LUNDY'S LANE, Battle of, also called the Battle of Niagara, or Battle of Bridgewater, a severe engagement fought on Canadian soil near Niagara Falls, 23 July 1814, between Brit ish and American forces. Two days after the defeat of the British under General Riall at Chippewa by Brigadier-General Scott 5 July 1814, the American forces under General Brown, numbering about 3,000 men, grossed the Chippewa River and took post at Queenstown; Riall, after throwing a portion of his force into Fort George. retreated to a strong position near the head of Lake Ontario. Occasional skir mishes took place between the outposts of both armies; but Brown, finding that he had no bat tering cannon to besiege Fort George, and being unwilling to leave that fortress in his rear, fell back after a few days to the Chippewa. Here on the 25th he received intelligence that General Drummond, who had reached Fort George with British reinforcements, had crossed the Niagara River at Queenstown to attack Fort Schlosser, where the American supplies were deposited. Scott was at once detached with 1,200 men to make a demonstration at Queenstown, and about sunset unexpectedly came up with Riall and his whole force at the head of Lundy's Lane. The small American force received the full fire of the British infantry, and held their ground until the arrival of the main body of the American army. Fighting continued during the night. Scarcely an officer remained un wounded in the American ranks, and the men, faint with their exertions and tormented by thirst, were ready to sink with exhaustion. Un
willing, however, to relinquish the field, they re plenished their ammunition from the cartridge boxes of their fallen comrades and foes, who covered the ground around the battery, and then calmly awaited the assault of the British.
After an hour's pause the latter, reinforced by fresh troops from Fort George, advanced under General Drummond to the last assault. The conflict which ensued was more deadly than ever. At length the enemy, broken and foiled at all points, retired. Brown and Scott being now disabled by wounds, the command devolved upon Colonel Ripley, who, finding the enemy indisposed to renew the attack, drew off his troops to the camp. In this battle, the most obstinately contested perhaps ever fought upon the American continent, the British force of 4,500 beside greatly outnumbering their oppo nents, had the advantages ofposition and prep aration. Against these odds the troops of Brown fought with an unparalleled valor and ob stinacy which did much to disabuse the country of the idea, then prevalent, that American troops could not cope with the trained veterans of Europe. According to the official accounts, the American casualties amounted to 571 wounded, 171 killed and 110 missing; and the British to 559 wounded, 86 killed and 42 prison ers. Ripley, finding his forces reduced to less than 2,000 effective men, retired to the neigh borhood of Fort Erie, having first destroyed the bridge over the Chippewa and a portion of his stores.