Battle of Queenston Heights

Battle of Queenston Heights
Part of the War of 1812
Death of General Brock at the Battle of Queenston Heights, John David Kelly
Date 13 October 1812 Location Queenston, Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario) 43°09′43″N 79°03′02″W / 43.16192°N 79.05049°W / 43.16192; -79.05049 Result Anglo-Canadian victory[1]
Belligerents
United Kingdom  Upper Canada	United States
Commanders and leaders
Isaac Brock † Roger Hale Sheaffe John Macdonell †	Stephen Van Rensselaer Winfield Scott
Strength
1,300	3,550[2]
Casualties and losses
21 killed 85 wounded 22 captured[3]	80-100 killed 80 wounded 955 captured, of whom 90 were wounded[4][5][6][7][8]

The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major battle in the War of 1812. Resulting in a British victory, it took place on 13 October 1812 near Queenston, Upper Canada (now Ontario).

The battle was fought between United States regulars with New York militiamen, led by Major General Stephen Van Rensselaer, and British regulars, York and Lincoln militiamen, and Mohawk warriors, led by Major General Isaac Brock and then Major General Roger Hale Sheaffe, who took command after Brock was killed.

The battle was fought as the result of an American attempt to establish a foothold on the Canadian side of the Niagara River before campaigning ended with the onset of winter. The decisive battle was the culmination of a poorly-managed American offensive and may be most historically significant for the loss of the British commander.

Despite their numerical advantage and the wide dispersal of British forces defending against their invasion attempt, the Americans, who were stationed in Lewiston, New York, were unable to get the bulk of their invasion force across the Niagara River because of the work of British artillery and the reluctance on the part of the undertrained and inexperienced American militia. As a result, British reinforcements arrived, defeated the unsupported American forces, and forced them to surrender.