Fort Erie, Canada

Thousands of years before the fort was built on this site it was the place where the Indian Nations of Canada quarried Onondaga flint that was used to make tools and weapons.  

The French moved into the great lakes region in the early 1600s.  After the French and Indian war in 1763, the French moved out and the British moved in.  Fort Erie was the first fort Britain built as part of a network of forts along the Niagra River.  The fort was used for supplying goods, troops, and passengers to posts along the great lakes.  

The original fort was built along the river bank and eroded.  The fort was moved to higher ground.  It had not been completed when the U.S. declared war on Britain June 18, 1812.  The war was fought over the British interfering with trade, supporting the Native Americans to war against the America, and more importantly not respecting the American flag and raiding American ships of men to fight with the British against Napoleon's France.  While France and Britain were fighting each other, the American east coast was making a lot of money manufacturing and shipping much needed supplies to Europe.  The merchants did not want to war with Britain and considered seceding from the union.  The southern states were very interested in expansion and thought that winning Canada from the British would greatly benefit America.  Fort Erie is across the Niagra River from Buffalo, New York.  

Fort Erie was not completed when the Americans first invaded in November of 1812.   Over the next two years the fort changed hands several times between the two warring nations.   On August 15, 1814, the British launched their largest attack on the American held fort.  Even though the Americans were out numbered, they were able to win the battle through several blunders by the British. The British were firing too far away from the fort to make a dent in the fortress with their cannon fire.  When they advanced and cleared trees to fire the cannons, they didn't take into account the mounds of earth the Americans put in place to protect the walls of the garrison.  When the British did mount a man to man offensive they accidentally exploded the magazine.  The explosion fire was so brilliant that it lit the sky of Buffalo across the river.  One thousand British men died that night.  It remains the bloodiest battle in Canadian history.

View of Buffalo from Fort Erie

The War of 1812, according to the Canadians I met, is the only war United States lost.  If the U.S. had won, then Canada would be more than just our neighbor.  I didn't remember much about this war except that the Star Spangled Banner was written by Francis Scott Key after a battle with Britain.  There are several good websites to read more about it - I liked this one: http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-war-of-1812