In summer 1814, General Jacob Brown launched an invasion of Canada across the Niagara River. After capturing the weakly defended Fort Erie, he marched his 3,500-man army north along the Niagara. Opposing him was General Phineas Riall with about 2,000 British regulars, Canadian militia, and Native Americans. Riall had formed a defensive line along the Chippewa River, with the Niagara River on one side and a dense wood on the other. After some skirmishing on July 4, Brown withdrew to a defensive position behind Street's Creek, leaving a mile separating the two armies. On July 5 Brown sent Brigadier General Peter B. Porter with a force of militia and Seneca into the woods on his left to sweep away snipers harassing his soldiers. Unfortunately for Porter, he was surprised when he ran into a strong body of Canadians and Native Americans who compelled him to retreat.

In the meantime, Riall had determined to attack Brown and began to advance onto the plain late that afternoon. Riall believed that the gray coats worn by Winfield Scott's brigade meant that the center was held by militia who would retreat before British regulars. Scott, for his part, was not expecting a battle that day and was preparing to drill his troops. However, at the urging of Brown, he quickly formed his men into a concave line, withstood musket and artillery fire, beat off the assault, and drove the British from the field with a furious counterattack. The British lost about 200 dead and 360 wounded or captured; Brown lost around 60 dead and 270 wounded. Nonetheless, since the British had pulled up the planks on the only bridge over the Chippewa, and Riall held onto strong defensive positions behind the stream, Brown could not immediately follow up on his success.

Although the impact of this battle on the final outcome of the War of 1812 (1812-15) was minimal, the victory had an important effect on the moral of the U.S. Army since regulars stood up to and beat British troops. In commemoration of the Battle of Chippewa, West Point cadets wear gray dress uniforms.

Bibliography:

Pierre Berton, Flames across the Border: The Canadian-American Tragedy, 1813-1814 (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1981).

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