Raise a pint to this fact-200 years ago yesterday, 700 Brits,40 Militia and a dozen natives using their Bess Muskets took part in a suicide 2am bayonet attack on 2,200 Yanks, holding the high ground, with 7 cannons. After 1 year, 6,000 Yanks had the Niagara Penn. and 1,000 Brits were about done, chased to Burlingon heights. 2,200 US troops camped at Stoney Creek with 800 more 3 miles away. A desperate attack was made,Billy Green a local acted as a guide, and using the password he, his brother or someone else had obtained, helped these soldiers get close to and eliminate 4 sentries along a 7 mile night patrol,found another 50 sleeping and made prisoner, then onto the US camp. A group of 200 US soldiers, plus 20 cooks were 300 yds ahead from the rest of the US line, when all hell broke loose. These 220 were completely overrun by 425 bayonet charging men of the Brit 49th. The survivors ran for their lines but not until they fired 3-4 volleys, before both getting overwelmed by Bess bayonets to their front and hammered by 6 US cannons to their backs. From here the Brit 49th and 8th, advanced on to bottom of the high ground. After half an hour the battle was about done, the Yanks were winning. A forlorn hope attack was made on the 100 US gunners unarmed of personal weapons, out of the dark by 43 Brits and militiamen. Scrambling for their lives, many were bayoneted, or shot in the head, and their 2 only Generals arrived at the worst possible time, only to become POW's. In 1 hr it was over, Yanks held the south line with 450 men most others ran to the swamps and woods, Brits with about 300 held the rest. By sunrise the Brits retired, with 2 cannons with horses,2 Generals and 123 other prisoners. By noon the Yanks retreated,never to venture so deep again,leaving 38 of their dead along with 23 Brits to be buried by the locals. The net and the US gov. only admit to 19 US dead. Truth is the individual company and battalionCommanders stated that the US Artillery, 5th, 20th,21st,22nd,23rd and 25th Infantry had about 70 dead. ---If I bored you all with this, forgive me, you see I was raised near the battlefield, and my school sat on it's left flank.We weretold by desendants that the creek, swamps and house lots around us had the buried and some never found bodies of dozens of US soldiers. As I look at one of my Bess muskets and bayonet I wonder about that fateful night when Canada was saved yet 99 percent of Canadians don't even know about it. 200 years ago to the hour, I stood there, to say my thanks to the men,their Bess muskets and bayonets that saved Canada.
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