Ghosts of 1812 - The Burning of Niagara Traditional Cache

Part of the "Ghosts of 1812" series.  You are looking for a cammoed jar in Niagara-on-the-Lake, formally Niagara; considered to be the most haunted town in Canada.  Extreme stealth in required here. The cache has already been muggled once. There are parking spots within a short walk to the cache. May be difficult to find with snow. Now to the story...

It was the end of 1813 and the War of 1812 was in full engagement… Victories at Crysler's Farm and Chateauguay had saved Quebec and Montreal, but the loss by the British troops at the Battle of the Thames in Western Upper Canada had left the Niagara peninsula in a vulnerable state. Governor General Sir George Prevost ordered an evacuation of all of Upper Canada west to Kingston to better consolidate the remaining troops in the province. However Major-General John Vincent, who had command of the Niagara peninsula operations, felt a withdrawal from positions on the Niagara river to Burlington was sufficient. The Americans were quick to act on this withdrawal and reoccupied Queenston and Chippawa. American sympathizer Joseph Willcocks and his Canadian volunteers also wasted little time making those loyal to the crown who were left behind, pay a heavy price. The farms of those who had once been neighbours and friends were looted and burned. Willcocks also arrested prominent loyalists and had them sent to prisons in the United States. British Colonel John Murray convinced Vincent that a small force should be moved back into the peninsula to protect the inhabitants after hearing of the arrests and raids.

As a result, Murray led a force of three hundred and seventy-eight regulars of the 8th Regiment and some volunteers, including Dragoons commanded by Captain William Merritt, to Forty Mile Creek where a base was set up. Merritt led his troop east away from their base camp at Forty Mile Creek but did not see any Americans. The Indians had been in contact with the American guards the night before but now they were nowhere to be found. A signal from an advanced scout brought Merritt forward quickly and the tail end of the American column was sighted tramping toward Twenty Mile Creek. Merritt sent his dragoons charging down the road scattering the American infantry and engaged some American cavalry who quickly withdrew. Some of the infantry tried to fight on, but many quickly surrendered and were taken prisoners of war.

With the American Army in retreat Murray pushed his force forward to Twenty Mile Creek and then to Twelve Mile Creek. By this time the Americans had pulled back to Fort George. The American commanding officer, Brigadier-General George McClure was in a tough position. The enlistment of many of his troops was expiring and his force began melting away. Willcocks' raid had further alienated the local population and when Murray's outposts soundly defeated a probing force sent out by McClure, he decided to withdraw across the Niagara River to the American side and the confines of Fort Niagara.

The sun came up on December 10th to show a cold and blustery day with snow drifting about two or three feet in places. Joseph Willcocks, the American sympathizer, was beside himself when he heard of the plans to abandon the peninsula. He convinced McClure to order to burning of the town on the pretext of denying shelter to the advancing British troops. Willcocks was determined to punish his former neighbours for slights, real and imaginary, that he had suffered since going over to the Americans. His men, along with American Militiamen went door to door warning inhabitants to get out what they could. At dusk the destruction began. Women and children stood in the cold December winter and watched 149 of their homes and almost everything they owned in the world burn into ashes. Their first concern was to find some shelter. There were four hundred refugees who would die of exposure if cover could not be found quickly.

Captain Merritt reported to Colonel Murray. The glow in the eastern sky could mean only one thing and with Merritt's dragoons they rode off to investigate. The troop approached Fort George from the south and carefully surveyed the area. The Americans were pulling out and the only troops remaining were the rear guard, which consisted of the Willcoks’ volunteers. Merritt signaled the charge to the fort, killing two and taking a number prisoners. The scene that greeted them in the town was beyond belief. Every building except one was a pile of glowing embers and the streets were littered with furniture that some had been able to save before their homes were torched. People were desperately seeking shelter. Some moved toward the fort and nearby Butlers Barracks, which had been spared for some reason.

The next day the sun showed the full extent of the destruction. Many snowdrifts had frozen bodies of women and children who could not find their way in the bitter cold darkness of that December night in 1813. The mood of the British troops was dark indeed. Every man from Colonel Murray to the lowliest private had one thing on his mind: Vengeance! By the end of the month, Lewiston, Buffalo and Black Rock were burnt in New York State. However unlike Niagara, the population knew beforehand and many had fled with their winter provisions. Only one woman was reported killed in Buffalo in an altercation with a Native warrior. For his part in the burning of Niagara, Brigadier-General McClure was relieved of his command and dismissed from the U.S. Army. The plight of the civilians that froze to death in Niagara was published in numerous newspapers in England. So effected were some in the military that revenge came also upon Washington, DC the following year with the burning of its public buildings.

(source: www.warof1812.ca)

Be sure to visit all the caches in this series! So far, the series includes the 18 caches listed below...

Ghosts of 1812 - Battle of Queenston Heights GC3P0M2

Ghosts of 1812 - Decew House GC3NVYK

Ghosts of 1812 - Engagement at the Forty GC62DG2

Ghosts of 1812 - Raid on Port Dover GC6374A

Ghosts of 1812 - Shirmish at Butler's Farm GC3VHKE

Ghosts of 1812 - Siege of Fort Erie GC62BWX

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle for Fort George GC3R61W

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle of Beaverdams GC3PJP9

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle of Cook's Mills GC3WNPX

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle of Frenchman's Creek GC424AM

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle of Lundy's Lane GC3P22C

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle of Stoney Creek GC3QAQE

Ghosts of 1812 - The Battlefield at Chippawa GC6382A

Ghosts of 1812 - The Burning of Niagara GC3V685

Ghosts of 1812 - The Capture of "Ohio" and "Somers" GC62DE6

Ghosts of 1812 - The Destruction of Fort Chippawa GC3QATK

Ghosts of 1812 - The Fall of a Warrior GC64FF3

Ghosts of 1812 - The Trek of Laura Secord GC3X4J2