The Charge at Lundy's Lane: Second Regiments and Niagara

LIEUTENANT-GENERAL DRUMMOND, mortified that his veteran troops should have been beaten by what he considered raw Americans, was anxious for an opportunity of retrieving his credit. He had collected every regiment from Burlington and York, and, the lake being free, had been able to transport troops from Fort George, Kingston, and even Prescott. General Riall took post at Queenstown immediately after it was abandoned by the Americans in their retreat to Chippewa; thence he threw a strong detachment across the Niagara to Lewistown, to threaten the town of Schlosser, which contained the supplies of General Brown, and also his sick and wounded, and at the same time despatched a party in advance of him on the Niagara road. With the view of drawing off the enemy from his attempt on the village across the river, General Brown, having no means of transporting troops to its defence, directed General Scott to move towards Queenstown with his brigade, seven hundred strong, together with Towson's artillery and one troop of dragoons and mounted men. At four o'clock in the afternoon of the 25th, General Scott led his brigade from the camp, and, after proceeding along the Niagara about two miles and a half from the Chippewa, and within a short distance of the cataracts, discovered General Riall on an eminence near Lundy's Lane, a position of great strength, where he had planted a battery of nine pieces of artillery, two of which were brass twenty-four-pounders. On reaching a narrow strip of woods which intervened between the American and the British line, Captains Harris and Pentland, whose companies formed a part of the advance, and were first fired on, gallantly engaged the enemy. The latter now retreated, for the purpose of drawing the American column to the post at Lundy's Lane. General Scott resolutely pressed forward, after despatching Major Jones to the commander-in-chief with intelligence that he had come up with the enemy. He had no sooner cleared the wood, and formed in line on a plain finely adapted to military manoeuvres, than a tremendous cannonade commenced from the enemy's battery, situated on their right, which was returned by Captain Towson, whose artillery were posted opposite and on the left of the American line, but without being able to bring his pieces to bear on the eminence. The action was continued for an hour, against a force three times that of the American brigade. The Eleventh and Twenty-Second Regiments having expended their ammunition, Colonel Brady and Lieutenant-Colonel McNeill being both severely wounded, and nearly all the other officers either killed or wounded, they were withdrawn from action. Lieutenant Crawford, Lieutenant Sawyer, and a few other officers of those regiments attached themselves to the Ninth, in such stations as were assigned them. This regiment, under its gallant leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Leavenworth, was now obliged to bear the whole brunt of the action. Orders had been given him to advance and charge on the height, and with the Eleventh and Twenty-Second Regiments to break the enemy's line; but, on information being communicated to General Scott of the shattered condition of the latter, the order was countermanded. Colonel Jesup, at the commencement of the action, had been detached, with the Twenty-Fifth Regiment, to attack the left of the enemy's line.

The British now pressed forward on the Ninth Regiment, which with wonderful firmness withstood the attack of their overwhelming numbers. Being reduced at length to not more than one-half, and being compelled at every moment to resist fresh lines of the British, Colonel Leavenworth despatched a messenger to General Scott to communicate its condition. The general rode up in person, roused the flagging spirits of the brave men with the pleasing intelligence that reinforcements were expected every moment, and besought them to hold their ground. Lieutenant Riddle, already well known as a reconnoitring officer, was the first to come to their assistance, having been drawn to the place by the sound of the cannon while on a scouring expedition in the neighboring country. The same circumstance advised General Brown of the commencement of the action, and induced him to proceed rapidly to the scene, after giving orders to General Ripley to follow with the Second Brigade. He was already on his way when he met Major Jones, and, influenced by his communication, he despatched him to bring up General Porter's volunteers, together with the artillery.

The situation of Scott's brigade was every moment becoming more critical. Misled by the obstinacy of their resistance, General Riall overrated their force, and despatched a messenger to General Drummond, at Fort George, for reinforcements, notwithstanding that the number engaged on his side, thus far, had been more than double that of the Americans. During the period that both armies were waiting for reinforcements, a voluntary cessation from combat ensued; and for a time no sound broke upon the stillness of the night but the groans of the wounded, mingling with the distant thunder of the cataract of the Niagara. The silence was once more interrupted, and the engagement renewed with augmented vigor, on the arrival of General Ripley's brigade, Major Hindman's artillery, and General Porter's volunteers, and at the same time of Lieutenant-General Drummond with reinforcements to the British. The artillery were united to Towson's detachment, and soon came into action; Porter's brigade was deployed on the left, and Ripley's formed on the skirts of the wood, to the right of Scott's brigade. General Drummond took the command in person of the front line of the enemy with his fresh troops.