Last day in Niagara Falls

Last Day in Niagara Falls
Sept 16, 2008
Today we visited Ft. Erie which is just west of Niagara Falls. For you history buffs this was where some of the fiercest fighting of the War of 1812 were fought. This was a British Fort but as the War of 1812 drew near the fort was incomplete and the British were fighting Napoleon in Europe. Therefore there was little in the way of resources to give to Canada to fight the Americans. The United States felt it was their manifest destiny to control all of North America and South America at the time. With the British involved in Europe what better time to attack them in the Americas than at that time.
The American armies outnumbered the British by 6 to 1 but their officers at the start of the war were political appointees. In one skirmish a force of less than 50 British regulars captured over 500 American troops.
Later at the Battle of Chippawa the Americans and British met in open field combat near Ft Erie and the Americans held their ground. Both sides lost about 700-800 men but neither could force the other to defeat. Another battle of Lundy Lane was fought and the Americans held the day again and the British were forced to give up Ft Erie when a force of 3000 Americans attacked a British force of under 600.
The British lay siege to Ft Erie and in just one part of one battle lost over 200 men when the powder magazine in a cannon embattlement they overran blew up and killed the soldiers who had overrun it.
With winter coming on the British withdrew their forces and the Americans also withdrew across the Niagara River and by Christmas of 1814 a Treaty was signed. But these engagements resulted in the largest loss of life to British and Canadian Forces ever in the continent.
It is also the reason why (the battle of Lundy Lane) that the West Point Cadet Corps still has gray uniforms. This was the color of their uniforms in that engagement and the regular American uniforms were blue but apparently they could not get the blue dye.
They have regular re-enactments at the fort and have preserved barracks and officers quarters as well as the commissary as it was in the early 1800’s.
Later we traveled to the Butterfly Arboretum and the Botanical Gardens. This was great to see but unfortunately this is where the batteries on my camera. The butterflies were just great with every color imaginable. The Botanical Gardens houses Canada’s only School of Horticulture and this is a three year program with a degree. The students (only 23 are accepter each year) help to maintain the gardens at the Niagara Parkway. This is really an endeavor because the parkway must be 20 miles long along the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. There are wonderfully maintained grass, tree and flower areas all along here going from the river to the roadway and in many places gardens on both sides of the roadside.
Lastly we went to Niagara on the Lake a town that is at the mouth of the Niagara River as it enters Lake Ontario. What a sight to see lake Ontario stretching out in front of us with a huge ocean going cargo ship steaming down the lake. On the American side there is a huge old fort and you can just barely make out the largest buildings in the skylie of Toronto.
Tonight we are going to try to get some better photos of the Falls at night. Remember we tried the first night but it was raining and the weather was just not co-operating. Well hopefully tonight will be better.
1 Officers quarters
2 Read for battle I am
3 Firing a musket
4 Bev and a butterfly
5 Niagara Falls