of the 15th of August 1814, Fort Erie – U.C. R. Jones, Ast.A.Genl.” He adds, “Original retained by me. R.J., A.A.G., No. 4, Camp Erie, Adt. Gens. Office, Left Division 1814. R. Jones.” So again Jones notes that this is an original, and he apparently decided to file a copy with the War Department.

 
6. Battle of Fort Erie, the Sortie, September 17, 1814:

“Wounded – Brigr. Gen. Ripley, dangerously shot through the neck and shoulder”, and “Maj. General P. Porter, sword wound in the hand.” Thus, we see that most of the American commanding officers were wounded in this campaign: Brown, Scott, Ripley, Porter, Gaines, and Campbell, among others.

“Report of the killed, wounded, and missing of the Left Division of the Army at Fort Erie, commanded by Major General Brown in a sortie against the enemy’s batteries on the 17th September 1814.” The document, 13 by 16 inches, was prepared at “Fort Erie, Upper Canada, 20th September 1814”, and is in the hand of Charles K. Gardner.  It breaks down the data by regiment, and by the two columns that engaged in the sortie, there being a unit of the corps of engineers, a right column with a brigade and 3 regiments, and a left column (broken into a right advance and a left advance of 3 regiments each), Porter’s brigade of militia, and a Regular Army brigade in reserve. The categories are number of Killed, Wounded, and Missing, with no breakout based on the severity of the wounds, with all broken down by rank. It shows that American casualties in this battle were 79 killed, of whom 9 were officers, 224 wounded, of whom 25 were officers, 215 missing, of whom 10 were officers, for a total of 518. This is more then another source lists, this document being the original resource. The British lost 578 men.

On the verso, Gardner has an extensive list of 43 officers who were casualties, including “Wounded – Brigr. Gen. Ripley, dangerously shot through the neck and shoulder”, and “Maj. General P. Porter, sword wound in the hand.” Thus, we see that most of the American commanding officers were wounded in this campaign: Brown, Scott, Ripley, Porter, Gaines, and Campbell, among others. On one panel, Gardner dockets this, “Copy. Report of casualties at the sortie from Fort Erie, on the 17th Sept. 1814.” Below that Jones writes, “No. 6. Adjl. Gens. Office, Left Division, 1814. R. Jones. Private, R.J.”

7. Battle of Fort Erie, at the Fort, Excluding the Sortie, For the Month of September  1814:

“Exhibit of the Loss sustained by the Left Division of the United States Army Stationed at Fort Erie During the Month of September, Exclusive of that of the Sortie and Action of the 17th Commanded by Brigadier General Miller, from the 1st to the 2nd then by General Ripley until the 6th then Major General Brown Assumed the Command in Person. Fort Erie, October 5th 1814.” Miller led part of the sortie on September 17, but the numbers given suggest that the entire sortie casualties were excluded. The document, 12 by 16 inches, is in the hand of another adjutant. It breaks down the data by corps or regiment, listing 11 units in all.  The categories are number of Killed in Action, Killed by the Cannonade and Bombardment, Wounded in Action Severely, Wounded in Action Slightly, Wounded by the Cannonade and Bombardment Severely, Wounded by the Cannonade and Bombardment Slightly, Missing, and Deserted, with all broken down by rank.  It shows that American casualties for September in the Fort and not related to the sortie were 11 Killed in Action, 18 Killed by the Cannonade and Bombardment, 16 Wounded in Action Severely, 3 Wounded in Action Slightly, 60 Wounded by the Cannonade and Bombardment Severely, 5 Wounded by the Cannonade and Bombardment Slightly, 11 Missing, and 53 Deserted, for a total of 177. The document is signed “R. Jones, Asst.A.Genl.” The fact that there were desertions is here dealt with for the first time, and quite a few men just up and left.

On the verso, Jones has written the names of officers killed and wounded, including a Lieutenant Roosevelt. On a side panel, Jones writes, “Loss of the Left Division, Month of September, exclusive of the sortie on the 17th September 1814. Fort Erie, U.C., R. Jones, Ast.A.Genl. No. 7, Adjt. Gens. Office, Left Division, 1814, R.Jones.”

Provenance

These documents chronicle an important moment in the histories of both the United States and Canada. They were retained by Jones in his Papers. It is extraordinarily rare for any new and significant primary resource for the War of 1812 to be discovered.