Ghosts of 1812 - The Battlefield of Chippawa Traditional Cache

Part of the "Ghosts of 1812" Series. **CAUTION-high traffic area** This cache is a cammoed Lock 'n' Lock container with pad, pen and some swag. Suitable to trackables and geocoins. Now on to the story...

The Battle of Chippawa took place on July 5, 1814 on the banks of what was once Samuel Street's farm, as part of the last major American invasion of Canada of the War of 1812. Under the command of Jacob Brown, Brigadier-General Winfield Scott left Fort Erie on July 4 with a force of 1300 American troops. They set up camp several hundred yards away from the Chippawa River, and waited for further reinforcements. Brown arrived with 2000 more troops around midnight.

On the morning of July 5, Major-General Phineas Riall sent a small contingent of troops to attack the Americans with sniper fire and to gain information on their numbers. When the troops returned to General Riall, they reported to him that the Americans appeared to be militiamen, not the highly trained regular troops, as they were wearing grey coats and not uniforms. Acting upon this false assumption, General Riall attacked with his force of 1400 regulars, 70 cavalrymen, and 300 Aboriginal allies. When he sent his troops through the woods for cover, he encountered 56 of Brown’s regulars who had also been placed in the woods. Gunfire was exchanged and the British were able to push the Americans back towards their camp.

As both sides prepared for battle and marched on Street’s Field, General Riall realized that the Americans calmly marching towards him from their own camp were not militiamen, as he had originally thought, but were in fact highly trained regulars..

The Battle of Chippawa took the lives of about 200 American, British, Canadian and Native warriors allied to both sides, most of whom are thought to be buried at the battle site. It marked the first time the American regulars faced British regulars in a stand-up military action fought in the open and many historians cite Chippawa as the birthplace of the modern American army. Faced with skilled troops more numerous than his own, General Riall was forced to retreat across the Chippawa River.

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