Ghosts of 1812 - The Battle of Frenchman's Creek Traditional Cache

Part of the "Ghosts of 1812 Series". This cache is a PB jar container with room for some trade items and trackables  When placed it had some swag and a log with pen.  Now on to the story...

The Battle of Frenchman's Creek, a minor skirmish, occurred early on November 28, 1812, exactly 200 years before this cache was placed.  It was part of a two-pronged American attack on Frenchman's Creek and Fort Erie, in preparation for a general invasion of the Niagara Frontier.  American Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Boerstler was directed to attack the guard at Frenchman's Creek and destroy the bridge over the creek along the edge of the Niagara River.  This was intended to stop British reinforcements at Chippawa from interfering with the main invasion at Fort Erie.

The British local commander, Lieutenant Colonel Cecil Bisshopp, was stationed at Chippawa, with a company of the 1st Battalion, 41st Regiment of Foot, two infantry companies of the 5th Lincoln Militia and a small detachment of Lincoln Militia Artillery. Further along the Chippawa Road, about four-and-a-half miles from Fort Erie, lay the post at Frenchman’s Creek, garrisoned by 38 more men of the 49th Regiment under Lieutenant J. Bartley. Nearby at Black Rock Ferry were two companies of Norfolk Militia under Captain John Bostwick.

Lieutenant Colonel Boerstler made for Frenchman’s Creek but four of his eleven boats, “misled by the darkness of the night or the inexperienced rowers being unable to force them across the current, fell below, near the bridge and were forced to return”. Nevertheless, Boerstler’s seven remaining boats forced a landing, opposed by Lieutenant Bartley and his 37 men of the 49th Regiment. Boerstler led the attack, shooting with his pistol a British soldier who was about to bayonet him. Bartley's outnumbered force retired, pursued to the Frenchman's Creek Bridge by the Americans, who took two prisoners.

Boerstler's men were then attacked by Captain Bostwick’s two companies of Norfolk Militia, who had advanced from Black Rock Ferry. After an exchange of fire in which Bostwick’s force lost 3 killed, 15 wounded and 6 captured, the Canadians retreated Boerstler now encountered another problem: many of the axes provided for the destruction of the Frenchman’s Creek bridge were in the four boats that had turned back and those that were in the seven remaining boats had been left behind when the Americans fought their way ashore. Boerstler dispatched eight men under Lieutenant John Waring to “break up the bridge by any means which they could find”.

Waring had torn up about a third of the planking on the bridge when it was learned from a prisoner that “the whole force from Fort Erie was coming down upon them”. Boerstler quickly re-embarked his command and rowed back to Buffalo, leaving behind Waring and his party at the bridge. The failure at Frenchman's Creek contributed, in part, to the cancellation of the larger American invasion planned for the Niagara Frontier at the end of 1812.

Source:  Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

La bataille de Frenchman's Creek, un affrontement mineur, a eu lieu au matin du 28 novembre 1812. Les Américains, qui avaient planifié une attaque sur deux fronts (au ruisseau Frenchman’s et au Fort Erie, se préparaient à une invasion générale de la frontière du Niagara.

Le lieutenant colonel américain Charles Boerstler fût chargé d’attaquer les soldats qui montaient la garde au ruisseau Frenchman’s et de détruire le pont qui enjambait le ruisseau, près de la rivière Niagara. Ces manœuvres visaient à empêcher les renforcements britanniques de Chippawa de perturber l’invasion principale, prévue au Fort Erie.

Le lieutenant-colonel Boerstler fût finalement repoussé par les forces du lieutenant colonel Bisshopp et ne pu détruire le pont. Ces échecs ont contribué, en partie, à l’annulation de l’invasion générale prévue à la frontière du Niagara par les Américains à la fin de 1812.

Source : Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada

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