Battle of Stoney Creek

The June 6, 1813 Battle of Stoney Creek between British-Canadian and American forces took place near Lake Ontario during the British-American War in Canada and ended in a British victory.

After American efforts to conquer Canada failed in 1812 with defeats at Queenston Heights and Frenchman's Creek, the Americans launched a new offensive in May 1813. A 7,000-man army under Major General Henry Dearborn and fleet units under Commodore Isaac Chauncey opened the offensive with an amphibious assault on Fort George, located near the mouth of the Niagara River on Lake Ontario. The 1,400-man defenders under Major General John Vincent, which included regular army units, territorial troops and militia, recorded 52 dead, 360 wounded and missing in casualties and were forced to retreat in the face of overwhelming American superiority.

The British fell back along the Niagara River and were able to bring their numbers to 1,600 men despite the withdrawal of the militia through reinforcements. Vincent first marched to Burlington Bay on Lake Ontario, where he was able to receive supplies from the British fleet under Captain Sir James Lucas Yeo. His supply lines along the Niagara had been disrupted by the loss of Fort Erie and Fort George.

With U.S. forces standing at Fort George, Brigadier General Winfield Scott took command due to Dearborn's illness. Scott detached 3,000 infantrymen, 150 cavalrymen, and a battery of four field guns under two brigadier generals, William Winder and John Chandler, to advance west and prevent Vincent's forces from merging with the British garrison at Detroit. The Americans marched off on June 3, and on June 5 they reached the small Canadian town of Stoney Creek, where they were about 10 km from Vincent's location on Burlington Heights. The British were warned by a young local named Billy Green. Vincent's second-in-command, Lieutenant Colonel John Harvey, led a patrol to the American camp, found that it was poorly organized and had few guards, and recommended a surprise attack at night, especially since they had learned the American password through a spy.

Vincent selected 700 men from two regular army units (8th and 49th Infantry Regiments) for the attack and gave command to Lieutenant Colonel Harvey. The British, led by Billy Green, arrived at the camp at 2:00 a.m. and attacked with bayonets fixed and Indian war cries. The Americans, however, had cleared the camp for the night and retreated to higher ground. While the British loaded their muskets and formed battle lines, the Americans formed up and opened fire on the now trapped enemy. There were considerable casualties and great confusion. While the British were already beginning to fall back, a detachment of about 20 soldiers under Major Charles Plenderleath stormed the gun position of the Americans, turned the guns around and brushed their previous owners. As a result, a chaotic rearguard action ensued, with both British and American officers completely losing their bearings. Brigadier General Chandler was taken prisoner while trying to regroup troops that turned out to be British. Winder also fell into British hands, and command passed to Cavalry Colonel James Burn. Burn held a briefing with the tangible officers and, because of a shortage of ammunition, ordered a halt to the fight and a retreat to Forty Mile Creek on the lakeshore, where the troops could receive supplies from U.S. warships. Major General Vincent, who had been riding behind his troops, was also nearly captured, lost his bearings, and did not rejoin his soldiers until June 7. The British claimed the battlefield but had slightly higher casualties than the Americans, who lost 168 men, with 214 killed, wounded and missing. Nevertheless, only 700 British had been able to hold their own against 3,000 Americans - not least probably because the latter retreated without realizing their great superiority.

The Americans were taken under fire by British warships at their camp at Forty Mile Creek on June 8 and then retreated in flight to Fort George, where they began to reinforce defenses rather than take the offensive again. Although the engagement was of no great significance in terms of the number of troops involved, the American defeat nevertheless played a key role in the failure of the U.S. campaign of 1813 and thus in the failure of the planned conquest of Canada.