Combat· War of 1812
Battle of Frenchman's Creek / Capture of Red House
One of the disappointments of the failed 1812 Niagara campaign.
As part of an American attempt to cross the Niagara River and gain a foothold on the Canadian shore, raiding parties went over before dawn to destroy bridges and spike the guns of the British batteries, including the work known as the Red House, near Frenchman's Creek. Marines from the squadron supported the operations along the river. The advance parties had some initial success, taking a battery and capturing prisoners, but the main crossing was bungled, reinforcements failed to come up in good order, and the whole effort collapsed into confusion and withdrawal. It was of a piece with the broader American failure on the Niagara that year, where poor planning, divided command, and militia who refused to cross the border turned promising operations into costly embarrassments.
Podcast episodes on War of 1812
Record no. 251